My First Job

I started my first job when I was 10 years old. I became a waitress in my stepdad's coffee shop/diner. In fact I was the only waitress that my stepdad had at night. My mom worked 2nd shift in a factory then, and she also helped out by waiting tables during the day. My stepdad was the cook at night and during the day we had a woman who did that job while my stepdad ran the swap shop. There was also a couple more waitresses that worked days and on the weekends also. Here is a picture of the outside.

 

It was just a little coffee shop (the white part) on the outskirts of a small town population about 3000. The staircase on the right was the outside staircase that went up to the apartment that my stepdad had built for us to live in. At the other end was a door that opened into the inside staircase that also went to our apartment. Past the white part was the swap shop. The auction barn, I was standing in front of when I took the picture. That building is still standing, but all the other is gone and they have built a road right there. makes me so sad....but I have wandered off topic...As soon as I got home from school and finished any homework I had, I went to work. I was not "paid" the only money I got came from the tips the customers would leave me. Also my stepdad would match my tips and the money went into my savings account.  I enjoyed my job, it was hard work but I did it. My mom would get home from work shortly after closing time and I would be sitting on a counter stool with my head laying on the counter, asleep. I can't remember how long I had my job, but I was very good at it. Then an older woman that worked as a waitress during the day called and reported my stepdad for having child labor and I was no longer able to work like that. Everyone said that the woman was jealous because I made more tips than she did. My customers told me that I was a better waitress. The woman eventually was fired because she had been very rude to a customer. Of course she tried to say it was because of me and turned my stepdad in for that. he had the customer on his side and she lost that one....looking back I guess I had a very strange childhood...anyway...here is a picture of me sitting at the counter eating a Susie Q...

 

I was such a dorky looking kid, lol...here is a picture of one of the waitresses we had, her name was Deb..I remember thinking how cool her outfit was, lol...she was very nice and NOT the woman who caused me to lose my job.