u/Dense-Discount-9175

I am currently 31, on my 32nd soon to be 33rd job. It started out as survival, I was 23, my bills were $1350 base, no gas or groceries, I was making $1200 a month. I had to find better work.

In 5 years I was making almost 6 figures through job hopping. It was thrilling in the middle. I have driven trucks, managed stores/restaurants, I am an incredible chef (kitchens were my first jobs), been brand ambassadors, sales, bar tending, commercial cleaning, paralegal, process serving.

My favorite job was delivering appliances. I was so nervous at first because fridges are so heavy and getting them up stairs and in tight spaces is very stressful, you get a 300lbs fridge up 4 flights of stares and then dent it, you have to carry it back down while being screamed at.

I made $1700 a week delivering appliances, I was all muscle, 4am to 8pm, 6 days a week.

I kept my apartment clean, made dinner every night, showered at night and in the morning, laundry every other night, had an extensive alternating nightly routine that took about 45-60+ minutes; face mask, full body shave, teeth whitening, self tanner, exfoliating, hair mask.

I met a guy at work, I wasn’t expecting it and at first I didn’t entertain it that much. We shared our lives and the things we’ve been through and our plans for the future, music, opinions and thoughts on personal and controversial matters, we would talk all day, we would spend some portion of our only day off together or talking. We weren’t on the same truck much, but I saw him everyday of the week.

He was seeing several other people and I caught him with someone, he expressed they meant nothing and I strangely didn’t care, we weren’t at a place where I could care. Until we were, when I had to face reality and still work with him.

There was a 30rack of Labatt in the entryway closet, I had just gotten home from the worst day, I had three more days to go, I dragged the box into the bathroom and sat in the shower, drinking, talking to my brother, parents, and a friend, listening to music, all via Bluetooth speaker, while the hot water beat down on my face and body, then, it all went black.

I woke up on the couch with afternoon sun hitting my naked body, my phone hot, stuck to my back, with a video of a woman weaving a basket playing, countless missed calls from work. I went to call my boss when I decided I didn’t want to go back there. I didn’t want to see that guy again.

That was four years ago.

I started job hopping even harder, barely staying somewhere long enough to get the first direct deposit. Everything started slipping. My apartment is a mess, I am a mess, I lost my car.

Now, I make minimum wage at a thrift store, work about 35 hours a week, don’t clean, don’t look after myself.

At work, we are watched by cameras all day, we mediate boredom through conversing after tasks are complete, we have incredible talks about life and laugh hysterically. Then, when we show up for our next shift, we have new notes and corrective actions waiting for us, stating we are not to be standing around, doing nothing.

We are the cleanest store in their organization, we wash and test all of the items before selling, keep the clothes organized by materials and size, when we are done we gather around the register or by the front racks and we talk about our lives and things we did or will be doing. They have to schedule a certain number of employees, regardless if we are slow or not.

Been at this place 6 months, the only reason I’ve lasted this long is because of a guy I think I like, he only works 3 days a week and he is leaving in 2 weeks.

That is why I will soon be going onto my 33rd job.

Why didn’t you tell them or show them you had feelings?