Chapter Text
They grow up so fast. One moment you're sending your child off to kindergarten, the next day they’re walking off stage, diploma in hand, and you’re hoping you’ve prepared them for the world ahead.
Jewel sat in the car reminiscing of her eldest son’s accolades while he was at his first job interview. After summer was over the son, Caden, planned on working for a year before going to college. He was going to nail this interview, Jewel just knew it. She was already planning the celebration. That is until Caden comes storming out red-faced and angry.
He gets in the car with a slam of the door, and before anything is asked he exclaims. “Such a bullshit excuse! Took one look at me and said I’d never be hired with hair like this.”
Jewel had promised Caden that if he kept straight A’s and aced his finals, he’d be allowed to dye his hair any way he wanted. At the end of June he had vibrant royal blue hair and you’re telling them this one thing is going to cost him the job. That is a bullshit excuse. Jewel had a plan, it may be unorthodox and the complete wrong way to go about things, but damn it she wanted to make a statement.
The next day they went back to the store. Thankfully Caden went along with this and didn’t show any embarrassment. Jewel was surveying the store; getting the actual opinion from the customers. She had a paper, on which are three boxes, yes, no, and for a little pettiness ‘who cares I’m just shopping here’. She’d ask for a moment of time and asked if ‘this young man would, in any way, impact your shopping experience if he worked here’. Then they’d just initial the box that was their response and was on their way.
A resounding amount of people signed under ‘who cares’. Hopefully, they agreed with her sentiment and weren’t actually angry at being interrupted. She then asked to speak with the manager, to which they were acquiesced. Caden was the first to enter the back room and a male voice spoke up.
“Oh, it’s you. What do you want?”
“To ask who in the right mind would ignore the brilliant, hard-working employee you could hire all because one stupid thing?” Jewel said.
The stocky, hefty, balding man being confronted already looked checked out as he defended, “Company policy states that no ostentatious body modifications as to not disrupt the workspace.”
“Funny you should say that because according to your customers, who are what should really matter here, NO ONE CARES.” She argued, slamming the signature sheet down.
“Well, it doesn’t so the decision stands.”
Jewel is shaking from anger or growing anxiety who knows. She departs after a second attempt of trying to talk to him, commenting, “Why should I expect a man to listen.”
They were barley passed the exit when Jewel’s face felt hot. Her chest was tight, and she had to brace herself against the wall as to not get swept away by the stream of thoughts flooding her. Caden, who was silent through the whole endeavor, was there to support while she collected herself.
It was a couple of days later, and Jewel was setting up a crock-pot dinner. Caden comes running into the kitchen with an excitement not seen since his eighth-grade school field trip to the theme park.
“I got a proper interview!” He shouts. Unsure of what that meant, she waited for clarification. “I got a call from the overnight manager of the store not only did he apologize for the way they conducted the first interview he said something very interesting. Apparently the company made some drastic changes recently to where their only concern is you don’t look like a hobo while on the job, essentially. That manager was just so set in his ways that there’s been plenty of issues with him. So I get the chance to have a fair interview in the next couple of days. Though to be honest I bet all this is coming to light because it’s nearing the holiday season and they need the extra hands.”
Well, it could be worse. At least my little man is growing up. She thinks as she mentally wipes away an imaginary tear.