#also I'm systematically going through online review sites giving them bad reputation cause I'm petty af

[last-on-your-lips]

So I Quit.

Preface: I am a person bound not by finance or insurmountable need to find a purpose. I am bound only and ever by loyalty, often and easily to the detriment and predictably enough the break of my endurance. This is the tale of why this is a terrible thing in company with establishments I lose respect for while clinging to those I am loyal to.

To begin: I was scheduled to work friday night. The manager that held me by Contract of Loyalty texted me (per my request she do so) that she quit early in the day....

Lmao.

I am actually not that great a person after I become jaded to the ways of a too often stressful and unrewarding environment, and certainly not so attached to and enthused for my work that I'll waste my gas going to a shift that doesn't earn the money back for the tank. (See that I’ve been working in a place on the other side of town for nickels and dimes.)

So I spent a few hours trying to decide how I was going to fuck up the night for the folks that had by no measure earned my respect. Of course I began on the thought that I didn’t want to make the night harder than my absence already would, but you see my Lover insisted that I inform them in person that I was quitting. (I’d quit the same ownership/management once before and apparently ghosting them was unsatisfactory by his measure.) and I simply did not see fit to warn them when I picked up my check in the afternoon- already having spent the gas to go an extra trip to that side of town…

And the idea comes to me... I should go to dinner at work! In mind that I’m going to make an absolute ass of myself. You see, the goal here is that they won’t ever try to hire me back at this establishment, but after they get over it I can still rely on the GM and parts of the different shift crews for reference to character and ethic.

-They have no idea I'm quitting, although when I picked up my check my step must’ve had mischief in it because the second shift crew was looking at me like they knew something was up.

-I'm scheduled with my wife, who is absolutely down for however I decide we’re going to quit.

-I have friends that love to watch me make mischief and I know at least a couple of them will be available to go pull some absolute bullshit in the middle of the night. (I got that good crew.)

-Lover said I had to tell them in person that I was quitting… and I am an otherworldly and ethereal creature that can follow no insisted command at half measure.

-I don't respect the establishment or the crew I was meant to work with enough to give a fuck how this goes, and by all the gods I’ve prayed to, this is going to be a tale.

I invite for several of my trusted (tea drinking) friends, and I tell them I have no idea how this is going to go, but I’m going to dinner instead of work and I’d like for an audience to join in the fun.

These friends are all glamorous, kind hearted people who enjoy mischief when it doesn’t aim to maim. But understandably most of them had work in the morning or duty to attend to during the late hour of the night I was plotting about. So I was awarded two companions out of the handful I invited, and that suited just fine to the cause.

We arrived (dressed to go to the bar after a bite to eat) to find the majority of the last shift crew parked outside the store conversing. They see how I'm dressed up, heels strapped to ankles and belly peeking through my cardigan. The female companion in the group similarly dolled with all her length and grace in crop top and combat boots, and wife in her more muted (though all the same not uniform) leggings and cutout top. Flirting is initiated immediately, of course, in a cacophony of playful hoots and one liners. Then a pause…

"Do you... not work tonight? "

"Do I look like I'm going to work?"

Uncertainty silences the flirting, and the gentlemen take in what’s happening for a moment of appreciation before grins spread over their faces and styrofoam cups I hope were filled with soda are lifted in cheers. They were enthused to invite us to go home with them after we were done, if we needed to of course. Such gentlemen- I assure you.

We proceed to go inside and after a minute waiting and a playful banter with a highly uninvolved hostess, we’re seated where we won't hear them talking out their frustrations in the kitchen. This after one of them has told the manager relief showed up- but they are not in uniform.

Ten minutes in the manager on duty went outside with phone in hand and face painted in irritation- on the morning I would be confirmed in assumptions I had made. She went to call the manager that I previously mentioned had quit to ask if she could refuse us service.

(As relayed to me Saturday morning)

"Legally no."

"Well I just wanted to call you and see what you would do...."

"If I was there they would be working "

Her lover in the background: "She doesn't even work there now, stop calling her with your problems!"

So by fifteen minutes into us being present there is enough salt in the air I am wondering if I have actually wandered into a beach resort, because I can smell the ocean every time the server that refused to take us goes by (To be fair she and I are not friendly)

Her only words to us: “But I thought you guys were scheduled tonight, they told me I got to work with [wife]!”

“Oh, no, we warned you all last week that when [Contract Holder] quit we went with her. This is us quitting.”

“Oh… okay.”

Mind that we have been there for fifteen minutes and were not given so much as drinks until it was affirmed we could not reasonably be turned away. After all we were being perfectly polite, not making even an impatient fuss about not being seen to yet.

We get a server another five minutes into our visitation, and she's the only one that wasn't terribly upset by our presence. She was actually fairly amused about our antics and methods, and seemed fairly delighted to learn we really were there to eat, not cause trouble in excess of quitting via the meal. She did comment that she hadn’t thought us to be serious about quitting with [Contract Holder] even though she’d heard the last week’s warning, and we had a wonderfully cordial conversation about our reasons for going with her while we waited for our food.

Now we didn't do jack shit, just went there to eat instead of work, and the manager on duty made no effort to speak to us while we were present. We sat there cutting up and sipping through our drinks until we were chattering over the food, good company and good conversation even as the atmosphere around us was made bitter.  We ended up being there for about an hour and a half since they spent the first portion of our little sit in trying to figure how to not serve us for our shit, which I admit we were pulling some shit on principal.  Ultimately, however, I hurt nothing but feelings last night and it was glorious. They’ll get over their ire in a few days and I’ll certainly be off the list for rehire, but I think the folks I enjoyed on the team will be wonderful to talk to if I ever have a reason to go back to that side of town before they quit themselves. Turnover over there is just a bitch.