Being So Close and Yet So Far

I have often been so close yet so far. When I was 10 years old, I played in a soccer team with other girls. We reached the grand final in the last year I played in the team. The score was three all and we were playing extra time to determine which team would win the tournament and get the winner’s trophy. I kicked the ball towards the goal posts and sadly the goalkeeper caught the ball to stop me getting the goal. I didn’t get a goal, and the other team went on to score and win the game. When I was in Year 6 at school, I did an assessment and failed. We had to get at least 70% to pass and I got 68%. Getting so close and yet so far continued. I applied for a part time job while still at school and I was accepted for an interview and in a few days, I found out I had not been given the job. After school I met someone and for a while we were very happy together. I was looking forward to a long relationship possibly with children to bring up. Then John told me he had met someone else and he was sorry he had to leave me. It took me a long time to get over this loss, my life had been put on hold and I didn’t know where I was heading in the future.

While I was sitting in my lounge room one hot afternoon I received a phone call from the Manager at a local restaurant. I had sent an application to the company that was looking for a waitress. Within five days I had received a text advising me that the Manager would be in touch with me to set up a time for an interview. The Manager greeted me “Hi Miss Jones, I’m Mr. Davis, are you able to attend an interview tomorrow morning at 10am?” “Yes, Mr Davis, thank you”. “I will see you then”. I was excited about the chance to work again after 2 years. However, I also considered that this was getting close to success and would it fail like my other attempts. I knew I had to be positive if I was going to succeed,

The next day I got up early and selected some clothes for the interview. I chose a black suit that I hadn’t worn for a long time, but I had kept it, hoping that I would be going to a job interview one day. After breakfast I got dressed and went out to my car at 9.30. I knew where the restaurant was in the main street and when I arrived I found a free car spot on the street and went inside to meet the Manager. A waitress went with me to Mr Davis’s office and the Manager was sitting at his desk waiting for me. He invited me to come in and sit on the chair opposite him and after greeting me he started the interview. I was asked questions about my former work experience and why I would be a good selection for the job. I was able to tell Mr Davis that I had worked as a waitress in three restaurants and I had good communication skills when I interacted with the customers and co-workers. I also understood how to take orders on a tablet and give them to the staff at the front counter for them to pass them to the chefs, expediently. After the interview, Mr Davis smiled, shook my hand and informed me that he would be in touch when he had made his decision.

I received the very positive call the next day and Mr. Davis told me he would be very happy to give me the job, and he would like me to start the following day. I would be taken around the restaurant by another worker to familiarize myself with the places of work, the workers tea rooms and the facilities. I would be told about the routine and I could ask questions and this would help me to start my work with good knowledge and confidence.

A very friendly staff member greeted me when I walked into the restaurant. After showing me around and giving me details about the job she gave me an apron with “Deliciously”, the name of the restaurant, written in big letters on the front. I then received a tablet to take the orders, and Sue wished me good luck as I went over to a table where a family of four were sitting. I welcomed them with a smile and a friendly greeting. Dad ordered chicken nuggets and chips for the young children and Chicken Schnitzel and a salad for Mum and himself. He told me that chicken was a family favourite and he cooked a chicken dish several times a week. I had entered the order on the tablet and took it to the counter before taking another order from an elderly couple at the next table.

Once again, I had failed miserably at the last minute. I took the meals over to the family after serving a few other customers and I had forgotten what they had ordered after listening to many stories from the other tables. The children were upset because they didn’t get their chips and Mum got vegetables instead of a salad. Dad told me that I had not given them all that they had ordered. I walked nervously back to the counter, convinced that I would lose my job and fulfill my repetitive lifestyle action of getting so close yet so far. My life kept stalling and I had no ability to progress further. The supervisor came to the family table with me to apologise and Mum looked at us and said “thank you for giving me the chance to try some different food and we can wait for you to serve chips to the children. You were very friendly and welcoming and that was more important than the food we got or didn’t get.” Dad nodded his head and the children laughed. The supervisor was satisfied with this response and I kept my job on the condition that I concentrated on each order and checked it with the customers before submitting it. A very kind family had changed my destiny.