Hourly pay of $30

 

 When I was a student, I had a part-time job renovating a shopping mall. The daily wage was about $80.

 One day, a trouble occurred. Somebody used a special tape on the floor, which was supposed to be taped with masking tape. The special tape was difficult to remove. We had to use iron tools to peel it off. I don’t know who made the mistake, but the person must be a hard worker. The special tape was used in a huge area. We had to peel it till next morning. All the workers tried removing the tape. In the evening, my shift would end. But the manager asked me to do overtime work. He said, “I will pay you $15 per hour.”

 Actually, I was already tired from staying up the night before to do my university project. I wanted to go home and sleep. But the hourly pay of $15 was very attractive, so I worked overtime.

 Midnight came. I was exhausted. I decided to go home. But the manager said, “Please stay here till the next morning. I will pay you $20 . . . no . . . $30 per hour!”

 I had never experienced being paid $30 per hour. It was a very attractive offer, but I refused because I was so sleepy. Yes, I flatly refused.

 I walked to the parking area. I needed my motorcycle to get home. I rode my motorcycle and tried to get out of the parking area. Then I found out the exit of the parking area was locked with a chain because it was already midnight. I couldn’t drive out.

 The chain was knee-high, and it was easy to stride over. My motorcycle was a Honda Super Cub. I assumed that if I tried my best, I could lift up my motorcycle and bring it over the chain. Actually, my motorcycle is easy to ride, but it is so heavy to lift and carry. I tried to lift it up many times. It was difficult to get out. It was midnight. Trains and buses were out of service. I couldn’t get home without my motorcycle. I already flatly refused the offer, so I couldn’t go back to the shopping mall. I couldn’t work $30 per hour. As a result, I did the hard work of lifting up the motorcycle unpaid instead of the easy job, which was just scratching the floor for $30 per hour.

 I tried to lift up the motorcycle for a few hours. Then a truck approached the parking area. It was a carry-in truck. It was already morning! The truck driver had the key for the chain. He opened it. What was I doing?

 Now I missed the hourly pay of $30. I also wasted my youth by staying up for two nights. It made me believe I could lift up a motorcycle. I can’t stay up for two nights now. Lifting a motorcycle? I can’t even think about it.

 Somehow, I want to borrow the youngness from “the young stupid me.”

Picture by tele52