Getting hot at the coffee shop

29

“I guess I better get out there. I’m sure if I stay in here all day, Leo will have some smart s**t to say about it.” I dreaded working alongside him today. It wasn’t like I had even been here long enough to hate the guy but I did. With every fiber of my being I just wanted to smack the s**t out of him just one good time.

“He’ll be fine. Regardless of how he acts, he doesn’t run this place; I do. He answers to me.” Christopher leaned back in his chair and I saw a flash of annoyance cross his face.

“Do the two of you get along?” I asked. I knew it was none of my business but I had always been a bit nosy. Especially when it didn’t concern me.

“We do. I don’t have an issue with him and as far as I can tell, he doesn’t have any with me. He does however” he paused as he grabbed a pencil and began twirling it between his fingers “have an issue with new employees. I don’t know if he thinks they’re going to replace him or what but he’s always an ass to them to begin with.” He pointed the pencil at me and smiled “case in point.”

I groaned. I guess at least I could take comfort in the knowledge that he was a d**k to everyone that started here and not just me.

Another thought occurred to me.

“Has there been a lot of employees come in and worked with him?” Suddenly I wanted to know if the position was open because it suddenly got busier or if Leo just ran them all off.

Christopher looked uncomfortable at the question and I could tell I had caught him off guard. Sighing, he began twirling the pencil again before answering.

“There has been a few people leave because of him. They claimed that they could work with him because he constantly stayed on their ass.”

He breathed out and tried to recover. “The customers love him though and I know they would be upset if he weren’t here. They’ve grown used to him over the years and I don’t want to lose their business.”

Huh. So he would rather replace employees over one guy than to lose customers. It didn’t really make sense to me but I figured that’s why he was a manager and I wasn’t.

“Well as long as he stays out of my way and lets me do my job, I won’t be going anywhere.”

He began to speak but I interrupted him quickly.

“But I do have to let you know upfront I’m not going to just stand by idly and let him run all over me. I don’t like confrontation but I also don’t like for people to try to take advantage of my kindness.”

“The old don’t mistake my kindness for weakness thing.” He finished for me “underestimating people like that often tends to get others in hot water.”

“Exactly. I’m of the mindset of don’t start none won’t be none.”

This caused Christopher to laugh and I watched his eye crinkles. He had a nice smile. I really liked that it went to his eyes and they smiled right along with him. He wasn’t faking it and that was a nice change to most people who just put on an act so that others around them would believe they were actually happy instead of miserable.