End Of Job, End Of The Family Business

Supervisor came up to me just before I left work today.  He gave me a status update on else needed to be done.  From what he said, he was trying to stretch out my work, but he's struggling because there isn't a whole bunch left.  It's exactly what I feared: The end date of the 14th is going to be pushed up.

I don't think we're going to make it to next week.  Fuck, our last day may be today.

So then what?  I hope I've done enough to convince my temp agency that I'm good for another job.  But what if I don't?

My main focus now is to avoid my parents' wrath, at least until they leave for Vegas.  The one big thing on my side is they understand that my assignment is temporary, so they won't be too shocked if I lose it anytime soon.  But better to be on the safe side and rope-and-dope them for another week.  Which means one more week of either waking up very early or telling my folks that "my hours have been modified."

Bigger problems loom.  First and foremost, at least in my mind, is The Store.  I knew the day had to come where they would sell it, but now that they actually have, I won't have a whole lot of time with the Old Lady before I can't go in there anymore.

I have never had a day where that building wasn't ours, you know?  And now it won't be.  That doesn't seem to be a big deal to my parents, but it's fucking huge one for me.  Tuesday night, after I decided not to go the University of Minnesota men's basketball game because Nate Wolters, the NBA prospect that's playing for their opponent, South Dakota St., rolled his ankle in practice Monday night and, after trying to warm up on it before the game, the radio announcers (thank you, BTW, I really didn't think they would announce so early) said that he would play very sparingly, if at all.  What I did instead, including going to St. Paul to pick up a ticket to Saturday night's roller derby match and going to a strip club I hadn't been in in a year, is go to the parking lot at The Store and sit.  Well, it was too cold to sit, so I fished around for a gas coupon because I needed to fill up my tank before I went home, but then I sat.

And then, before I left, I went up to the door.  I opened up the screen and touched the solid red door, one I had gone through hundreds, maybe a thousand times over my life.  And I laid my forehead against it and said I was sorry for hating it.  My parents dragged me out to The Store when all I wanted to do was stay home and play.  I didn't understand then what a glorious success The Store was for us, and how important it was to our family's way of life.  I did as I grew up.  Now I know what it means.  And, funny, it now appears that The Store is more important to me than to me parents.

I apologized for not understanding all of this when I was a kid, and I begged The Store for forgiveness and asked that it not hold my bratty defiance against me.  And then I left.

I still think I have a few weeks left before they turn the property over.  Seriously, I might go in and take a look around, one last time.  Maybe I'll spend an afternoon nap there.  Or maybe I'll sleep there over night ... or just lay right in the middle of the aisle and close my eyes.  Because I can't let this thing go.

WHY CAN'T THEY LET ME HAVE THE STORE?!?!?!  WHY CAN'T THEY JUST KEEP IT?!?!?!  FIRST GRANDMOTHER AND THEN THE HOUSE AND THEN THEM RETIRING AND THEN MY CARE AND NOW THIS -- EVERYTHING I HAVE EVER KNOWN IN MY LIFE IS GETTING TAKEN FROM ME!!!  WHY CAN'T YOU JUST KEEP THIS?!?!?!  YOU WANT ME TO TAKE OVER THE STORE, I'LL TAKE IT OVER!!!  LET'S KEEP IT IN THE FAMILY!!!  PLEASE DON'T RIP THIS OUT OF MY LIFE -- THERE'S NO PART OF MY CHILDHOOD LEFT!!!