Blurred Lines

Part Five

After the specialty store I worked at closed, I returned to my previous employment. The situation had changed drastically during the years I was away. Many of the same employees still worked there, but there were new people to get to know. It didn't take me long to realize the department store was mismanaged and the staff competed with each other. Friction between management and staff was rampant. 

The manager was quickly replaced, but the new guy was worse than the old one. Cliques formed amongst the employees, and the tension grew thicker. No one wanted to work, and everyone played the 'blame game.' You could easily get 'written up' for something that happened on your day off, even though you had nothing to do with the incident. The situation grew more intense and frustrating day by day. 

The new boss quickly selected me as his 'right-hand man.' That clearly didn't endear me to the rest of the employees. I spent most of my time trying to stay as far away from him as possible. I admitted to finding hiding places and dodging away from him every time I noticed him approaching me. He was not only obnoxious, but he had an atrocious body odor. However, I was always selected for 'special tasks' and to work side by side with him in the office. 

To make matters worse, the boss started scheduling me to work with him during the nights he closed the store. One night, after closing, I noticed his car following mine out of the parking lot. Although he lived in the opposite direction, he shadowed me on my way home. I knew all the side streets and dodged him until I finally lost him. I wouldn't allow him to follow me all the way home. It was one of the weirdest things that happened to me while working there.

By that time, the store was in complete revolt. No one wanted to work; the employees chatted, ignored customers, and did nothing. The place was filthy, including the bathrooms. Customer complaints came in by the droves, and nothing was done to correct the situation. 

The fire alarm malfunctioned one night, causing the sprinkler system to kick in. The entire store flooded, damaging the merchandise and carpeting entirely. The boss ordered all the wet clothing packed into plastic bins and stacked in the stockroom. He refused to have the carpet professionally cleaned and left them to dry as they were. Mold began to appear on the floors, and a smell quickly arose.

Following that incident, my eyes began to itch fiercely, then blur. I had double vision and became extremely light-sensitive. I couldn't drive at night any longer and asked to work only during the daytime hours. That request was denied immediately. I scheduled an eye exam and explained the situation to my doctor. I developed nodular degeneration in both eyes. 

Nodular degeneration is a little bumps that appear on the surface of the eye. I had to have them removed. The doctor uses a tiny scalpel to scrape them away--one eye at a time. So, the first eye has to heal before he performs the same operation on the second eye. 

I went through the procedure. However, by the time the second eye cleared up, the nodular had returned to the first eye, so we had to start all over. 

The boss refused to excuse me from working until closing. I struggled day by day to get to work and do my job. I was ready to quit. There always comes a point when enough is enough, and I have reached it. However, fate intervened, and the boss was abruptly fired. 

A very nice young lady took over his position, and the situation began to improve. The new manager had a wonderful personality and bright ideas to change the atmosphere in the store. Everyone relaxed and went back to work with a positive attitude.

The nice new manager didn't last long. At Christmas time, she presented each employee with a bottle of wine and a gift card. It was a kind gesture, particularly after the long, grueling situation we had faced with the old manager. Some Scrooge took offense to her kind gesture and reported the incident to the corporate headquarters. Her gifts were against policy. They quickly terminated her employment. 

My eye situation grew worse, and I could barely see any longer. I left my job and sought medical help.