Please ask me why I had to go to our West Point Grey Location (3605 W 16th Avenue, Vancouver) in the middle of my sleep at 1 AM today. Guess what! It was about J again. I suddenly got a call from my boss. He sounded blown away, explaining what was happening today and why he was calling me.
Let me explain. In our cafe, we have a back door which connects to our garbage area and the storage. This door is somewhat tricky because it automatically locks on itself when closed. Of course, it is not a problem when multiple people are in the cafe because someone else can open it for the locked one. But things get messy when only one person is working. But it was just a slight possibility. Who would work there alone, and who would be dim enough to be not careful enough to prevent locking oneself?
Introducing J, who breaks every rule and expectation! The boss told me that J locked himself during his late-night delivery shift. I had no other options than going there to save him. I got a quick Uber ride and headed to the West Point Grey location as quickly as possible. As I rode in the car, I texted J, “What did you do?” I explained his situation, and he offered to pay for my ride from and to the cafe, to which I did not respond.
As I arrived at the cafe, I saw him sitting on the ground in front of the main door. He seemed extremely tired and miserable, with his cap hiding his eyes and his body visibly bent. In fact, I was so angry when I was interrupted by my sleep in the middle of the night. I had no plans to forgive him for this, but seeing him like that was slightly pitiful.
As I unlocked the door for him, I could not even ask him anything. Uber Eats order was ringing in the cafe. He told me that as soon as he finished the order, he would call an Uber service for me. As soon as the door opened, he ran into the front of the house to take the order. It was funny that he did not even see that he could accept the order by pressing the tablet on the other side of the bar, so I did it for him as he was making a turn in the kitchen.
J asked me for my address to call Uber for me after clearing the order somehow. As I took the ride home, I found it too difficult to forgive him for his “amazing” mistake and the labour I had to spend for him. But let me change my perspective. I thought this event was comedic and blog-worthy if I separated myself from the scene, despite my anger. But if I try to fit myself in his shoes, it was also a tragic event, incapable of anything against what was happening to him. He must have been in despair.
I try to imagine how many different perspectives can be there for this one occurrence. It makes me angry, J sad, and the audience entertained all at once. This is just another example of what working with J is like!