Kirby's last day at work (long)
[email protected]
My feelings will not be hurt if people don't read this. It has an
interesting part (applying for the next job) and after that is just mom-angst/droning,
maybe.
Tonight is Kirby's last night working at Active Imagination. He started
there at the beginning of August 2000, when he had just turned 14. He's 18 and
a half and some now.
The last Saturday of March, he failed to lock the back door. (3/26)
It was discovered by the woman who opened at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday and she
called Kirby. He went in to help make sure nothing was missing, and it was all
fine, except that he had violated security and it was his second offense.
His bosses came in to talk about it, and told him they weren't going to fire
him, that they would think about it "until Monday" and maybe ask him to
resign. He was not stressed about it in the least. Very calm. Slept like a
happy baby.
He went in Monday afternoon. The owner doesn't do the talking, her husband
does. He asked Kirby if he wanted to continue to work there, or if he
thought he might want to try something different. Kirby said he'd like to move on
and try something new. [It was a serious offer, though; had he said "I want
to stay," they'd've kept him.] He was told they'd give him six weeks to find
another job, and the owner said "and then he'll give us two weeks notice,
right?" and Kirby and her husband shrugged and vaguely agreed. Kirby turned in
his keys. He was told that after he'd worked elsewhere for a year, they would
be glad to hire him back. The reason given was that he would appreciate
what great bosses they were after he worked somewhere else.
Kirby was entirely calm and quite cheerful about it all. He was more
relieved than disappointed, and told me the whole story in excited detail. I said
forget that two weeks thing--they knew he was on the way out and didn't need
any notice. So that was Monday afternoon. We talked about factors and
possibilities and all for quite a while. I admitted to him that I was kinda
grieving because I had been so proud of him having that job so long, and had
secretly been hoping he'd have that job longer than five or six years, and admitted
it was stupid for me to make it about me. We laughed about it, and he was
*so* together and matter of fact about everything.
Tuesday early afternoon, Kirby went out to apply for jobs nearby. His first
stop was at Game-Something (-Stop or -Proz or something, a video game
store). The manager plays Magic at Active Imagination sometimes so knows Kirby and
the other employees and owners there. Kirby said the application was filled
in as they talked, and when it said education, he said he was homeschooled
and was going to TVI. The guy asked what classes he was taking at TVI and
made note of it, and the back of the form asked Kirby to list the game systems
he owned. That list was long, and took a while, and the guy was impressed.
He told Kirby they had two part-time positions opening in a couple of weeks,
and he should call back on Friday, the 8th. We wrote it on the calendar.
Bouyed by that happy interview and needing to go to karate, Kirby didn't
apply for other jobs that day. He told his sensei about the situation, and was
offered the opportunity to man sales tables at regional karate tournaments at
least four times a year (their dojo is a martial arts supply store, too, for
many styles). The first weekend offered was one when Kirby is scheduled to
go to Las Vegas NV for a game tournament, but "next time!" was assured.
Later Tuesday night he talked to several of his friends about what kinds of
jobs they thought he should apply for and they were recommending phone tech
for cell phone companies or computer users. There are several such places in
and around Albuquerque.
Wednesday after his class he went and registered to take a GED the two days
after he gets back from Las Vegas (the 20somethingth of April), so he'll have
that if he needs it for any of the places he might want to try to work.
Thursday afternoon he went in to work for a few hours, and the only other
person there was the owner. He said she kept looking at him oddly,
suspiciously. I called him on the phone about something that afternoon, and he told me
he was having the most uncomfortable shift he'd had for years, and he was
just going to phase out sooner than six weeks. The owner went home (as
scheduled) an hour before Kirby left. He was unable to close (no keys) and had
been told someone else would come to close. It was half an hour after he was
ready to leave before anyone showed up to close. Their loss; he charged for
the hour and someone else was inconvenienced.
There was a staff meeting 9:00 a.m. Friday April 1, and Kirby was told to
be there, even though his shift on Friday was 5:00 to 1:00 a.m. He had told
us already that he was going to ask them not to schedule him anymore after
the two week schedule that was set. They said okay.
He came back home very happy, saying his last day would be the 9th.
That weekend he started thinking maybe he should just wait and not get a job
right away. Keith supported it. I expressed concern that if he waited
until after Memorial Day (he wants to go to the Grand Outlandish Tournament, a
big SCA campout near here at the end of May) that all the high school seniors
would be out applying for the same kinds of jobs. Keith acknowledged my
point, but said it was fine if Kirby wanted to wait a while. Kirby reminded us
he's never had a vacation from working, and was denied time off for the big
February event in Arizona.
Monday the 4th, he got a call from the video game store (the guy who'd said
to call him on the 8th) asking if he wanted the job. Kirby said he'd been
thinking about it, and knew they didn't want someone short term, and felt he
needed to get something with more hours than they were offering him.
I was listening. I was sad, because it seemed it would be a fun job, it's
even closer than the other shop is to our house, and he was saying no. But
y'know, it was a mature and honest thing to do. And the guy said he understood
but that if Kirby ever changed his mind, he would hire him.
So my emotions are agitation and embarrassment and the urge to tell his boss
and her husband that they're NOT such great bosses as they think and that
the Mr. Boss has been one of the LEAST respectful adults in Kirby's life so
far. My motherly instincts are stirred. I'm afraid Kirby will want a job and
not have one later in the summer, rather than having the luxury to turn one
down.
But... in the next few weeks he has a math final, the trip to Las Vegas, a
GED, and he's judging a set of karate belt tests on his own. There will be a
second judge, but Kirby's never been the primary judge and director of the
session before. Also, those tests are always videotaped so he's also in
charge of making sure the taping goes right (another senior student will run the
camera). And he's getting a tax refund which will cover the trip to Las Vegas
(he's driving with another guy or two) and he'll have some to tide him over
a while.
I just told Holly this is Kirby's last night. She's been playing Halo II a
LOT and has missed a lot of family business and news. She said we should go
and visit him at work, then. I said nah, let him work. She said she really
wanted to, so I said she could call and see if he wanted a tuna sandwich.
She did. He does. She's very happy. Gotta go, then.
Sorry this was so long, but as soap operas go it's the exciting conclusion
of a plotline here.
Sandra
(P.S. While I was proofreading prior to hitting "send," Holly went to make
Kirby's sandwich. I would've done it, but she really wants to.)
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
interesting part (applying for the next job) and after that is just mom-angst/droning,
maybe.
Tonight is Kirby's last night working at Active Imagination. He started
there at the beginning of August 2000, when he had just turned 14. He's 18 and
a half and some now.
The last Saturday of March, he failed to lock the back door. (3/26)
It was discovered by the woman who opened at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday and she
called Kirby. He went in to help make sure nothing was missing, and it was all
fine, except that he had violated security and it was his second offense.
His bosses came in to talk about it, and told him they weren't going to fire
him, that they would think about it "until Monday" and maybe ask him to
resign. He was not stressed about it in the least. Very calm. Slept like a
happy baby.
He went in Monday afternoon. The owner doesn't do the talking, her husband
does. He asked Kirby if he wanted to continue to work there, or if he
thought he might want to try something different. Kirby said he'd like to move on
and try something new. [It was a serious offer, though; had he said "I want
to stay," they'd've kept him.] He was told they'd give him six weeks to find
another job, and the owner said "and then he'll give us two weeks notice,
right?" and Kirby and her husband shrugged and vaguely agreed. Kirby turned in
his keys. He was told that after he'd worked elsewhere for a year, they would
be glad to hire him back. The reason given was that he would appreciate
what great bosses they were after he worked somewhere else.
Kirby was entirely calm and quite cheerful about it all. He was more
relieved than disappointed, and told me the whole story in excited detail. I said
forget that two weeks thing--they knew he was on the way out and didn't need
any notice. So that was Monday afternoon. We talked about factors and
possibilities and all for quite a while. I admitted to him that I was kinda
grieving because I had been so proud of him having that job so long, and had
secretly been hoping he'd have that job longer than five or six years, and admitted
it was stupid for me to make it about me. We laughed about it, and he was
*so* together and matter of fact about everything.
Tuesday early afternoon, Kirby went out to apply for jobs nearby. His first
stop was at Game-Something (-Stop or -Proz or something, a video game
store). The manager plays Magic at Active Imagination sometimes so knows Kirby and
the other employees and owners there. Kirby said the application was filled
in as they talked, and when it said education, he said he was homeschooled
and was going to TVI. The guy asked what classes he was taking at TVI and
made note of it, and the back of the form asked Kirby to list the game systems
he owned. That list was long, and took a while, and the guy was impressed.
He told Kirby they had two part-time positions opening in a couple of weeks,
and he should call back on Friday, the 8th. We wrote it on the calendar.
Bouyed by that happy interview and needing to go to karate, Kirby didn't
apply for other jobs that day. He told his sensei about the situation, and was
offered the opportunity to man sales tables at regional karate tournaments at
least four times a year (their dojo is a martial arts supply store, too, for
many styles). The first weekend offered was one when Kirby is scheduled to
go to Las Vegas NV for a game tournament, but "next time!" was assured.
Later Tuesday night he talked to several of his friends about what kinds of
jobs they thought he should apply for and they were recommending phone tech
for cell phone companies or computer users. There are several such places in
and around Albuquerque.
Wednesday after his class he went and registered to take a GED the two days
after he gets back from Las Vegas (the 20somethingth of April), so he'll have
that if he needs it for any of the places he might want to try to work.
Thursday afternoon he went in to work for a few hours, and the only other
person there was the owner. He said she kept looking at him oddly,
suspiciously. I called him on the phone about something that afternoon, and he told me
he was having the most uncomfortable shift he'd had for years, and he was
just going to phase out sooner than six weeks. The owner went home (as
scheduled) an hour before Kirby left. He was unable to close (no keys) and had
been told someone else would come to close. It was half an hour after he was
ready to leave before anyone showed up to close. Their loss; he charged for
the hour and someone else was inconvenienced.
There was a staff meeting 9:00 a.m. Friday April 1, and Kirby was told to
be there, even though his shift on Friday was 5:00 to 1:00 a.m. He had told
us already that he was going to ask them not to schedule him anymore after
the two week schedule that was set. They said okay.
He came back home very happy, saying his last day would be the 9th.
That weekend he started thinking maybe he should just wait and not get a job
right away. Keith supported it. I expressed concern that if he waited
until after Memorial Day (he wants to go to the Grand Outlandish Tournament, a
big SCA campout near here at the end of May) that all the high school seniors
would be out applying for the same kinds of jobs. Keith acknowledged my
point, but said it was fine if Kirby wanted to wait a while. Kirby reminded us
he's never had a vacation from working, and was denied time off for the big
February event in Arizona.
Monday the 4th, he got a call from the video game store (the guy who'd said
to call him on the 8th) asking if he wanted the job. Kirby said he'd been
thinking about it, and knew they didn't want someone short term, and felt he
needed to get something with more hours than they were offering him.
I was listening. I was sad, because it seemed it would be a fun job, it's
even closer than the other shop is to our house, and he was saying no. But
y'know, it was a mature and honest thing to do. And the guy said he understood
but that if Kirby ever changed his mind, he would hire him.
So my emotions are agitation and embarrassment and the urge to tell his boss
and her husband that they're NOT such great bosses as they think and that
the Mr. Boss has been one of the LEAST respectful adults in Kirby's life so
far. My motherly instincts are stirred. I'm afraid Kirby will want a job and
not have one later in the summer, rather than having the luxury to turn one
down.
But... in the next few weeks he has a math final, the trip to Las Vegas, a
GED, and he's judging a set of karate belt tests on his own. There will be a
second judge, but Kirby's never been the primary judge and director of the
session before. Also, those tests are always videotaped so he's also in
charge of making sure the taping goes right (another senior student will run the
camera). And he's getting a tax refund which will cover the trip to Las Vegas
(he's driving with another guy or two) and he'll have some to tide him over
a while.
I just told Holly this is Kirby's last night. She's been playing Halo II a
LOT and has missed a lot of family business and news. She said we should go
and visit him at work, then. I said nah, let him work. She said she really
wanted to, so I said she could call and see if he wanted a tuna sandwich.
She did. He does. She's very happy. Gotta go, then.
Sorry this was so long, but as soap operas go it's the exciting conclusion
of a plotline here.
Sandra
(P.S. While I was proofreading prior to hitting "send," Holly went to make
Kirby's sandwich. I would've done it, but she really wants to.)
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[email protected]
I drove Holly there and asked her if she wanted to go in alone. Yes. I
told her she didn't need to hurry out, and she stayed maybe 8 or 10 minutes. I
sat outside and watched Kirby up behind the counter, in the little raised
island, with the two computer-inventory cash registers, all the cards, the store
full of gamers... He was all lit up and I was sitting watching it like I
was at a drive in.
Holly chatted with people, and when she came out she said, "I had to have
some of the cake."
"Cake? They had a cake?"
"Yeah, this big [and measured out a full sheetcake size with her hands], but
I couldn't tell what it said because there were only two piece left."
We came home and I told Keith about the cake, and he said sweet things about
how well our kids have worked out (mush about unschooling! VERY COOL!) and
then I went and asked Marty if there had been a cake there earlier when he
was there for an afternoon tournament. Yes, he said. What did it say? Don't
think it said anything. Did they make a speech? Yeah, Glen (boss's husband)
said it was Kirby's last day.
I'll ask Kirby tomorrow what Glen said. On Sunday Kirby paints miniatures
with another couple of friends he only sees on Sundays, and he'll probably do
that tomorrow. At the shop where he will no longer work.
Oh yeah...
Forgot to say that Glen said they might want to hire him for special events
sometimes. (Magic Tournaments and such, usually run at hotels.)
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
told her she didn't need to hurry out, and she stayed maybe 8 or 10 minutes. I
sat outside and watched Kirby up behind the counter, in the little raised
island, with the two computer-inventory cash registers, all the cards, the store
full of gamers... He was all lit up and I was sitting watching it like I
was at a drive in.
Holly chatted with people, and when she came out she said, "I had to have
some of the cake."
"Cake? They had a cake?"
"Yeah, this big [and measured out a full sheetcake size with her hands], but
I couldn't tell what it said because there were only two piece left."
We came home and I told Keith about the cake, and he said sweet things about
how well our kids have worked out (mush about unschooling! VERY COOL!) and
then I went and asked Marty if there had been a cake there earlier when he
was there for an afternoon tournament. Yes, he said. What did it say? Don't
think it said anything. Did they make a speech? Yeah, Glen (boss's husband)
said it was Kirby's last day.
I'll ask Kirby tomorrow what Glen said. On Sunday Kirby paints miniatures
with another couple of friends he only sees on Sundays, and he'll probably do
that tomorrow. At the shop where he will no longer work.
Oh yeah...
Forgot to say that Glen said they might want to hire him for special events
sometimes. (Magic Tournaments and such, usually run at hotels.)
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Angela S.
(((Sandra)))
Sounds like it was time for him to move on. Greater opportunities might
just be waiting for him to knock on their door. :-)
Angela
game-enthusiast@...
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Sounds like it was time for him to move on. Greater opportunities might
just be waiting for him to knock on their door. :-)
Angela
game-enthusiast@...
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]