1/17/2012

Venti Awkward

Story Sent in by David:

In college, I worked part-time in a coffee shop, where another student at my college, Vanessa, worked. Vanessa and I were often scheduled together on shifts, and so we spent a lot of time with the same nasty customers, the same spills, and the same coffee shop hijinks. Bluntly, we bonded pretty quickly, and we hung out, sometimes, after we left the store for the day.

I was interested in her, but I couldn't tell if she liked me or not. The one time I tried to kiss her, she pulled away and said, "No. Too soon. I don't want to rush into anything." I took that to imply that there would come a time no longer "too soon," and so we kept hanging out and I kept opening my heart to her. She seemed to like the attention, or else I guess she wouldn't have kept spending as much time with me as she did.

One morning not long after, I was scheduled to open the store. A blizzard was socking the town, and so I arrived at the store extra-early, around 4am, just to make sure that I'd make it there in time to open.

I entered through the back entrance, took off my wet jacket, and sidled through the back room. I went to the bathroom and then made it into the store proper. It was dark inside, and I made for the lights, but silhouetted on the floor of the store, not far from the counter, looked like a pile of… rags? Clothing? It wasn't moving, whatever it was.

I leaned in closer. It was two people, sleeping on the floor. My heart pounded. Was there a break-in? Were they homeless? I thought about calling the police, but then, my mouth moved faster than my common sense.

"Police," I said, "Get up!"

They stirred. Half-dressed, a shape rose up from the floor. I hit the lights. It was Vanessa. Another, older co-worker, Andy, stood up next to her, even less-dressed than she was. He glanced over his shoulder at the store windows. He hissed, "You stupid asshole! Turn off the lights, now!"

I didn't. My attention was focused on Vanessa, who held a blanket around herself. I said, "You could've just told me that you were interested in someone else."

Andy stepped closer and said, "I said turn the lights off. You have three seconds to do it or I'm going to beat you into a–"

I flipped the lights off and said, "Lights are off. But the store security camera's been on all night."

Andy said, "It couldn't have seen us. It was too dark, and we didn't say anything." He glanced at Vanessa, I guess hoping for a confirmation.

I replied, "But it wasn't dark five seconds ago, when I had the lights on."

Andy didn't say anything else, but he scooped his clothes up from the floor and shoved past me into the back room. Vanessa didn't say anything, either, but she followed suit.

It was a little awkward when I discovered that Andy was on the schedule to open with me that day, but I was sure to tell the manager to review the security footage.

Both Vanessa and Andy were canned. Vanessa never spoke to me again, nor was I expecting her to. I hope it was worth it for her.

20 comments:

  1. If nothing overt had been agreed in terms of dating I don't really see why she was obliged to tell the OP she was interested in someone else.

    Just seems a little vindictive for the OP to lead the manager to the security footage because someone he fancied hooked up with someone else.

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  2. Vanessa sounds like she led the OP on because she enjoyed the feeling of having somebody pursuing her, so I'm all for a little petty vengeance. But getting her canned sounds REALLY disproportionate. I hope the OP is perpetually single.

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    Replies
    1. He didn't get her fired. She got HERSELF fired with her idiotic conduct.

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  3. I think the OP's dick was a TALL and Andy was a VENTI.

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  4. While it seems like he got her canned out of vengence, it might have been just an added bonus. The real question is, if it were 2 other people, would he have done the same thing, or covered for them? I might be inclined to report the incident regardless, especially if the guy threatened me like that guy. Sorry, but I don't want to work with idiotic coworkers like that. You choose the action, you choose the consequences.

    P.S. - I wonder if that "older" guy was married? Scandalous!

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  5. Honestly, I'm team OP on this one.

    He does not say he got the girl fired. He said he led the manager to the security footage and she got fired, which is not the same thing.

    Besides, if he opened that day and the manager looked at the tapes on his own, who's to say he wouldn't can the OP for being an accomplice and not telling him ?

    Besides, EWW. I don't want to go into a store where people have fun on the floor, especially near counters, thankyouverymuch.

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  6. I'm with the OP, but I think it's a case of "right thing for the wrong reasons". Yeah, if it'd be anyone else he should've made sure the manager was aware of it -- it's a shop, not a motel, so the manager's in his rights to fire people who use it as such.

    Jealousy is a lousy reason to do it, though. The sense of satisfaction and tossing in the "you could've told me" line is unnecessary -- but hey, strong emotions don't always lend themselves to objective assessments, so I'd let it slide. K

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  7. OK, that's a good point... if the OP would have endangered his job by covering for the other two, then screw that (especially since Andy was a jerk). I'll reluctantly change my vote to team OP, although I still feel he's whiny and immature. I mean, there was no formal declaration of dating, so he really doesn't have that much right to complain because he interpreted "Not yet" as meaning "later" when it really meant "Not ever, but I don't want to hurt your feelings."

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  8. I wouldn't have covered up for the two either, why risk your neck for them? They should have known better not to pull that kind of crap. I just don't think that the girl owed him any explanations as they were not dating.

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  9. I don't really blame the OP for feeling bad, or even for covering his own ass by showing the footage to the boss, but I also don't think this other guy Andy was necessarily being a total jerk. Imagine this: you wake up suddenly, naked on the floor (they probably just overslept accidentally) and some guy is standing there, looking at you and your naked girlfriend(?). I might be flustered and screaming too. And not only that, this guy starts implying there is or was something between him and the girl you just slept with. I mean, Andy may still be an asshole but I wouldn't judge him based on this moment only. He obviously overreacted when he mentioned beating, but OP also came off very immature and whiny, as Wolfie said.

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  10. The OP was right to report them because you just dont get into your workplace to have sex.

    But also he was a bit clueless. She said "No its too soon". This means "i like you but not that much". OP behaved a bit like a 5 year old (she doesnt like me so im going to run to my boss)

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  11. I feel I should add that I agree the OP was not entitled to information about the girl's personal life. He was not exclusively dating her and was not owed an explanation.

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  12. Better to let them get whats coming to them, than to possibly hurt yourself in the long run.

    Also, who the hell stays after hours to have sex, then stays the night? I can imagine hooking up, but sticking around after? No thank you.

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  13. On the floor of a coffee shop?!? Sex - ok. But sleeping there? Ewwwww....

    Anywho, doesn't sound like vengeance to me. Sounds like losing the rose-colored glasses and moving right along.

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  14. I'm gonna be the Classic ABCOTD'er and mention that, for OP anyway, there was no "bad date" to speak of. If anyone should have written in, it should be Andy or Vanessa.

    OP = little bitch.

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  15. I'm on the side of OP, he did the right thing. No one wants to go to a coffee shop where that goes on.

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  16. Bottom line, this isn't a bad date. This is being pissy he didn't get the girl and going for petty vengeance. Whatever.

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    Replies
    1. So in your mind, he was somehow obligated to cover for them? Do you people not understand that having sex in the workplace (especially when your workplace is a restaurant serving food and beverages to the public) is grounds for immediate dismissal? Regardless of what his motivations were for reporting them, he did the right thing.

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  17. I don't think he was dating her at all.

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  18. Vanessa sounds like one of those bitches who strings guys along even though she isn't interested just because of the attention they give her. She may not have owed him an explanation, but she knew damned well that he was interested in her and kept hanging out with him and giving him hope. "Too soon" is not the same as saying "I don't feel that way about you." And you can bet that she knew the difference too.

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