It’s weird working at the school you went to only a semester ago. Working at the college is infinitely different than attending it for many reasons. Some reasons include the way I have lots of work, but no homework at all. The other is how the semester passes, and I’m not really involved in it. It’s happening around me, but I am not a participant. I’m not aware of add dates, midterms, clubs, tests. There is also the authority thing. Before, everyone assumed I was twenty one and just like them. Now I wear the weight of my thirty one years, and I am Someone To Listen To. This, and my hilarious new boss, have been the best things.
Event season is upon us, starting with the Cirque Du Solei symposium in two weeks. My boss, Liz, and I spent an hour last Friday in BevMo, on a wine field trip.
“Um… are both of those carts yours?” the employee asked when he saw us, cases of wine and champagne piled high.
“Yup, both ours,” we said.
“Having a party?” he said.
“We’re stocking up for the whole semester,” I said by way of making things better somehow. I don’t think the guy believed it. Still, he helped us load down Liz’s cherry red car and we drove back to the college. I had a place cleared for all nine cases the corner of my office, in the warren that is the basement of historic Smith Hall. We called the two student workers to come over with the dolly and transport it for us. They wheeled the dolly gleefully out to Liz’s car, and made a plan for getting it through the door.
“I don’t think we have to load it off the dolly when we go down the stairs,” said Marcus. “The wheels are big. I think we can just back it down, if we’re really careful.”
“I don’t know,” I said. “Are you sure that will work? I mean, there’s a lot of wine, and it will be heavy.”
“No, I’m pretty sure we can make it work,” he said.
“Meh, okay,” I said. “I will trust to your expertise.”
“Wait, what did you just say to me?” he said.
“Um… I’ll trust your expert opinion?” I said.
“Wow, I don’t think anyone’s ever said that to me before. Did you hear that?” he nudged the other student worker, ” I’m an expert.”
Yup. Sometimes this authority thing is fun.
Casey E. Hamilton 