INSIDE, OUTSIDE, UPSIDE DOWN

My first job that had a real employer and a twice a month paycheck was at the Hub Cafe. I was a bus girl. I was so nervous on my first day that I had to call in sick because I was throwing up. When I went in the next day, I learned my job and never looked back. One day, one of the customers reported that a waitress had spilled water on her. The cashier said, "Oh well, it's Sunday tomorrow, you needed a bath anyway."

My next job was a the Snow King Drive Inn. My least favorite question asked was, "What kind of shakes do you have?" I answered as fast as I could, "Chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, marshmallow,cherry, black raspberry, caramel, banana, rootbeer, ...." I know my sister Linda still remembers all of the flavors. She worked there too.

One day I finished my break and took my half finished milkshake with me into the back room to get a dust pan out of the broom box. I reached down and as I tipped so did the contents of my cup. I poured the whole thing in the box. I went into a full laughing attack that kept me in the back room peeling potatoes for a half hour after I cleaned up my mess. Everytime I thought I had control, I'd re-live the moment and begin laughing again with tears running down my cheeks.

One summer, I worked at the clothing factory (that used to be the pea factory) making t-shirts, or parts of t-shirts. It was assembly line style. My first day, I was being trained and I got the go- ahead to try it on my own. Surprised by the power and speed of the machine, the material surged forward and the needle on the big industrial sized machine hit my middle fingernail right square in the middle. It's good that fingers have bones so the needle didn't go clear through. And luckily the machine stopped dead so we could ease my finger off the needle. One thing worse than a needle in your finger would have been for it go several times into your finger. So my first day at work, I got sent to get a tetanus shot and went home early. That was a long summer but I made really good money once I got started.

Before the clothing factory, I worked at the Stardust Inn Best Western. I cleaned rooms at first and then took over the main office when the managers were away as well. One day I locked up the office and went to run some cash to the bank. The managers were out of town. I put a "Back Later" sign out and off I ran to the car. I had the car key in one hand and the "house key" in the other. The house key opened every room in the motel and the main office. I jumped in the car and the house key flew off the key ring, hit the inside windshield, and slid down the defrost vent on the driver's side. I had pretty small fingers but I couldn't reach the key. I couldn't even see the key.

Being young and dumb, I thought maybe it could be reached from down below, above the gas pedal. I got my head down there and looked up. I couldn't see what I was doing so I put my head clear down near the gas pedal. I could see a space up there. I reached up but to get a better angle, I moved the seat back and squirmed in so one leg was out the door and the other was draped over the seat. I was on my back with my head fully on the gas pedal. I thought I could see better if I moved my head under the brake. It was a tight fit but I moved so my forehead was under the brake and then the gas pedal flipped back up to upright position and wedged me there.

I tried to push the gas back down but the angle I was pushing from was so awkward I didn't have the leverage. I tried every-which-way to get out of that vise-like grip the brake had on my forehead. But, finally, there on main street, I resorted to the only thing I knew to do.....I started honking the horn. I honked and honked. Finally, the laundry lady heard me from way in the back and came to see whose legs were sticking out of the open car door. She saved my bacon because she had stayed late when everyone else had gone home. She hadn't locked up the laundry room so she had a spare "house key" since mine was swallowed up forever in a hungry defrost vent.