(no subject)
Did you know I work in an orchid store?
Here's my card.
Recently I came into possession of an entire box of these, and I'm very proud to have them. This is the first job I've ever had where I was given business cards and a really official sounding title like "Assistant Store Manager."
Working in a flower store isn't that different from being at home. The cash register is a computer with internet access, and I get to sit in there by myself for 8 hours, using AIM express to talk to people and doing homework. Occasionally I have to sell orchids and answer the phone.
At Chadwick's, we do this thing where people bring us their plants after they've gone out of bloom, and we keep them in our greenhouse until they put out flowers again. People like to call this "orchid babysitting" or "orchid camp," but since orchids are not people, the official term for it is "orchid boarding." One of the main functions of the store I work at is to serve as a pick-up and drop-off point for boarded plants.
Every day, people come in to get their orchids, and they stand there at the little white desk, waiting with guarded anticipation as I search in the back room for their plants. When I come back out, I'm like a nurse in a maternity ward speaking to eager family members. "Congratulations, it's a Phalaenopsis!"
People who shop in that store are always rich, and they're always absolutely crazy about orchids. One thing I've learned is that being in possession of money completely exempts you from the need to be patient. An old woman on crutches came into the store yesterday and spent a long time choosing four plants with purple and white flowers. The way she spoke to me was very demanding. When I was about to ring her up, she said, "Young lady! Move that $40 orchid so I can sit down on this bench here!" After a noticeable pause, she added, "Please?"
That's how everyone speaks to me there. I sometimes wonder why people always have somewhere to be, and why "Please" is only an afterthought...
That notwithstanding, my job at Chadwick's is the best I've ever had, I think. I'm starting to actually become kind of interested in orchids myself. I just realized that I have ten of them in my apartment. One of the saddest things about my goal to lead a life of international travel is that I'll have to leave all my house plants behind. I hope I can find someone to take good care of them.