Walking Home, Kinzie Street
My job at Upton's as a bookkeeper lasted 4 1/2 hours. I arrived at 9:30am, went through a pleasant orientation for an hour with Ella, was introduced to the 6 or 7 office workers, then I started to train with Glen. Glen is a very smart man, too smart because I could not follow what he was up to, I had no time to take notes and he seemed not to notice that I was falling further behind the ship with each passing hour. It did not help that the computer I was using is an Apple, which I have never used, and that I have no experience with QuickBooks, so while trying to navigate basic program functions I also had to organize a plethora of accounting details for 3 separate companies within a company. Glen talked quickly and changed subjects just as fast. At noon I had decided that I would most likely not be returning for a second day and by 1:30pm I was thoroughly lost in a maze of chaotic numbers. At 2:00pm I told Glen I was taking a break and I took my bag and jacket and left the building and walked home. In most circumstances this type of action would be unthinkable for me, but it appeared to be the best choice today because I felt I could no longer do any work due to my confusion, Glen was unapproachable due to his perceived impatience, and the office has no offices, just open cubes with no privacy so I imagined the scene I would cause if I told Glen I was quitting due to my inability to comprehend what he was saying. I decided to write a detailed email to Ella, the woman who hired me, to tell her why I was quitting, apologize for my abrupt and unexpected departure, and to keep whatever they owe me. This I did and Ella kindly replied telling me we could have worked things out had I not left so quickly but she understood and wished me well and offered to pay me for the hours I put in. I obviously don't feel happy with how things turned out but I have to accept the circumstances as they roll in and now I have my freedom of space and time returned to me, $18,000 in the bank, and I can look forward to reading more novels and even perhaps going on a few jaunts to make some photos of the Hubbard Street murals.