Chapter #8

[Scrap #1] One Friday evening he Andy simply didn't show up at work. Mark, the floor manager, kept searching for volunteers to help me out with my duties. This was a golden opportunity of my career. If I could become a full-time expeditor I could finally stop worrying about money. Hell, I could even afford summer holidays in Poland. I went to Mark, looked at his face and told him "I got this, I can do this!". He was looking straight into my eyes. His face looked wild and desperate. "Are you sure?!" he now yelled. "Yes. I got this, I can do this!". "I'm going to fucking fire you if you fuck it up! You understand?!". I sure knew he would be happy to deliver on this promise. He was one of those guys. "Mark, I got this!". The night was exciting and scary at the same time. The plates came flying from all sides. All I could see was a long line of slips with orders. There were moments when things stalled and Kurt had to yell for help. But at the end I managed to keep the job and all of the tips. I had claimed my territory.

[Scrap #2] Another piece of good news came one day in a thin envelope. The semester had been now over and I was anxiously awaiting for my grades. I knew that I had done OK at Dr. Rios' classes. Introduction to Art was relatively easy as long as one showed up at the class. For the final paper I wrote about "The Battle of Grunwald" by Jan Matejko, a Polish painter. I chose it hoping that no one had never heard about it so I could use my artistic creativity to describe it. The gamble paid off and my essay had been mentioned as one of the best in the class. I wasn't too worried about U.S. History taught every Thursday evening. General Psychology however had always been a struggle - I enjoyed the class, learned so many unknown concepts but I still wasn't sure if my enthusiasm would translate into top grade. I opened the envelope. Four As! "Wow, straight A student. Now I want you to get As all the time!" Akira seemed to be more excited than me. A few days later I received an invitation to join other top students at a tea reception organised by the dean.

[Scrap #3] The recent developments had flooded me with a wave of optimism. If I could carry on with my studying UCLA did not necessary have to be a distant dream. The only problem, of course, was the money. My short term worries were going to be paid off by tips at Michael's. But what about the long term. Schools such as UCLA cost four times as much as a community college so even with all the earnings I couldn't save enough. Sure, a cheaper state university was still an option but that suddenly seemed like a waste of opportunity. Studying also required time and now I had to juggle between a new semester at school, morning at Athena's and increasing number of shifts at Michael's. Yes, I enjoyed the money but I also wanted to enjoy life. It was during one of those beautiful crisp and cool winter desert morning, while riding my bicycle to the Greek place, when I made up my mind. "I got a new job" I explained to Brenda when she asked why I wouldn't be coming back the next day. At the end of the shift I put down the sign and I never looked back.

[Scrap #4] Thursdays became the favourite part of my week. Our classes started at the same time so Akira would give me a lift and drop me off at back of the parking lot. The feeling of cold in the mornings were in contrast with a sun and clear sky above us. The American Politics, taught by Mrs. Scarfe, was super stimulating and demanding at the same time. By the time it had finished the temperature would rise to a level comfortable enough for a sweater. I would then meet Akira again and drive with him to Carl's Junior. Over those months we had developed our soundtrack. This really started back in the summer when we would drive around Palm Desert, windows rolled down, singing (screaming?) Wham's "Last Christmas". Now if you sat in the back of the Honda you would be probably be subjected to listening to Enrique Iglesias and, on occasion, some Japanese Pop. Our standard Carl's Junior order was now a 99c Spicy Chicken. There was always a group of retirees reading morning newspaper sitting just next to our usual table. After the breakfast we drove back home, take a nap and continue with the rest of the day.

[Scrap #5] The ocean worked like a magnet so a few weeks later I decided to finally take my first solo trip. To get the most out of the day I had to get up at 5am to get a Sun Link bus connection to Riverside. There I changed to a local train which took me to the Union Station at Downtown Los Angeles. The ride took over four hours but it was worth it. I was wandering around the downtown exploring the streets and the lobbies of the skyscrapers. Los Angeles was such a mix of contrasts. You could walk a few blocks east and suddenly streets would line up with boxes filled with people living inside. Walk back west and you were surrounded by people in suits. It wasn't my first time here but it was different exploring things completely on my own - there was no need to compromise. That was what I had always wanted to do from the moment I started exploring California from my PC back in Poland. The sight of the desert with its wind mills warmed my heart up but I now knew it was Los Angeles that I wanted to call my home.

[Scrap #6] The desert could get monotonous. I didn't play golf of tennis so there was not much to do. Akira had turned 21 at the end of March but to me the bars were still shut. Hanging out at Starbucks in Downtown Palm Springs and watching people became one of the few entertainment options available. To get to Palm Springs we would usually take Highway 111 passing through the towns and car dealer shops along the road. Up in the hills you could see Bob Hope's house. Freeway-10 was faster and became our preferred route back home. We stopped in front of the junction ready to follow the 'East' sign. It was midnight and my classes would begin in eight hours. "Should we take the left for a change?" I asked. We were both hungry for adventure. One hundred and twenty miles later the coast welcomed us with the sound of breaking waves and the chill of the Pacific Ocean. Fully awake, I stood in front of the dark vastness trying to imagine what would it feel like to suddenly sail into the sea. "We are too crazy" I said to Akira. We walked back to the car and drove home.

[Scrap #7] I was now working six to seven shifts per week. With the restaurant opened up only for dinner most of my time was split between college in the daytime and work in the evenings. The job was demanding. Although the shift wouldn't usually last more than four to five hours I could feel every cent earned. Most of the employees were well natured but in the midst of peak time and orders flying around the communication was mostly limited to yelling or swearing in Spanish, something I was getting better at. I felt mostly scared by Michael but I also felt a lot of respect towards him. Yes, he liked to yell ("Jackie boy!") and god forbid a customer had to wait for their garlic bread for more than five minutes. Still, if he felt I did a good job he wouldn't hesitate to slip an extra twenty bucks in my pocket. For most people working there Michael's was their second job. They still had to wake up early the next morning to work at some other place. I at least could look forward to the attending classes which I actually enjoyed. It was a compromise worth putting up with.

[Scrap #8] The system was simple. You started with a 5 dollar bet. If you won you kept everything for yourself. If you lost you just doubled the bet to recover your losses. If you were still out of luck doubled to 20, then 40 until you finally won. And the win would eventually happen. It was simple statistics. Our hair were full of gel and we both wore sun glasses. Akira even put on a Hawaiian shirt. With hundred of dollars of us we saw ourselves never having to work again. Yes, sitting at the table repeating bets did seem tedious. But it was much better than running around a restaurant balancing a tray trying not to drop the plates. And at first it all seemed to be working fine. The noise of the crowd was loud and exciting and we even managed to hit a blackjack. And then the bad streak happened. Once the forty dollars becomes eighty you are in a dark territory. The power of compounding numbers. If the bad luck continues you hit the maximum bet and then run out of cash. Your three hundred dollars is gone. There is no such a thing as easy money.

[Scrap #9] There were many international students who didn't work and could focus on just studying and enjoying their lives. I envied their freedom. I know, nothing was supposed to give you more satisfaction than becoming a self-made millionaire. There were many guests at the restaurants who were rumored to make millions completely from scratch. Most of them were always very polite and happy to chat with you. They carried this aura of ease, self-confidence and success around them. Sometimes one would ask where you were from and when told that you worked to make money for studying they wished you good luck. You were happy to serve them but really, I wouldn't have cared if instead of the encouragement they stood up and handed me a cheque for ten thousand dollars. But that was not going to happen so I had to think of something else. Michael's was probably as good as it got when it came to jobs. And that's how I came out with another option - winning money at a casino. There were a few of them in the desert and one in particular didn't care about your age as long as you turned at least eighteen.

[Scrap #10] There had been days when I would lie in bed, close my eyes and imagine walked myself through the streets of Leszno. I would usually walk along the 'planty' but sometimes went as far as the railway bridge. So often when spoke to my parents I imagined them sitting in the living room with a big pot of coffee in the middle of the table. Those little things were what I had missed the most. The classes had ended and the traffic on the streets had started to ease out. With the temperatures going up again, the desert was preparing itself for the dead season. As most places around, Michael's was going to be closed for the summer. That meant no prospect of income or any jobs for the next few weeks. The good news was that I could spend two months in Poland without worrying I was missing anything out. "In twenty days I will be in the skies" I kept telling Gabe, one of the assistants, while killing boredom in the kitchen. I couldn't wait. The day had finally arrived. The plane took off, made a big U-turn over the ocean and I was on my way home.