His Royal Randomness

My Life #3

I had my first job when I was 17, and I've had that same job for about two and a half years. But today is my last day of working there. I worked for an antique rug retailer/wholesaler. He's been in the business for about thirty years. When my father came to the US from Guatemala, this was his first job, at the age of 20. My boss has known my dad since before he even meet my mom and got married! Why, he knew me when I was a baby. And during the time I was in elementary school, I would come down with my dad when he still worked here to play computer games all day since for many years, we didn't have a computer or even Internet at home!

In fact, I never knew what internet or Wi-Fi was until I started middle school since it was an online class.

Anyway, one day in June of 2016 as I was enjoying my last summer before my senior year of high school, my dad suddenly gets the brilliant idea that I should start working for money. I wasn't too mad about it but I wasn't overly excited either. In any event, I decided to give it a shot. So I started coming down here with my dad for a few weeks, only on Thursdays. Eventually, my dad went off to another job, working for an accountant. That's where he's been for ever since.

And me?

I continued working here, learning about databases, Photoshop (the cheap version, not CC), Microsoft Access, answering and tending with customers, uploading to a website, etc.

But with the good came a lot of bad.

My boss is kind, patient, nice, and a good guy overall. But he's not perfect and he's not the best business man in the world. I honestly don't know how he's managed to stay open for so long. He's not good on budgeting his money for one thing. One of the things I do is send the money for his bills, and I have access to both his personal bank account and the business one. And many, many times, (like today) he has no funds in the business account that he uses to pay me and the other guy working here. Mostly due to the fact that he pays his bills super late, (including the IRS), or he uses the money for the employees to take out his girlfriend to expensive restaurants and international trips.

And by the way, she's like 25 years younger than him. I only met her once, two years ago. She's in her 30s and he's almost 60 I think.

But I don't judge so.....

The only thing that bothers me is that he uses that money for her.

Business is priority, especially employees.

And this company is frankly, doomed to fall. It's going nowhere. We have over 300 rugs in stock, but in all of 2018, we only sold like 8. Why? Because they are antique, vintage rugs with lots of shades of red, orange, and colors similar to those. And the problem?

NOBODY LIKES THOSE THINGS ANYMORE!!!

Nowadays, people like contemporary or modern rugs that you can put in a condo or apartment complex. Stuff with blues, grays, greens, and the like. More than 90% of our rugs were made before 1970. Why, we even have one or two that are actually several hundred years old! But nearly nothing from this century. Even my dad says he predicts the business will end up closing in no more than 3 years or so.

I can't afford to work in this environment. Besides, he's starting to get more demanding. My boss. Not my dad.

Plus, I've actually already started to work with my dad with the accountant. I get paid twice as much, I don't have to spend $6 every week on train tickets, and I know that I will ALWAYS get paid on time. Take for example today. Today is pay day. And surprise: my boss has no more than $14 in his account for the company.

Those reasons and more are why today is my last day here. I already sent him my letter of resignation a month ago and I've already passed all the information I use here at work onto a flash drive. I am Audi 5000.

(I like the 80s, get over it. But not as much as the 90s)

Anyway, that's happening in my life right now. I'm leaving the job I've had for almost 2 1/2 years. My very first job. Sometimes you gotta know when it's time to move on, to take the next step in your life and begin a new chapter.