Learning from my Mistakes
Peter Piper Pizza was the first franchise of pizzas which arrived in my city. This chain had two places where they sold pizzas in different ways. One was the restaurant and next to it was a small place where we made pizzas for delivery. It was my second home when I was seventeen years old. I became a worker because I had to wait for my semester at university to start. This unforgettable place changed the logistics of how people could buy food without leaving their home in my city. In a very short period of time, its sales increased surprisingly. We sold almost a thousand pizzas every weekend day. We had approximately thirty motorcycle drivers delivering in every part of the city.
The wave of pizzas was huge in the city, so the owner decided to bring a manager from Chicago because he wanted someone qualified to control his business. This manager had worked in Domino’s when he was young. Bryan was a typical American who spoke Spanish with a special accent. However, he knew how to speak understandable Spanish.
He had a very strong character. His face looked angry all the time. His mood was tough. He never demonstrated appreciation for anyone. He just controlled the business and never left until the store closed.
I made pizzas on the line of “toppings.” Every day in the morning, I had to review the orders and make all of them on time. However, it was unpleasant work when our leader was so strict. Therefore, I tried to do my chores perfectly in order to show him that I was a good worker. Little by little I gained his confidence.
One day the business looked like a madhouse; every worker was running. The orders were more than the people who controlled them could handle. Bryan was upset due to the fact that a lot of pizzas were waiting for a driver to take to deliver, so Bryan yelled at me, “Raton, (a little mouse in my country) do you know the name of the streets?” I did so he and I went to deliver some of them.
He had a new Honda Accord and he drove like a teenager. That day we finished with the demand of pizzas and this day was the first time that I heard Bryan laughing. When we were in the kitchen he always treated me like he did the others.
However, he couldn’t hide his appreciation for me, so the workers realized that he treated me differently. I became the youngest boy of the family. I had the responsibility to tell Bryan everything that my co-workers needed at work.
Due to the fact that the restaurant outsourced the tortillas, we couldn’t choose the best ones. Bryan was tired of getting the worst tortillas, so he brought a special machine to produce our own tortillas in the little kitchen. He decided to give me training because he trusted me.
This new assignment made me look like a typical baker with a lot of flour on me. One day, Bryan invited me to select another machine which was in El Paso. Before we left the city, we went to pick up the person who was offering us the new machine. I moved to the back of the car and I saw maybe a dozen work caps like mine. They were new and my cap was very dirty, so I took one of them and put mine on the floor. The entire day I had a new cap on my head, but before I got out of the car intended to return the new cap and get mine back, but I didn’t do it.
A bad thought came to my mind, so I put my dirty cap under my shirt and left the new one on my head because I had convinced myself that Bryan had enough caps. I didn’t feel nervous about my action. I was passing in front of the windshield when suddenly my old cap fell on the floor. Bryan got out of the car and began with his sermon.
“Why did you do that? I put all my trust in you. I invited you to my home. You were my best worker. If you want another work uniform, I would give it to you. My best friend failed me. I cannot believe it. Now I understand why people call you raton (it is a nickname used for people who steal things in my country). He left me and I couldn’t say anything. I felt very bad. My action was embarrassing. I felt I was in a dark place. I was wondering all day why I did it.
Then, I understood that my action gave me a lesson. It was good that I was discovered by Bryan. What would have happened if he had not found out? What would be the next thing that I would steal?
Maybe I am not a good person today but I am sure that I know that stealing is bad. I understood that everything has a prize. If I want to obtain it, I need to pay for it.
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