Hi Reader! I am going to be honest this chapter is a tad slow. Basically in this chapter Emily is in her office and thinking back to her past. All of the main events that happened BEFORE she got a position in the Divine Chocolate Company.
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For as long as I can remember chocolate has been my number one constant. It has been my companion during lonely nights and gave me comfort whenever I felt blue. Cashew Claws are my weakness. I am a sucker for anything with nuts. I have a stash that I keep in a 'special' drawer in my bedroom. Whenever I am in the mood for something both sweet and salty that's the first thing I go to.
For most people chocolate is more than just a decadent treat. It's a childhood favorite that is passed down from generation to generation. I never thought I would end up working for a chocolate company.
When I left my parents house at the young age of seventeen I didn't know where I was going or what I was going to do with my life. All I knew was that I couldn't stay with a bunch of people I was supposed to call my 'family'. They always treated me like an outcast even though we practically came from the same DNA. One night when they left the house, leaving me alone once again, I decided it was time to put my plan into motion. I left a note so they wouldn't try to find me. Which they never did. I wonder if they were as relieved as I was to be gone. If not more. To this day I have no contact with them. In fact I have no idea if they still live in the same one-story blue shingled house. But I am fine with that. I am in a good place now. I am happy and I have my own un-conventional family that I chose. People that have been their for me from the very beginning, not because they had to, but because they wanted to.
At first I felt overwhelmed. I was a young naïve girl from a small town roaming in a big city with no sense of direction. I got my first un-official job as a server at the shelter where I stayed for a whole year before I met my best-friend Brody. they couldn't pay me because it was against the rules but I was okay with that. I got to meet other people who had it worse than me. They were at their all time lows just trying to survive from one day to the next.
That life became a part of me. It changed me. But it never defined me. at that time I still had a dream of something bigger, something better. sure I didn't know what I wanted to do, but I knew I was capable of so much more. While I was in the shelter I became friends with a man named Sam Whitter. He was an alcoholic who not only lost his job as a truck driver but his family as well. He understood my need for independence but he would always tell me to look at the bigger picture. That I was still young and could do whatever I wanted. of course the problem was at the time I had no idea what I wanted. Sure I could go to school but then what was the point? They would have asked me about my parents and then they would find out I had none. What would have happened to me then? Let social services handle me until I turned eighteen? Or take me back to live with my 'family'? I think not. So I got a job at a '70s Diner. The manager at the time was looking to add a new addition to the crew but couldn't find anyone. When he saw me he asked if I wanted the position. I suppose he was tired of interviewing people and wanted to get it over with. At first I didn't think he was serious. By looking at him there was no sign of deception on his face. So of course I told him yes but I had to be honest with him about my living arrangement. To my surprise he was kind about my situation. He said as long as I'm not late and report to work in a clean uniform than it wouldn't be a problem. I would just need to pick up my check at the Diner. And that's what I did. I waited tables and served paying customers their hot food. With my check I was able to buy a prepaid phone just in case anything happened. Earning my own money was empowering. Things were starting to look up for me. But after a couple of months of taking food orders I wanted more than just being a part-time waiter.
There was an employment agency not too far from the shelter. When I was not at the Diner I was at the agency looking for jobs. I already knew how to use a computer so that wasn't an issue. Since I knew my social security number I was able to create a log-in account and password.There was a bulletin board where a person would post new jobs every week. On a uneventful day of searching for jobs on the internet I noticed someone pinning up a flyer of a job fair. I used one of their computers and made my resume and cover letter. I even got some new hand-me down clothes from a nurse named Charlene who would volunteer on her days off. I offered to pay her for them but she wouldn't let me. They fit me like a glove, though, since we were practically the same size. Nobody was more excited than Sam about the fact that I was going. He had a hunch I would find something. Of course I reminded him there would be more qualified applicants with something I didn't have, certificates. He wouldn't hear any word of it though. He said "with that attitude you aint goin' nowheres". Maybe he was right. But that was Sam. No matter how hard life knocked him down, he always managed to bounce back up and see the positive side of things. Life was even starting to look up for Sam. His only son, Brody, was back in contact with him. Even though I had not met Brody, at the time I thought it was great. I on the other hand had no desire to get back in touch with my 'family'. I was free and I had no intention on going back.
Since I had no car I took the bus all the way to the other side of town where the job fair was being held. I filled out applications and turned in resumes and cover letters, and yet despite all of this I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. Like something bad was going to happen. No matter how hard I tried to ignore the feeling I couldn't. Once I was back inside the bus the feeling grew stronger. It wasn't until I got to the shelter when I was hit with the bad news. Sam died. Instead of stopping at the red light, a drunk driver ran over Sam at the crosswalk. I met Brody at the funeral. He was in his second year of collage studying Law and was living off campus with his girlfriend. At the time he sported the surfer look and had long blonde hair that went past his shoulders to his middle back. Something which I teased him about quite a lot until he cut his hair on a drunken bet. Now he styles his hair in short black spikes. Surprisingly he doesn't miss his old look. We spent a lot of time together talking about his dad and learned we had a lot in common. We easily became great friends. I moved in with Brody and his girlfriend not too long after I got a call from Divine Chocolate Company about a interview for a temporary position packaging chocolates. I got the job which lasted for six months. But I still had my waitress gig at the Diner so I was able to pay my fair share of the rent. During my shift I received a call from the lead manager at Divine Chocolate Company. She told me that there was a full-time position available and they wanted to know if I was available. Of course I would need to take an interview and sign papers before anything was legitimate. I got the position as packer but i would also help others if they needed extra hands. Two years later I took a promotion as shift leader. I never thought of myself as the leader type but I liked the challenge. I liked having others look up to me for instructions. I was a good shift leader and I suppose my bosses thought so too.
Because I became the youngest manager at Divine Chocolate Company where I have had the title for two years now. I am comfortable with my position within the company. I have everything I want. A stable job. A great family. And best of all? I have Brody as one of my shift leaders. He said becoming a lawyer was never what he wanted. It was his mother who convinced him to become a lawyer. I don't know if working with me is the best option but he seems happy. I just hope he finds his passion and pursues it, just like I did.
I guess my life is perfect, but not everything lasts forever. I have a new boss. He's the COO. I haven't technically met him yet. But based on the phone conferences we have had (some of them starting as early as three in the morning) I can already tell he is a pushy cold hearted person who doesn't know how to keep work and personal life separate. Oh well. At least I have my crazy co-worker friends to lighten the mood and my sanity.
