On the job

I am sorry for the mistakes you are going to find in the text. First time when I write a story in English/

24th of June - the beginning of the summer vacation in all the universities around the city called Dnepropetrovsk
and John - a student-programmer was very happy and going to forget everything concerning the university stuff for 2 long months. John was unbelievably tall and skinny with the very pale and beautiful face, curly black hair funny nasal voice that made him look like a high boring rarely moving tree. He decided not to waste his time this summer and apply for a job in the factory ( many students in Russia and other russian-speaking countries do it ). He was not very rich so that was the first reason for his choosing to spend the vacation in this way.

John didn`t have any experience in working before, that was why he was very confused and got a burning desire to make friends with everybody on his first job in order not to quarrel with anyone. As many young people nowadays he was a bit afraid of people, afraid of being misunderstood and underestimated and felt as though he is a kind of defective in compare with all the others. This first work experience was supposed to reveal all his nice and special features that would help him look different from the people surrounding him and make money. Maybe, he was going to become very talented and extraordinary locksmith, who knows?

On his first day he dressed up nicely as though he was preparing himself for the dating. Having reached the factory he took a look at that.The building of the factory was gray outside and absolutely lone and lifeless. It was more like a concentration camp rather than a factory, with very high and frightening fencings as though they kept big monsters inside. There were a great many of horrible sounds like the sounds of gas coming out a tube under pressure. All around the territory of the factory there were dark metal towers with the security on it. To crown it all, some small humped figures dressed in all black were moving along this gray terrible building. They were workers and hurrying to get to the location not to be late. That all impressed John immensely. He was about to go back home but then suddenly a familiar face appeared in his sight.

-Its been so much time since I saw you last time! How are you, John? - said Tom stretching his hand out and

smiling.

-Almost a year. How are you??

-Nice. Are you going to make some money too??

-Yes. Kind of. That is strange we have met again. Where do you study right now?

-I study at State Pedagogical University, strange that we didn`t enter the same institute, friend! - Tom laughed

loudly.

-Are you going to get some money to pay your studying? - asked John.

-No, I am going to scrape all my savings together and make some extra to move to USA for 1 month.

There wasn`t anything unusual about Tom. He is always doing everything to move to USA but he has never been there. John and Tom got acquinted while they were taking their english courses. The first reason for Tom to study english was, no doubt, the forthcoming going to USA, but something seemed to have happened and he hadn`t gone there. Now he

was making the attempt number 2.

-What is your department number? - asked Tom.

-How do I know?

-This is printed on your workshop pass. Take a look at it.

John`s number was 10009. He uttered this for John.

-Damn it! I thought we would work together, it would be much funnier. You know, I have been working here for 3

months and I dare say that its the complete kingdom of boredom. Okay, I have to go right now, is this your first

day on?

-Yes. - answered John.

-Have a great day, friend. Good luck! - Tom directed to entrance number 4.

Some time later John came out of the dressing room and tried to find his department. It wasn`t very hard since he learnt the number of his by heart. The staff left much to desire. When John first time saw them, he didn`t
recognize nothing of a human being in them, they were ugly, humped, skinny and dirty. They were 8 of them and all they were discussing a girl called Kate who was a high school student when she decided to commit a suicide dropping from the bridge towards the water and who managed to survive and after that changed her first and last names and disappeared. While discussing they were smoking, coughing and sniffing and they were doing it so disgustingly. John  didn`t like them at once. Moreover he was afraid of working with any of them. But thanks God, he was bounded to Louis, a nice talkative guy and their task was cleaning soybean. Louis was enourmously fat, had a heavy beard and generally looked like a caveman.  They got acquinted at once. John tried to be as polite as possible with him.

-Where do you study at? - asked Louis.

-I study at the Mathematical University. I want to become a programmer.

-Junior?

-Senior.

-I have never studied anywhere. Simply can`t see any point in it. Just a waste of time and money if you ask me.

-Maybe you are right...but nowadays university diploma is very important...

-Okay, I will see you trying to apply for the position of a good programmer or web designer with your diploma and

without any experience. They will not look at this piece of paper, they will look at your personality and skills.

-Well, you right...- agreed John. Usually he was a a persistent disputant but now he couldn`t find any word to

argue. He felt to be downcast by Louis and agreed to every statement he made.

-As for me, Id rather start working when I am younger than spending my time there just for nothing. You can only
readily know about how it is going, how this world lives, what it consists of and so on. Be sure, your diploma  doesn`t mean that you are better than a caveman as he can build up some kind of appartment, bring some goods over for his family and make a fire. Experience always beats diploma.

-Maybe...

Then 12:00 pm comes. Lunch time on the factory! John was shown where the workshop kitchen was and he took a seat at the dinner table. He was expecting his friend Tom coming but, unfortunately, Louis faced up in the kitchen. He took a seat near John and continued his endless talking.

-Speaking of sports...Yeah, thats a good thing when you have nothing to do and a big pile of money in the purse.
Yeah, it is...But speaking of strength which you gain from it... I don`t believe in it. You, sportsmen, are
powerful until someone asks you to help him bring a box to home as you start talking about your ankles, elbows and legs paining after the hard training...

-Yeah, sometimes the classes are really exhausting...

-Yeah, but where is your strength? When I worked in the warehouse I was the only one man who could upload the truck with baths made out of pure stone. Imagine how heavy it is? But my college, who was supposed to help me in the warehouse always retreated as soon as we dealt with something heavier than a pen...But he was a weightlifter!

-Hahahah....Yeah...

-He was a weitghtlifter! I remember his excuses, they were like : "I am not going to spend my power on it, I am

going to accumulate it to do my best on the training." Hahah! Sportsmen...You are nothing in practice.

Then all the workers returned to their workplaces. Everything continued.

-Alcohol is a very cunning thing, my friend...In this matter I am terribly careful and patient...Though there were

times when I went to sleep drunk as skunk every day, then woke up and went on draining the bottles...

-Yeah, its hard to persuade yourself from drinking... - said John.

-One day I came up drunk to the face control on this factory. They didn`t even let me in as I was more like a bear than a human. Security took a photo of my appearance that day and gave me as a present. When I came to feelings at home I took a lok at this photo and was shocked! I was like : "OH my God! What is this creature?" Yeahh... By the way on this photo I resembled my father as like as two peas.

"When on earth will this big pile of annoying stories ever shut up?" - thought John` mind. - Yeah...That is quite a
funny story... - said his mouth. It began to be impossible to bear... John was about to find out a weapon anywhere (even a fork maybe) and kill himself...no before he would kill this Louis...All the staff of this factory would be so thankful... If a man is born without brains why on earth should he get his mouth, arms and legs... He may be even dangerous!

Then the business day was over. John rushed in the dressing room quickly to find Tom somewhere there. But the
heavens were agaisnt John that day...He saw Toms going out with some colleges and having such a vivid interesting MUTUAL conversation so John didn`t want to spoil this beautiful picture. Instead, he felt somebody touching him to the shoulder. That was Louis.

-I am going to catch the bus number 43, I am going to the center. Where do you live?? - he asked.

-I live in Kirowskii district..

-Agh! Damn! Wrong way! I thought we would have a talk during a ride. Okay...How is your first day? Do you like it?

- asked Louis, smiling widely.

-Yes! That was unusual! - answered John, pretending to be polite.

-I like it too... Okay! You are very nice guy, friend! You have a rare ability to listen to what people talking

about! You are my friend now! See you tomorrow, Im expecing you on 8 am. Bye!

-Bye! - waved John.

The next day on 8 am noone saw John around the factory, the same on 9 and 10... He was gone and never dropped in the factory after the first day. But everybody liked him...Everybody did...

Reviews

[Thais Vitorelli]

I like the idea of this story and I really enjoyed John's description. I also like the scene when he first meet the staff and they are talking about Kate, and I would love to read the dialogue between them and their actions so I can see they leave much for desire.

[unitato]

Your story is really good! I love how visual your story is. I expect some great things from you. :))))