The Little Grizzly

I stumbled out of bed and made my way to the phone. 

"Hello?"

"Hello Josie this is Glenda."

"Yes."

"I am just phoning to let you know that we have to let you go. You have failed to follow the company phone policy and because of that I am forced to let you go."

"Well That is interesting seeing as I haven't had a phone for weeks now."

"You were just using it this morning and that was the last straw."

"If I had a functioning phone don't you think we would be talking on that rather than my landlords phone?"

"I know you just have it turned off right now. You're lying to me."

"I do not need to deal with your mental abuse anymore Glenda. Have a good life."

And with that I hung up the phone and turned back to face Ed.

"So what did the witch just say to you?" Ed asked.

"She fired me."

"She isn't your boss she doesn't have that authorization. You know that right?"

"Yea I know but I don't want to work another day with a woman like that."

"I don't blame you. So you going to go look for a new job now?"

"Yea I guess I have to eh?" I slumped down into the nearest chair. I wasn't even sure where to start with a job search here. Back in Ontario I had never once interviewed for a job, people had always approached me offering me jobs or asking me to help them out for a bit during their busy seasons. 

"Well some of the Chuckwagon guys are down at the track right now. They are always looking for people and I know you had said it looked fun." 

"You know what I'll make my way down there now and see if I can find a job with one of them. I've missed working with horses."

I when to my room and changed into more barn appropriate attire and hopped in my Jeep. It was finally warm enough that I took the front roof panels off and let the wind blow my hair everywhere. I drove in the direction I thought the track was in but turns out I was wrong. I got lost a few times before I finally pulled into a gas station and asked for directions, the cashier must have thought I was crazy as who doesn't have a phone with maps on it. 

I finally made it to the track and after speaking with a lady at the front desk had the name of a man looking for help she called him The Little Grizzly. I drove to the area she said he would have his horses stalled at. I knew who he was as soon as I pulled up. 

The Little Grizzly was shorter than me, which is quite a feat, his skin looked like leather and his eyes looked mean as the devil. I wasn't sure I was making a good choice in going up to talk to him but what was the worst thing that could happen. 

"Hello. My name is Josie, The lady at the front desk said you were looking for some help." I said offering my hand for a hand shake. 

"I am but not just anyone. What sort of experience do you have?" Grizzly replied completely ignoring my out stretched hand. 

"I used to managed a horse farm before I moved out here."

"What kind of horses?"

"Quarter horses, but I have more experience with Thoroughbreds as I spent a lot of time in hunter/jumper barns."

"Okay well come down tomorrow and you can start. Seven AM, that's when my horses get fed. Frank will be here then he can show you how I like things done." Then he turned his back towards me and started walking to his truck.

"I will see you tomorrow then." 

I walked back to my Jeep and wondered what the heck I had just gotten myself into. 

Red

Sorry everyone! I have been so busy lately I forgot to come and post! I am going to try and get back to posting more regularly. I finally have some free time coming up. I hope you all had a fantastic holiday season.
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I spent a few hours being a lone wolf at the bar. I did a lot of thinking and a lot of drunk texting before I realized I needed to make my way home. I pulled out my phone and called Sarah.

"Hey, I'm drunk at BP can you and Brian come get me and my jeep?"

"Of course we can. I am not overly surprised you're drunk after the day I heard you had."

"Yeah well Kens a fucking dick. If he were on fire I wouldn't even pee on him."

"We will see you soon." Sarah laughed.

The next few weeks at work went by quickly and quietly, well quietly for a place with more drama than a high school. Glenda had taken it on herself to be mine and Sarah's new bff/boss. It was sort of terrible. Glenda laid out a bunch of new rules we had to follow and would be a bitch if we didn't think they were going to work. Then it would be like a switch flipped and she would be sickly nice to us both and try to get us to say terrible things about our coworkers. It was getting to both Sarah and I that we had both started taking to going to her house and having a bottle of wine each night just to take the edge off. Some nights there were even adventures to any of the local bars which always led to a crazy time, one particular time ended in my phone going for a swim in tequila so I was out a phone until a new one could get sent to me.

I felt myself getting caught in a downward spiral that I couldn't get out of. Weekends became taken over by work and anytime not working was taken over by drinking. I wasn't making any new friends that I could hold a intellectual conversation with. Everyone seemed to be a bar star and seemed to think that it was more than okay to do lines of coke on a regular basis. The more I surrounded myself with these people the more I drank and the more angry I felt myself becoming.

The final straw came sooner than I had thought. After a long weekend of partying I came into work to find a new employee that would be working along side Sarah and myself. I had no idea that we were looking for anyone else as we didn't need a third person at all to do what Sarah and I did. I stopped at Randi's desk to have a quick chat with her before we officially opened and before heading back to the shop and to find out what was going on with the new employee. I didn't even get a hello out before Glenda screamed at me to get to work.

"I am technically here early so unless I am getting paid overtime or getting off early today I am aloud to stop and have a quick chat Glenda."

"I don't care get to work!" Glenda screamed at me.

Randi and I both exchanged a look as she whispered "What the fuck."

I didn't say a word as I went back to start working. As I started doing things I felt myself getting mad. Glenda and the new girl, who I discovered was actually a close friend of Glenda's, just gossiped about their friends. The first three hours were spent with me doing all the work while Techs came and bitched at me about Glenda. After four or five people had come up to me as I was trying to do a two person job by myself, as Sarah wasn't in today, I finally saw red. I threw down my tools and I walked out. I told Randi on my way out I needed to cool off and I would be back tomorrow. I drove around for a while before finally heading back to the house.

"What are you doing home right now?" Ed asked me as I walked thru the door.

"I'm surprised Randi didn't text you and tell you that I had left an hour ago. Glenda got on my last nerve." I said throwing my hands in the air.

"That woman is a cunt she will get fired soon don't you worry." With that Ed went back to watching his movie.

I went to have a nap but I couldn't fall a sleep. The whole situation kept playing on my mind. I eventually got up and asked Ed if I could use the house phone and I called in to talk to the finance manager.

"Hey Josie, I tried to call you but your phone went right to voicemail. I am glad you called in."

"My phone has been broken for weeks. I guess you wouldn't know that though."

"No, but now I am not worried about you anymore. I thought something happened to you."

"I'm okay. I wanted to talk to you about what happened this morning if that is okay with you?"

"Of course, that is why I have been calling you. Glenda said you were on your phone all morning and suddenly just left."

"Are you serious? I was not. How could I be when I don't even have a phone right now? Did you talk to anyone else?"

"Yes I did. The guys in the back are telling me she yelled at you this morning before your start time and then proceeded to make you do all the work as she gossiped with Shasta. They don't know why you left though."

"I just couldn't do it anymore. Everyone treats each other like garbage, and Glenda acts so self entitled that I had to leave before I said something I would regret." I sighed.

"Understandable. You could have came and talked to me before you left though."

" I would have said all those mean things to you. I needed to calm down."

"Alrighty, well we will see you tomorrow?"

"Of course."

I hung up the phone and went to lay down again. Not even 10 minutes later Ed knocked on my door.

"Phones for you Josie."