Ode to Ashley*

On Thursday, Ashley* came in from another store to help out with filing at my office. I had only met her the Tuesday before. She's eighteen and has just graduated from high school. She looks fourteen. Very petite (about five foot one), has a killer smile, and infectious positive energy.

The guys were all smitten. They took turns stopping by to say hi and introduced themselves, asking all sorts of questions. Our store is has a male-dominant staff, so that was quite a scene. Greg**, one of the assistant managers, who was probably six foot two, practically blushed in Ashley's presence. Cute. And disgusting.

I guess i can relate to the rush of picturing an appendage not fitting in a tight space.

Ashley is very ambitious. She's gonna major in accounting. I wanted to tell her that our job, sadly, didn't require a degree, as i'd noticed shortly after hire.

She was also very eager to prove herself and please our boss (the district supervisor who wasn't around on most days.) I can't remember what it's like. I guess i did feel that way at my first real job as well. She claimed to like us and promised to be back the next day.

But on Friday she took off at two after having finished all the tasks at her store. Not so much as a phone call. She probably has a life. It's Friday, for Christ's sakes. And she's young.


*Not her real name
**Not his real name