The Story of the Time I Was Assaulted At Work and Then Fired For It
Apparently, getting hit at work leads to you being the one to get fired
Trigger Warning: Mentions of physical and verbal abuse by a partner in a relationship
Let me start off by saying that this story is a lot more complicated than it sounds but it stemmed from a personal relationship. I had made the decision at 18 years old that I wouldn’t just sit at home. I wanted to work somewhere and couldn’t decide where at that point.
Making a choice to work with my girlfriend
My girlfriend/fiancée was working at a buffet restaurant as a line runner. Basically, her job was to get the food out to the customers in the correct spots and ensure that the buffet was always fully stocked. I saw myself applying for her now the since-defunct company, JJ North’s, as an opportunity to not only work but also stay close to her during the day.
We had already been having problems as she had been abusive throughout the relationship. I figured that work would be the one safe place I had from the physical, emotional, and verbal abuse I suffered from her on a daily basis. Man, was I wrong? She started taking our problems to work with us almost immediately.
Taking her issues and our problems to work
And now I suppose getting that dishwasher job at the restaurant gave her an excuse to come back there and just start yelling at me like I was her inferior worker and not her husband-to-be. She would yell at me all of the time.
She knew that everyone in the back at the restaurant would probably side with her. After all, they hadn’t spoken full English as most of the workers this place had hired were illegals and ESL (English as a Second Language) people because they could pay them minimum wage with no remorse.
I spoke Spanish so I was able to explain away most of what was happening to me when they would catch her being aggressive with me. But there were times when I even I didn’t understand the why behind the yelling and or other abuse.
She dared to get physical with me
Then about a month and a half in, she got physical with me. She hit me in front of many of our coworkers in the dishwashing area. No explanation. She just started yelling some bullshit to me and then hit me square in the arm and then walked away.
I just stood there and started crying. I couldn’t bring myself to explain why I would deserve something like that. Well, apparently this time around, one of our female Spanish-speaking coworkers went to the boss. I hadn’t mentioned him yet. He was this 30-something white boy named Harold who when he first interviewed me asked me if I were Mexican as a direct interview question.
The inappropriate boss in every way
Sure, I have brown skin and can speak Spanish but I don’t think you’re legally allowed to ask those questions. Well, anyway, I found out that he was married but had this unrequited, intense crush on my girlfriend at the time and would seem to defend her on a whim.
As soon as this information got back to him, I knew that I stood no chance. He was probably tired of having to see us together at work all the time and he told me that I was accused of assaulting another employee. I denied the accusation, obviously. I was still crying and I had just been knocked around by my girlfriend.
Speaking up, acting out, and walking out
I spoke up.
I said, “Abigail is the one who hit me. She’s got it wrong. I was sitting there crying.”
Harold responded, “I don’t believe you, Gerald, you look like you’d abuse women.”
What, me? Like nerdy, gentle, and submissive old me?
“You don’t have to believe me but it’s true,” I responded.
“Get out of here, Gerald, before I call the police on you for assaulting an employee,” Harold yelled as the intensity became scarier.
Abigail just stood there as I was being fired, not saying a single word knowing that being in that position would end favorably for her and she could keep her pathetic job. “Get him out of here, Harold,” she taunted.
“You’re fired. You’re not allowed back here,” he yelled firmly as I started to realize I wouldn’t win this as I walked toward the front door, throwing down my apron on the floor in front of a group of customers.
“I don’t give a fuck about you or this place, and I’m talking to both of you,” I shouted, as I walked away looking at both Harold and Abigail at this point.
I continued, “I’m going to get you fired too. You asked me illegal questions at my interview a month and a half ago and you don’t deserve the position of power you sit in now. You’re a piece of shit.”
Fully making a scene in front of the customers and possible lessons
I could see some of the parents of kids at the restaurant covering their kids’ ears as I started yelling and cursing. “You won’t see the last of me,” I finished.
I walked away and flipped everyone off as I stared my girlfriend down and gave her the dirtiest look.
Karma is a bitch though. That place shut down about a year or two later and all of them were fired. I tried to lodge a complaint with corporate about Harold after the incident but unsurprisingly they sided with the incompetent assistant manager.
So, yes, I think there are multiple takeaways here. It isn’t a great idea to work with your spouse or girlfriend when you’re young, maybe. That doesn’t sound like a universal message. Some people can do this just fine. Don’t ever work with an abusive partner? This is probably the closer and bigger lesson here.
I probably should’ve never been with someone that long despite the fact that I loved her to pieces. There were so many red flags and warning signs that our relationship wouldn’t last. This was just another way she was able to get to me in our relationship. Stupidly, I stayed with her about another year after this happened. But I was in love.
