Sammich

Disclaimer:  I know people don't care about my new vocation and are probably tired of my speaking about it, but as an amateur writer of this blog, I can only write about the thoughts and experiences I have on a daily basis.  As such, some of my topics are going to involve my job.  Apologies.  I don't wish to alienate the one or two people who actually entertain the thought of reading my bullshit, but it is what it is.

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As a transit operator, we don't have scheduled coffee breaks, like normal people would at a normal nine-to-five job.  There's no gathering around the water cooler to talk about Jan in accounting and the faux pas she made at the staff party or whatever you folks talk about.  When we have a chance to run in to use a bathroom or grab a beverage or snack, we have to do it when it's convenient to do so.

Yesterday was one of those days.  A seven-plus hour stint on a bus with no air conditioning and very little time to spare between, what I call, "laps", but runs of the route.  It was late in the afternoon when I had arrived at the downtown terminal to drop off riders and pick up new passengers for the trek back to the Confederation Mall terminal.  

Having a few fleeting moments to spare, I grabbed my sandwich out of my lunch box.  Granted, the sandwich did not appear as well-crafted as the sandwich in the photo above, it wasn't ugly by any means, but the very moment I bit into the sandwich, I heard a heavy....  I can't say it was a "heavy sigh", but it was definitely an expression of disgust.  The sound was followed up by a loathing remark, "Ew.  You're eating on the bus?"

I looked behind me to see a young woman in her early to mid-twenties, with dark hair and glasses,  standing with a horrified look on her face.  I explained that we (drivers) don't get to have breaks, so we grab a bite whenever we can.  This explanation wasn't good enough for her, though.  She continued to berate me and the transit system for this practice.

"It's disgusting!!" she said, "In fact, the 2 and the 10 (in reference to the route numbers) are the worst buses in the city.  Absolutely disgusting!!"

I placed the remainder of my sandwich back in the container and returned it to my lunch box and apologized.  "Sorry.  You're right.  I won't bother eating now.  I'll do it when I go home in four and a half hours."

"No, no!" she said, insisting that I eat my lunch, but that it was gross to do so on the bus.  She told me she had examples of why this was such a terrible idea, but "spared me the gruesome details, as she didn't want to make me sick."

In the normal world or any other job I ever had, I would have told this woman where to go 🔥 and how to get there, but I can't on this job.  As the management makes very clear in the training process, "we're representatives of the city and must act appropriately" which I presume includes being a verbal punching bag to the community of which we serve.

I've had many jobs where I probably could have and should have taken breaks to consume a sandwich or snack, but I've always felt that because these jobs were primarily, me sitting, that the point of a coffee break was moot.  Whether I was a courier or mowing grass in a tractor, I never took breaks.  Onlookers would often witness me driving, steering wheel in one hand and a sandwich in the other.  It was never a big deal.  Even prior to this experience, it was never an issue.  People would sometimes comment, but it was always of a positive nature.  "Gotta eat when you get a chance, eh?"  They'd say with a smile.  Not this time, though.

Moving forward, I will continue to grab a snack or eat my lunch when I have an opportunity to do so.  I don't give two shits about what that chick thought.  I only obeyed, because the bus is under constant video and audio surveillance.  If I were to step out of line and tell someone to shut up or ignore a complaint of this nature, I'm sure I'd be hauled into an office and sternly spoken to.  I've heard that some of my fellow hires who began at the same time as myself, have experienced similar visits to the supervisors and management.

I like my job.  I wish to keep my job.  So I'll take the shit and abuse for the time being.  At least until I'm off probation in January. 😉