...it could happen to you.
just got out of work. one of the guys at work has called out for almost a week straight. he finally comes back to work tonight - enraged; he pulls me aside. he's about 46. he's been a waiter his whole life and he's very proud of it. he's gay and he's my bud at work sorta...
anyway - so we go out to smoke a cigarette and he tells me that he left a bottle of pills at work. the manager calls him up at home, and apparently knew the doctors name. the doctor deals exclusivley with HIV patients in the area, and the manger knew it.
my co-worker admits that he is infact HIV positive, and that his absense was directly related to it. he showed me some scary looking brusies on his body. the first time in my life i've seen such bruises. apparently i'm a lucky gay boy.
anyway - so up until this point i have heard nothing but praise from the higher ups in the restuarant for my friend. he's amazing at what he does... it's sort of an art that he does - waiting tables - and he's the best. i for one (and there are many... ) look up to him... anyway - so he says that the manager was apprehensive about letting him come back to work... contamination... blah blah blah... health code violations... blah blah blah....
they finally agree to let him come back to work - he's just supposed to be hush hush about it, because the mangers fear this huge exodus of customers and employees all running for the door once they know he has HIV.
all night the manger was telling him his shirt didn't look good... that he should comb his hair more... that he was too loud.. not loud enough... riding him.
are they trying to make him quit? ....how do we feel about this? clearly the man should be allowed to work, and they're looking for a big ass law suit if they don't let him...
and to be honest, isn't he dealing with enough, that he doesn't need an uninformed poop for a boss to be running his ass, when he's doing perfectly fine...?
but... i'm having a moral delima... cancer, hiv, whatever... if he's calling out at work a lot - is he not now, unreliable? i'd get fired if i called out of work that much....
of course, my decison is in favor of my friend - or for anyone who's ill... and certaintly this MAY BE special treatment... it leaves me wondering those dark thoughts. is he reliable? i clearly know he's not going to give the customers or any of us HIV... but is he reliable?
in other news - carrie has left the restuarant (she's my buddy - she's unreal. so cool...) to pick up her daughter and her mom in new orleans... their house is gone. we have a jar for funds for her family at the restuarant - and these same mangers said to put it away and only employees could put in money for it coz it was considered "soliciting." this place sometimes makes denny's look good. they wouldn't even do that. carrie, be safe! sending happy thoughts your way! i know you read this.
rough stuff on my mind tonight.
anyway - put a picture of patience up there coz i felt this blog posting needed an angel to watch over it. not always sure the right and wrong answers. but we all wonder. we just need someone/something to watch over us while we do it.
