The Fall Of A Black Teen || A Jamaican Novel

★7

                                 The Fall of a Black  Teen

                                            
 

I climbed the stairs  to go use the washroom after I returned from lunch, today has being hectic and hard, on my case I'm the one that's being the floater. I had to manage the customers,  bring messages and files upstsirs and file them,  do photocopies and more. By the time I'm finished with the washroom,  Mitchell from the cashing area upstairs told me that Ms. Wallace wants to see me, I nod curtly and head back down stairs.

I put my hands in my navy blue skirt pocket and wait patiently until Ms. Wallace was ready for me. My focus was gained outside when I saw a thick crowd hovering over someone or something,  it's a sad thing I can't hear the commotion that's going on right now. Customers lingering outside before they enter, while the others in here stops to take a look.

"Ms. Stephens,  I need you to bring these up stairs file them and copy these, back and front.  Mitchell showed you how to do it yesterday, right?" She fixes her glasses and raised her brow.

"Yes" I answered. She hands me four files and I struggled to reach the top. I rest them on one of the stool.  Oh, upstairs is strictly bedroom with bed, dressers, chest of drawers  and such. I wait until the people in the line died down before I asked the cashier to buzz me in.

"You remember what to do, Kathlyn?" Julisa, the other cashier quipped. It's my second day here and I prefer it up here, it seems like I was here long time ago. I feel free up here.

"Yes,  julisa" I smiled and she focused back on her customers.  They lay down their rules once I step foot in their office.

One, strictly first names.

Two, be who you are, it helps you better.

Three, work first then talk after.

These rules aren't a problem to me but I won't show them the real me. The warning Janet gave me yesterday still lingers in my mind.

I filed every document according to the last four digits on the paper, the photocopying has my mind in twirls 'how do I do this'

I seem to can't get around these buttons, I got the hang of it yesterday,  so why my face is on heat under this air conditioner?

It's still eary, I took about an hour to file those documents and it seems like it's gonna take me the whole year to figure the machine thing out.

I let out a sigh of frustration and desperation. Mitchell and Julisa are busy attending the cashiers so I can't bother them even though I know they'd show me again, I look at the time on my pone and it's 2:52 pm. I have a lot of time but I need to head back down stairs. The idea of not remembering how to do this is haunting me, I can't do it, I amit. I have to swallow my pride and call one of them.

I took one last look the puzzling machine before I call for Julisa. "Hey, Julisa. Can you show me how to photocopy these again, please?"

"Sure," she reaches from her seat and slowly showed me how to do it back and front, in about a minute I finally got it. "And that is how it's done" she smiles at me and I give her a thanks in return.
I finish photocopy them in less than an hour and brought them back to Ms. Wallace. Downstairs looks foreign to me, like I've been here for the first time . Everyone seems to be getting worked on, I made my way to go back upstairs when Ms. Wallace stops me.

"A customer needs attending" she says looking at me over her glasses. What's the point in wearing one since you'll be looking under and over them. I can't understand four eyed people.  I gave her a slight nod and a smile then left.