“Go and study, you will watch Tv as much as you want when you finish school,” is the biggest lie told by our parents.
When you actually finish school, you realize that there is nothing entertaining in staying at home and watching telly. All of a sudden, all the entertaining programs become boring, you have too much time with very little to do. Besides the responsibilities and longings of becoming a young adult start to trickle. You want experience all the things you couldn’t do in school and also have a change of life style to separate you from school kids. Most of these activities, you find that our parents are too stubborn to fund, or broke, so to survive you had to find other smart ways of getting money.
For me, getting a job looked more realistic, but without tangible skills securing one seemed like a mirage.
“Please ask any of your networks if they can offer me a job,” I told my eldest sister who had worked and made some networks before joining campus.
“What is your passion?” she inquired
“I can’t identify with anything as at now, all I know is that I am hands on, and willing to learn on the job,” I replied.
So when I got I call that evening on a job offer, it was a sign that my maker had a hand in my venture. I had been offered a job as a slot’s attendant at a casino, and was asked to report to work the next day at 12pm for training.
At the casino
When I walked into the medium sized room full of slot machines, I was received by a tired looking lady called Sebby. With time I realized that that was her demeanor. She took me round showing me how to operate the machines, and as customers trickled in, I would be introduced to them and asked to key in money into their machines under close supervision. I was a fast learner, and I proved myself.
Later that afternoon, the owner of the casino came accompanied by a beautiful damsel. She was petite, fair with long blond hair. He talked arrogantly hurling ‘fanculo! fanculo’ in between sentences. Honestly, he was quite intimating and I was very glad when he left.
The damsel whom I was introduced to as Janet, and local wife to the owner assumed her position at the counter, and the rest of us were left to stand at strategic positions to serve hungry gamblers. She was a typical blond only that she wore a wigs and her fair skin was the work an expensive skin lightening product. She was not interested in anything else other than her beauty, and it earned her a better living. Overall, I didn’t mind the job, apart from occasional ogling and vulgarities from the gamblers, as long as keep you cool and firm, they would not mess around with you.
The one thing though that I hated was working over the weekend. I hated seeing families out enjoying their time and money, while I had to work. But I needed the money and mum always said, “When you quit your job, there is a good chance that you will heavily regret that decision.” So I stayed.
The cost of monotony
The daily routine and working during weekends made service monotonous and depressing. As a result, I began to slack off at work, it was just a matter of time before the ticking time bomb explodes.
So on this particular day, an Asian customer asked me to key in money on a machine. You see we had two types of machines depending on the amount. There are those that were called X5. These ones when a customer gives you money, you divide it by 5 then key in the amount, when they want to withdraw their winnings you multiply it by 5. Then there were those that were labeled as X1. Those ones the money that a customer gives you is the amount you key in. The same applies to cashing the winning. So this customer asks me to key in Ksh. 5000 in the X5 machine. I was absent-minded and keyed in the 5000 when I was supposed to key 1000. The guy was not going to lose to my mistake, so he cashed in my chips. He gambled and after a half an hour, he asked to be paid his winnings. At the time he had lost 1000 and I paid out the remaining 4000 coins which I multipled by 5 and gave him a cool Ksh. 20,000. On realizing that my head was in the cloud he called again.
“Wewe mschana, kuja weka pesa hapa,” he hurled
He handed me Ksh. 4000 and I keyed in the same amount instead of 800coins. Luckily Sebby noticed the error and was quick to cancel the machine. The Asian protested but we stood our ground and eventually he fell back.
Realizing my mistake
“Ulimwekea pesa vibaya tena?” asked a nervous Sebby.
“Hapana, ni hiyo tu,” I replied knowing too well that the previous key in and pay out were erroneous.
To date I can’t explain what stopped me from speaking it out. On realizing these mistakes, my shift had just ended and my ass felt like exploding, I was terrified and all I wanted was to leave. How could I explain myself when he was already gambling his spoils, besides he will not admit to it.
I ride home was agonizing, I cried all the way without care for other passengers. At home my younger bro was so annoyed by my crying and threatened to throw me out if I didn’t explain my problem. Later when my mom came, I found courage to explain my predicament.
“You will have to explain to your boss what happened, then work out a repayment plan. You will probably have to endure work without pay until you complete paying the amount,” she advised.
I agreed to the terms because besides money being tight in the household, I also I didn’t want to burden my parents with my blunders.
Waiting for the call from work was the longest, and most uncomfortable moment of my life. The call came in at exactly 12.40am.
“Judy, tunareconcile pesa na hatuoni Ksh. 20,000, unaweza kua unajua maali ziko?” asked Janet.
“Ni mimi nilipoteza, niliwekea mhindi pesa nyinyi, bila kujua na nikashindwa kusema,” I responded.
“Ooooh, aki imetusumbua akili,” said Janet.
“Nitakuja kesho nione vile nitalipa,” I said with the intention of ending the conversation quickly.
“Sawa,” she hang up.
Immediately I felt some relief, and I made up my mind to work without pay.
My savior
The next day, I was not allowed to touch anything at work. I was put at a corner to wait for the boss. When he walked in his faced was literally red, the talked with Janet briefly then walked out.
Janet called me and told me that they realized that I didn’t even have an identification card, so technically they had employed a minor which is illegal. I was then told to pack and leave. And that how I lost my job, but on the bright side I evaded work without pay. From that day on, I hate handing money, so I keep away from any job that involves handling money. This thing called money is the source of all evil.