Chapter 65: Twitterpated

I’m in love. I know, it’s a bit of a surprise, but it really doesn’t take that much to get me to fall in love. Today I worked with TDH for the last time. Before I went to work I sent him a message via the internet telling him he’d better get ready for working with me for the last time. He shows up early which has me tickled pink of course, I’m not even going to try and pretend like I don’t love having him around. We pretty much talked about how excited I was that this was the last time I was going to be doing the Part 1 class. He was trying to set up the AV equipment and we have to put a password in to get the screen to come down and he couldn’t remember the password so I reminded him and told him that I would make him a list of all the passwords he needs to remember so he could survive without me. I went through the class like an adrenaline rush, which is pretty much what gets me through every time I have to do Part 1. My finger tips lose circulation and I’m not sure what I am saying, but I think I am saying the right things, I hope I am at least. I was going through the material quickly and flawlessly that I was certain I was forgetting things, important things, but when I would look back at TDH to see if I had he just shook his head to indicate that I hadn’t.
On the break in the class I went to talk to TDH and my manager who were sitting at the back table. They had been watching for a while and while I know that I am leaving at the end of the week and she couldn’t possibly be taking notes on me it made me nervous that my manager was there taking notes at all. She got a serious look on her face and said, “Are you sure you want to leave?” It made me feel good inside, but also sad. They both told me that I was doing a good job. Now, most people really enjoy compliments, and I do, don’t get me wrong, but if the task is not complete I can’t receive a compliment, it messes me up because it seems to put an imaginary pressure on me to continue to do a good job and the pressure causes me to screw up. I feel like I flubbed the second part of class, but who knows because I’ve always been my worst critic.
In between classes Ducky came to see me! She brought treats. While we were changing the room over for the next class I was teasing TDH and then I said, “You’re going to miss me.” He just nodded and gave me the nicest compliment that he could give me, he basically said that he and our manager had been talking and both agreed that I was probably the best trainer for the Part 1…he said I was even better than he was, I told him that that was all I had ever wanted, and of course he dropped in that I was only better at the part 1 and I reminded him that I was a better cashier and bagger as well. TDH mentioned that I should be a promotional trainer and just work on Saturdays, but still be working as JSD. I considered it for a second, and then remembered that I’d be too busy for the next couple of months to dedicate my Saturdays to a second job.
After the night class TDH and I were grading papers and our manager (Red) walked in. She was helping us clean up, even though we were mostly done by that point and TDH leaned in and asked me how to spell a word. I whispered the correct spelling back and then laughed. I told him that he was going to miss having me around to help him spell. Then another trainer came in, she had had a class in another room and asked us when we would be leaving, TDH said that we would be done in 10 minutes. I laughed and almost said something back about 10 minutes to him was like half an hour. But I didn’t, needless to say we didn’t exit the building until 45 minutes later. Before then we were putting the rest of the stuff away and I made the mistake of telling him things I had heard about him from other people, and they weren’t exactly positive things. I felt bad as soon as I said them, and I’m not sure why I brought them up, and he was getting upset because I wouldn’t say who said them and I started to cry out, “I don’t want us to end this way!” He just laughed, but was certain to tell me later that there was a manager in one of my stores who didn’t have all positive things to say about me, I immediately guessed who it was because I know that there is a manager at one of my stores who doesn’t like me. So much for his plans to get even.
When we were signing out I ask TDH what time it was and he said, “10:30”, I wrote it down while I said, “TDH! You’re Killing Me!” and he says, “Well…you’re killing me!” We finished signing out, set the alarm and went to the parking lot. Usually when we are walking out to the parking lot we talk until a certain breaking point, when I got towards my car and he goes towards his. But this night was different. We stopped and talked! At one point while we were talking a bat flew overhead. I mentioned how it was a bat and TDH asked if I were sure and then he goes, “No, you’re right because the wings went like this,” and made an awkward motion with his bent arms moving up and down. I tried to get him to do a replay because I thought it was so funny but he caught on to what I was doing. I asked him if the bat brought back childhood memories. He had told me a long, long time ago about this time him and his grandma found a bat in the house and killed it with a garden ho. It was so entertaining to watch him tell the story again. I noticed that while we talked we rotated around some invisible axis. I’d be facing the building and without noticing that I had moved I would be facing where his car was parked, and then where mine was parked, then the main street, back to the building. I don’t know if he noticed but once I did I could help but smile that it was happening that way some how.
We kept talking about work and he even went into a whole thing about his family and why he doesn’t like his mom. It was kind of sad, but I got to know more about him in one night than I had from a year of working with him. When two bats flew overhead he mentioned something about how he wished he had his shotgun so he could shoot them and I said he’d better not, not in that neighborhood, the cops might come. So he said that we should probably get going before they came and got us for loitering. So we said ‘goodbye’ and when I got into my car I realized that it was 12:00! We had been talking for an hour and half! By far my most favorite night working! I was a little giddy when I got home and I called Ducky because I just had to talk about it. For some reason I am still a 17 year old and am now absolutely in love with him!