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 Not Always About Me
I'm an extremely enthusiastic, high-on-life individual. I love to work, I love to meet people, I love to relax. No, this isn't a job interview; I just thought I'd lay stuff out on the table. Still not convinced that I'm being honest? Well how about I add this: I'm excessively melodramatic and the world tends to revolve around me unless I keep it in check. Better? Good. So now I'll get to the story and you'll know that I'm telling the truth!
My first job was in the bakery at the back of a supermarket. This meant that I worked in an enclosed atmosphere with a small number of people, separate from the main store. I was never really all that worried about people finding out about my sexuality, even though I considered my boss to be among the aristocracy in the kingdom of Homophobia. I knew that there were other people in the store itself who were gay, so my lack of worry probably stemmed from the fact that deep down, I knew I wasn't alone in this place.
One day though, I was just outside the lunchroom, headed for my break, when I heard two of my co-workers talking. They were "full-timers", the staff members a generation older than me, and they were complaining about the gay staff and its growing presence in the store. I actually raised my hand to my mouth and stood there like a statue, like a character in some cheesy soap opera. I went to the bathroom and spent my break staring at myself in the mirror.
As time passed, I found myself stopping outside the lunchroom before entering, to see what people were talking about "behind my back":and it turned out that those same people, the people I'd so quickly labeled homophobic, actually bitched about EVERYTHING. I doubt they even had a view on homosexuality. They were at work, they were bitter, and therefore they complained about everything. I had to laugh. After all, I was actually part of the majority! It wasn't about me!
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