New Co-Workers

Date: 10/25/2022

I am starting a new job making pillows. It's my 2nd day. I am picked up by a flying redneck who makes a stupid joke about someone on the ground being "a Jew" as he sets me down by the factory. I stand back, repulsed and he runs screaming like a maniac through a group of old, Orthadox men, waiting for shops to open. I am standing by the door and it is cool outside. I'm carrying a bag of quilts I sewed overnight and trying to stay warm. A couple of other young women, sewers, join me and then the team lead, a young, confident man, comes to unlock the doors. "You emailed me last night!" he says. "I can't remember," I lie. He looks me up and down like noticing me for the first time. "You were funny," he says. "Not quite the tart I thought you were." "Maybe you shouldn't be so judgy." "Oh, I am very judgy," he admits proudly as he walks away to unlock more doors.