Story A Day #16 Reluctant Heroes

Teri stared at the screen in despair.  She had logged into her bank account to check the balance.  Her eyes filled with tears.  There was only $20.00 there and she had been paid the day before.  But after paying the rent and the bills, that was all that was left to last her two weeks.   There was no food in the house and she was almost out of diapers for her two year old.  What was she going to do?   She would have to go to the food bank again.  She worked so hard!  Why was it such a struggle?

She rose from the desk and began to get ready for work.  No time or energy for a shower so she applied extra deodorant and pulled her hair back in a ponytail.  It would have to do.  At least her uniform was clean.  She crept into her daughter’s room and checked on her.  The baby was sleeping peacefully a little smile on her face.  How Teri wished life could be so simple.  To be fed and loved and cared for with no worries.  To have her tears dried by someone who loved her more than life itself.   Longing fervently to be able to stay home with Rose, she gently kissed her cheek and left the room.

In the kitchen, she made herself a coffee to go and wrote a note to her mother saying she would go to the food bank after work and bring home some groceries.   Her mother had come to live with her shortly after Greg had left Teri alone with a newborn.   It was a mutually beneficial situation for both of them.  Her mother was elderly and had health conditions that made maintaining a household difficult for her.  Teri was grateful to have her around.  Her mother was loving and supportive and wonderful with Rose.  It was a blessing to not have to worry about child care at least.  She didn’t know what she would do without her.  Her mother had offered her money but Teri refused it.  The woman was on a fixed income and Teri insisted she save her money for emergencies.  Neither of them acknowledged aloud that the day would come when her mother would need long term care, but it was a reality.  Now with this pandemic, she was even more grateful to have her mother safe with her.  And she wanted to keep it that way.

With a heavy heart, she left for her job as a cashier at the local grocery store.  Another day of drudgery. She knew she should be grateful to even have a job, there were so many who were suffering worse than she was.  But it was hard right now.  She used to love serving the customers and chatting with them.  But COVID-19 had made everyone tense and anxious and Teri found it increasingly depressing to be there.   And then there were the people who praised her for risking her life and called her a hero.

Teri was not a hero.   She was a single mother who was working a minimum wage job and barely making ends meet.  They praised her sacrifice and she wanted to scream at them that she had no choice.  She was not here voluntarily.   She needed this job, such as it was.  People didn’t understand that.  They wanted, needed, to believe that she was there for sole purpose of helping them get the toilet paper and Lysol wipes they so desperately needed.  She laughed at the term ‘essential workers’.  Essential workers just meant that she was not one of the ones who could stay at home during all of this.  It meant that coming home from work required diligent measures to make sure she wasn’t bringing the virus home with her. Many times she had to work without a mask or gloves because they weren’t available.  So no, she was not a hero, she was anything but.

 

Entering the break room Teri was surprised to see a large box of masks on the table.   Finally!   She grabbed one and headed down to her station.  The store was quiet and there were only a few cashiers.  The store was only letting a few people in at a time.   People were only supposed to be shopping for essentials but Teri had seen the majority of customers acting like it was just an ordinary day. Even the seniors, who came early, were shopping for everything but essentials.  Chips, pop, chocolate bars, toilet paper and bottled water.   It seemed everyone had a different idea of what was essential.  Most people were still polite and patient even after having waited for over 20 minutes to get in the store.   But there was always one in every shift that treated Teri like it was her fault things were so difficult.  She would smile and agree it was hard and try to diffuse their anger, all the while wishing she could smash their eggs. 

At the end of her shift, Teri went to the break room to clock out and get her coat.   Her eye was drawn to a notice on the staff bulletin board:

Management is happy to inform staff members

That effective immediately, we will be

Raising wages to a Living Wage as set

Out by the federal government.

We want to show our appreciation of the

Sacrifices made by all of our staff who continue

To work during this difficult time.

The management.

      Teri couldn’t believe her eyes.  Although it wasn’t a lot, it was enough to keep food on the table without using the food bank.   She might even be able to save some money for emergencies, such as car repairs or dental work.  For the second time that day Teri’s eyes filled with tears, but this time they were tears of relief.

It was with a lighter heart that Teri headed to the food bank that day.  Her family enjoyed a hearty meal and there was laughter and hope at the table that night.