What came first?

As you all know, I have worked on and off for a chicken restaurant for the last 13 years. I put my heart, soul, life, etc. into that place. I worked between 45-50 hours every week to make sure the restaurant was at the top of the chain. I put my whole life into that place. I want to take a few minutes to go through my journey of betrayal, deceit, broken promises, and ungratefulness. 

I started working for said restaurant when I was still in high school. It was the place to work and I had several friends that worked there too. I thought this was going to be a fun time. I was greatly mistaken. I was 17 and still trying to finish high school. I worked 30-35 hours every week for $5.15. I still managed to make straight A's, go to church every Sunday and Wednesday, start a long-term relationship, and make it to work every day on time. I state this to say that most high school students at the chicken shack only worked 15-20 hours. I was told that I needed to work more because I actually knew what I was doing. However, I never got a raise for my good efforts. I never got respect for my best of intentions. I never got promoted for doing more than the assistant crew captains and crew captains. They needed me and they knew that I needed a job so they banked that I would just continue doing a good job without making a ruckus. I have always been taught that hard work and determination pay off in the end. So I did continue to work harder. I did continue to do my best. It was just never enough. 

During my first 5 months, I stayed late every single day that I worked. It didn't matter at the time that I was a minor. I worked well past my 5 hours and never got a break. I was told that it didn't matter what time the schedule stated that I got off, that I got off when the managers told me I got off. I was yelled at, called horrible names like stupid, stuffed inside a trashcan, and constantly left to work the drive-thru by myself. After 5 months, I became a missionary in Florida and left hoping to never return. 

During my first year of college, I received a job at a local collection agency. During the summer before my second year of college, I needed extra money so I could move out of my parents’ house. I decided to contact the chicken shack about summer help. The owner was ecstatic that I wanted to come back for the summer. I was quickly working 30-40 hours at the chicken shack and working a minimum of 30 hours at the other. I was again never told I did a good job or encouraged for my work. I became an assistant crew captain without actually receiving a raise or title. I did a significant amount of the work because the ones in charge didn't want to work. My schedule was always messed up and I was told that it was my fault even though I wrote down what I could work every week. An especially hateful manager, who constantly told me that I was doing a bad job and that I must be stupid, degraded me over and over again.  My grievances were told to the owner over and over again and he never did anything about it. The main theme of the chicken shack was that if it's good enough that's enough. There should be no change even if the change will make things better. So after the summer, I left again. 

To be continued…