Last night I got home and slammed the door in frustration because I thought I had another iPod stolen at work. My little brother sent me the Nano I had handed down to him when he heard my large iPod had been stolen. When I got to work I zipped it in my jacket pocket and stuffed it in my locker, or so that's what I remember. When I went to change out of my clothes last night, the jacket was gone, along with the pocket contents, including a mail key. I began cursing in anger, which caught the attention of the cooks that were changing their clothes. The sous chef asked me what color my coat was and we began looking around the stuffy locker room. When we turned to the coat rack hidden behind a corner, there it was, draped over the abused coat rack. I searched the pockets, finding nothing.
I left the locker room, fuming, and stomped up the stairs where a new manager was closing the restaurant. He told me to email our boss, tell him what happened, and that he was sorry. I was already half way out the door when he was offering me his meaningless suggestion and attempt at sympathy. When I arrived to the subway station I took a pad of paper from my bag and began drafting the email I was going to send to management.
"I'm honestly freaked out right now. Tonight I had my jacket taken from my LOCKED locker and my small iPod Nano and mail key were taken from it's zipped pocket. The jacket was left draped on the hanging closet in the locker room. My cheap Walmart pants were also taken from underneath the locker where I stuffed them because they would not fit in my locker. Needless to say, I'm fed up with the theft that is going on in this restaurant."
The subway arrived and I put my notebook away. I stared out the subway windows, boiling with frustration, realizing this could be the end of my employment. I began thinking about how difficult it would be to get another job, especially around the holidays. I had already booked a flight home for Christmas and I had already secured time off for a few visits from friends and family. There was no way I would have time to look for a new job. This was the worst timing.
When I got off of the subway I started my journey home and finally arrived home to write my email to management. I began telling the story to my roommate, who watches Law & Order religiously. She wasn't about to take this crime lightly and she'd seen my unrest with the two prior thefts months before. I reached my hand into my jacket pocket, looking for the piece of paper I had scribbled a manager's email, and pulled an folded envelope from the pocket. What is this? I unfolded the envelope to find a note written in capitalized Spanish.
"Lauren, you can't work there anymore, this is scary," my roommate said. "You could sue. I'm not kidding. You can't work there anymore."
My email to management was about to change in tone. I kept what I had written and nixed the idea of offering suggestions for a solution.
"When I returned home to begin this email, I reached in the pocket of the jacket where my iPod had been stolen and found a note on a torn envelope written in permanent marker that says 'TENGO TU IPOD SOY EL PRIMO DE ANDRES yo te lo regreso,' which if my roommate's translating skills are accurate, means 'I have your ipod I am the cousin of Andres I will return it.' I don't know who Andres is, I don't know why he took my iPod with plans to return it, or why he took my mail key. Why is a cousin even in the locker room?! Who is Andres? This frightens me. I have removed everything from my locker, including the lock, because a locker is pointless. I don't feel safe. I have every reason to believe that my locker, with my name on it, was targeted, and this person took my key thinking it was my home key. I don't feel as though I am safe, that my things are safe, or that I can walk to and from work without thinking someone is watching me. I have not called the cops, but this has gone too far. Please call me as soon as you read this. I'm sure I'll be awake."
I sent it off, had a moment of emotional eating with some chocolate, and tried to sleep. It was useless. A few hours later and after phoning a friend, I fell asleep. I woke up this morning to a phone call from a manager and she said she was going to address the issue as soon as she arrived to work. An hour later I received a phone call that Andres was a delivery boy and his cousin had returned my things to management. My coat had been found on the floor and it's contents had spilled out when it was picked up.
I felt relief. Embarrassment. But why? Why should I feel bad for panicking after the experiences that I've had with theft? I'm still trying to settle that feeling.
Atleast I still have an iPod.
