Chapter Three – Monday Afternoon
The sky is clear and the sun is warm as Karl and I leave the school and start walking to my place. My book bag is a little heavier than it was this morning since I’m carrying the book from American Government. As we walk along the tree lined streets Karl and I get to know each other a little better.
“Do you know that girl, Kelly, from English class?” I ask.
“Sure, I think everyone probably knows her.” Karl explains. “Even though she moved here last year she is probably the most popular girl in our class.”
“She sure seems friendly,” I tell him. “She asked me for my phone number and told me she’s going to call me later tonight to invite me to her church.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard that happen to other guys too. She flirts to convert.” Karl says.
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“She’s a Mormon and she wants to be a missionary.” Karl explains.
“I don’t know that much about Mormons,” I tell Karl. “Other than when Mitt Romney ran for president I’ve never heard much about the church.”
“Well here in Idaho about a quarter of the population is Mormon,” Karl explains. “They are really nice people, but some of the things they believe in aren’t based on the Bible.”
“I never really thought about it much,” I tell him.
“What do you mean, you never thought about it much?” Karl asks, sounding like I may have insulted him.
“I’m sorry, did I say something to offend you?” I ask.
“No, you didn’t offend me, I just can’t believe you never thought about the reason you are here and what happens to us after this life,” Karl tells me.
“Oh that, I thought you were talking about the Mormon Church. Of course I wonder why we are here and what happens when we die. I’m not sure anyone knows the answer to that.” I explain.
“I take it you don’t go to church,” Karl says. “If you did you would know the answer to life’s basic questions.”
“My family never went to church. I don’t know why, but we just aren’t the church going type,” I explain.
“You’ll have to come to my church sometime and see for yourself. It’s a great thing to know there’s nothing to fear in death, and through Jesus we are promised eternal life,” Karl explains, sounding like a television preacher.
“How can you be so certain,” I ask.
“Through faith in Jesus and in God’s word the Bible,” Karl answers. “I guess you just have to believe the Bible is God’s true word.”
“I’ve tried to read the Bible before and never really could understand it.” I tell him.
“You probably had the King James version, with all the old English words, that people never use anymore,” Karl tells me, “You should get a modern translation of the Bible and read it. That’s the only way I can read it. If you go to the app store you can probably find one free you can load on your iPhone.”
“That’s not a bad idea,” I offer.
“If you really want to learn more, start by reading the New Testament. The gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John tell the story of Jesus and why He came to the Earth and why He had to die on the cross,” Karl explains.
“You really sound like you know your Bible,” I praise Karl. “Do they have Sunday school at your church too?” I ask.
“We have something better at my church. It’s called Renewal. We meet Wednesday nights. You can come with me if you want.” Karl offers.
“What is Renewal like?” I ask.
“It’s mainly kids from about 14 to 18 who get together to learn about and worship God. We sing songs, and learn about the Bible and how to develop a strong relationship with God,” Karl explains. “It isn’t as heavy as it sounds, but it is a lot of fun just being with a group of kids who won’t judge you.”
“I think I would like to go with you sometime,” I tell him, thinking it won’t be for quite a while.
“How about this Wednesday?” he asks.
“Okay, I guess if nothing else is going on?” I tell him.
“Believe me, Bill, if you go just once, you are going to want to go every week.” Karl gives me a funny look, and then says “There are quite a few nice girls, there, way better than Kelly.”
“Okay, then I’ll go with you Wednesday.” I tell him as we approach my building. “This is where I live,” I tell Karl. His eyes get big, and he gets a big smile on his face.
“You must be rich to live in a high rise apartment like this?” he says.
“Believe me, the Coast Guard doesn’t pay that well. Why do you think I need to get a job?” I ask, explaining, “Wait until you see the inside. We are dirt poor.”
“I bet it’s plush!” he exclaims.
We enter the main entrance and take the elevator up to the third floor and I unlock the door to the apartment. The inside of the place is completely empty, other than a few boxes stacked in the corner. We go into my room and all there is on the floor is a sleeping bag, and a suitcase in one corner with my laptop resting on it.
“You can type your paper on my laptop while I read the assignment for my Government class,” I tell Karl as he checks out the place.
“Boy you sure weren’t lying when you said you were poor,” he remarks.
“Once our furniture arrives it will be a little nicer,” I tell him. “Although my mother took most of the best furniture in the divorce, we are doing okay.”
“So your folks are divorced too.” Karl comments. “It seems like no one ever stays married anymore.”
“It’s funny, how things go,” I explain, “but before we moved to Lowell I thought we had the perfect family.”
Karl says, “I don’t think there’s such a thing as a perfect family, each of us are imperfect from the beginning and when two imperfect people get together they make an imperfect family. Only through Jesus can we be made perfect again.”
“You really believe that stuff, don’t you?” I ask as I show Karl how to use the laptop.
“What else is there to believe in? Everything else in the world is imperfect and will fail us. Only Jesus is perfect,” he explains.
“I wish I had your faith and could believe in that stuff,” I comment. “Hasn’t the church proven itself to be imperfect by all the different scandals and all the preachers in the news for cheating their congregations,” I ask.
“You’re right churches aren’t perfect either. But churches aren’t Jesus, they are man made and what ever man makes can be corrupted,” Karl explains, as he begins typing on the laptop. “You know the forces of evil are constantly attacking us and are fighting for our souls. They will do anything to keep people from finding Jesus.”
As Karl types at the laptop and I read the reading assignment for American Government our discussion fills my thoughts. I can’t remember ever having such a deep discussion with someone my own age. Normally when two guys get together they talk about sports, or cars or girls, or anything other than God or Jesus. Even when my dad and I are together we never talk about such deep subjects. I wonder why we never talked about Jesus before. For quite a while we work on our homework quietly.
“I finished typing the paper,” Karl announces. “How am I going to get it printed to hand it in tomorrow?” he wonders aloud.
“We can upload the file to a Kinko’s or an Office Depot, and have it printed there,” I suggest.
“How can you have internet access without a phone?” Karl asks.
I pull my iPhone from my pocket and turn the feature on to make my phone a Wi-Fi hotspot. “You should be able to connect through my iPhone now,” I tell him. “Just launch Safari, and it will automatically connect to the Internet.”
“Hey, it’s working. That’s pretty cool.” Karl comments as he works the mouse on the laptop and finds the nearest business to print his paper. “I found an Office Depot in BoDo I can have the file printed there and I can
pick up the paper on my way home.”
“Where do you live?” I ask.
“In a mobile home near BSU,” he tells me. “It’s about a mile from school. If you aren’t doing anything tomorrow you can come over and meet my mom if you want.”
“When do you find time to work,” I ask him.
“My schedule this week is Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I only work from 3 to 9, so I have time to study and do homework.” He tells me, putting the laptop back on the suitcase. “Thanks for letting me use your laptop,” he says.
“Sure, any time you need it again, just ask. Can I apply for a job at Chick-fil-A online or do I have to get an application and apply in person?” I ask.
“You’ll have to apply in person. I can go in with you and introduce you to the manager if you want.” Karl offers.
“That would be great. Are you hungry now? Why don’t we go there for lunch and pick up an application,” I suggest, closing the American Government textbook.
“I guess we could do that,” Karl says, with a little hesitation in his voice. “It’s kind of out of the way, but it is a nice day for a walk, if you don’t mind getting some exercise.”
“Sure, what better way to experience a new city but to take a walking tour. You can be my guide and show me all the sights.” I say, standing up and putting my iPhone back in my pocket.
Karl laughs, and says “Other than Boise State there really is nothing much to see.”
“I’ve heard a lot about Boise State and am anxious to finally get a chance to see it,” I tell him.
Outside we walk down Third Street and then turn left onto Front Street and walk past the county court house building. Within ten minutes we are at Chick-fil-A. It’s a little past two and the place isn’t very busy. The affects of the lunch hour rush are fading and a few customers linger over their meals. Several employees are busy cleaning up the dining area, sweeping the floor and wiping off tables. A few other employees are working behind the counter. A couple of kids scream in the play area. It looks like a nice place to work, I think.
As we approach the counter the girl behind the cash registers greets us saying, “Welcome to Chick-fil-A”.
“What will you have, Karl?” I ask.
“I think I’ll have the number one meal”, he replies.
“I think I’ll have the same,” I say.
“Which beverage would you like with your meal,” the girl asks.
Karl replies, “I think I’ll have a Coke.”
I respond, “Make mine a Diet Coke.”
The girl asks, “What name can I put on the order?”
Karl replies, “I’m Karl, I usually work here from 3 to 9.”
“Oh, I’m sorry Karl, I didn’t recognize you without your uniform on.” The girl replies. “Do you work today?” she asks.
“No, I’m just here for lunch and to see about getting Bill a job,” he says.
“By the way, this is Bill, he just moved here from Boston.” Karl says introducing me to the cashier. The cashier’s nametag says Mindy.
“Nice to meet you Bill,” Mindy says.
I reply, “Nice to meet you Mindy.”
Mindy hands us our drinks and another employee brings our food to us on a tray.
“Have a wonderful day,” Mindy says.
“Thank you,” I reply.
“My pleasure,” Mindy says as she looks up to greet the next customer, “Welcome to Chick-fil-A, are you ready to order.”
Wow, I think to myself, this is a great place. Everyone seems so nice and friendly. I’m starting to wonder where these people are from since they don’t seem like normal every day people I meet all the time before I realize I’m no longer in Boston.
Karl and I find a table to sit at, and we start to eat. “Karl, what’s it like to work here?” I ask.
“Well, it’s usually something different every day,” he responds. “Some days I’ll be working the register and helping the customers, other days I’ll be working the dining room cleaning off tables and sweeping the floor, emptying the trash and asking customers if they want their beverages refreshed.”
“Beverages refreshed? What kind of language is that?” I ask.
“That’s just the way Chick-fil-A says things to distinguish us from every other fast food joint around,” Karl explains. “Did you notice how Mindy said, “My Pleasure,” when you thanked her?”
“Yeah, I did, and that really sounded nice,” I answered. “Nothing like I’m used to hearing.”
“That’s one thing it took me a while to get use to,” Karl says. “Being nice to people and saying the right things doesn’t come naturally to a lot of people, and that is one thing they look for in the people they hire. They look for the right attitude in people. Everything else they can train you in, but attitude is something else,” Karl explains as he dips a waffle fry in ketchup.
I take a sip of my beverage, and wonder if I have the right attitude to work here. At the grocery store I worked at in Lowell I just stocked the shelves and didn’t have to help customers too much. It looked like Chick-fil-A was more about making the customer feel special when they eat here.
“It sure seems like a nice place,” I comment.
Karl responds, “It is. A lot nicer than a lot of places for a teenager to work their first job.”
“What kind of training do you get here?” I ask.
Karl explains, “It is mostly on the job training. They have what they call job shadowing where someone more experienced will spend the first few days working with a new person until they feel ready to let the person work on their own.”
“Do you get to learn how to make the chicken sandwiches, too?” I ask.
“Eventually they rotate everyone through all the positions in the store,” Karl answers. “Nothing here is really too complicated.”
I take a bite of my chicken sandwich and sip from my Diet Coke. “This sure is a good chicken sandwich,” I say, “I’ve eaten at the Chick-fil-A near Lowell a few times before but forgot how good the food is.”
After we eat Karl asks to speak to one of the managers and a guy comes out and Karl introduces me to him.
“I’d like to apply for a job,” I tell Keith, the manager.
“Let me get you an application to fill out,” Keith says as he goes into the back and returns with a piece of paper he hands me. “It’s just your basic information. Once you get it filled out ask for me again, and I’ll give you a quick interview.”
The application asks the basic questions, name, address, phone number, and then it asks for previous employers and references. I don’t have any problem providing the name and phone number, but I’m not sure what my address is, and the previous employers and references I’ll have to look up at home.
“Karl I think I’m going to have to fill this out at home and then return it later,” I say.
“What’s the problem? Karl asks.
“I don’t know my address or the address of my previous employers. Plus I’m not sure who to use as a reference,“ I explain.
“Don’t you have your iPhone with you?” Karl asks. “You can use the free Wi-Fi here and look up all that stuff on the Internet.”
“Why didn’t I think of that?” I say out loud, although I meant to just think it.
“You aren’t nervous or anything like that, are you?” Karl asks.
“Maybe I am a little bit,” I admit. “I really don’t want to blow this opportunity”
“Dude, don’t sweat it!” Karl encourages, “Just do the best you can.”
While Karl does his homework I complete the application. Using my iPhone I find my address and the address of the grocery store I used to work at in Lowell. I use my previous boss as a reference, and one of my favorite teachers from my school in Lowell as the other reference. Once I finish the application I go back to Mindy and ask for Keith. Keith comes out and leads me to a table in the corner and tells me to have a seat. He r
eads over the application and then asks a few questions.
“Why do you want to work at Chick-fil-A?” he asks.
“I just think it would be a nice place to work, and I could learn a lot,” I answer, having second thoughts about what I said the minute I finish saying it.
“What hours are you available to work?” is the next question he asks.
“I can work pretty much anytime after about 2 in the afternoon since I have school until about noon.” I answer, feeling a little more confident.
“Okay, then. I’ll check your references and if everything checks out I’ll be in touch.” Keith stands and extends his hand. I stand and take his hand in a handshake and tell him, “Thanks for taking time to interview me.”
“My pleasure, “ Keith says, “I’m sure everything will check out fine and you will have a job here soon.”
Karl and I leave and head across the street toward Boise State University. We walk across the campus as Karl points out the different buildings. Karl tells me all about the Bronco Stadium and how the Astroturf is blue, since Boise State’s colors are Orange and Blue.
“I’m thinking maybe I’ll come to school here next year if I can afford it,” Karl says, “Otherwise I’ll probably go in the military first and then go to school later.”
“I really haven’t thought about next year all that much,” I tell him, “Just moving out here and starting a new high school is enough for now.”
Soon we are on the other side of campus and cross a bridge over the Boise River.
“Remember I have to go to Office Depot to pick up the homework for English class tomorrow,” Karl says. “I’ll show you where it is if you ever need to go there.”
“I forgot to type my English paper, so I better get home and get it done since I’ll have to get it printed at Office Depot too.” I tell Karl as we walk down Capital Boulevard. In the distance I can see the state capital building and the high-rise office buildings downtown.
“This is called BoDo,” Karl tells me. “It means Boise Downtown,” he explains as we approach a high-rise hotel building and a lot of other buildings. I see the Office Depot in the distance, and think I should get back home and do my English paper so I’ll have enough time to come back.
“I think I’ll head home now,” I tell Karl. “I’ll see you tomorrow at school.”
“Okay, thanks for all of your help today,” Karl says, “And don’t forget about the church thing Wednesday night.” He reminds me. “My mom can give us a ride.”
“That would be great,” I say, wondering if there is some way of getting out of going to the church thing.
As I walk towards home my iPhone rings.
“Hello,” I say as I answer the phone.
“Is this Bill McDougal?” the voice on the phone asks.
“Yes,” I answer.
“This is Mr. Barton, the counselor at Boise High. I just wanted to call and let you know I checked with the manager at Winco and they don’t have any positions open right now,” he tells me.
“Thanks for letting me know,” I tell him. “I appreciate you checking for me.”
“No problem,” he tells me. “How did everything go today?” he asks.
“Everything went fine,” I tell him. “I may have a job at Chick-fil-A.”
“That’s great!” he says. “Let me know if there’s anything else I can do for you.”
“Thanks, I will keep you in mind,” I tell him, thinking I probably won’t need to bother him again.
“Okay, I’ll see you around school then,” he says, and I hear the click of the connection being broken.
Boy that was nice of Mr. Barton to call me and tell me about there not being a job. I forgot he was going to check into that for me, I think.
Once I get home I type out the English paper in about a half hour and then send it to Office Depot to get it printed. Just as I’m finishing my dad comes in wearing his Coast Guard uniform.
“How did things go at school today,” he asks.
“Everything went great.” I tell him. “How did things go for you?” I ask.
“They went pretty good,” he says. “I found out our furniture will be delivered tomorrow.”
“That’s great!” I exclaim. “I can’t wait to sleep in my old bed again.”
“Do you feel like getting something to eat?” he offers.
“Yeah, but I need to go to Office Depot to pick up a paper for school tomorrow,” I tell him.
“I didn’t know Office Depot sold papers for high school kids,” he says. “We can probably pick up the paper and then find somewhere to eat.”
“I met a kid today at school who works at Chick-fil-A. I helped him with his English paper and he helped me apply for a job,” I explain.
“That’s great!” my dad says.
“He seems like a really nice kid, but he is kind of poor. He told me he lives in a mobile home near the college, and his mom is unemployed, and he works to support his mom,” I explain.
“That’s pretty rough. Count your blessings,” My dad tells me.
“Do you remember the Mac Mini I used to have before I got my laptop?” I ask.
“Yeah, I do,” my dad says, “I’m pretty sure we packed it up and it will be here tomorrow.”
“Good,” I say, “I’m going to give it to my friend Karl. We kind of made a deal that he would help me get a job at Chick-fil-A, and I would help him get a computer.”
“That’s a nice thing to do. I really don’t think you will use it much anymore since you have your laptop,” he tells me, as he changes out of his uniform and puts on civilian clothes.
My dad and I drive to Office Depot and park in one of the parking structures nearby. We walk down the street toward Office Depot and pass a coffee shop with tables outside. A group of people is sitting outside drinking coffee. We go to Office Depot and get the paper I had printed, and then go across the street to P. F .Chang’s and have dinner.
“This girl at school asked me to her church,” I tell my dad.
“That’s nice,” my dad says, “What church does she attend?”
“She goes to the Mormon Church,” I tell him. “I was wondering why we never went to church?”
“Well,” my dad begins, “That’s a long story. You see when I was younger my mom and dad took me to the Catholic Church. Where ever we lived we always attended church at the Catholic Church. It was at the Catholic Church when we lived in California when I was about 12, that a priest molested me. After that I never wanted anything to do with church.”
“Wow, I never knew that,” I say, thinking how there was a lot I didn’t know about my dad.
“My friend Karl invited me to church too,” I tell him. “He says the Mormon Church isn’t Bible based,” I explain.
“I’ve heard that about the Mormon church from other people,” he tells me. “It really doesn’t matter much to me, I just don’t want anything to do with any church.”
“Do you think it would be okay if I went to church with Karl Wednesday? His mom will give us a ride,” I ask.
“Sure, that shouldn’t be a problem,” he says. “Just don’t get too sucked in to it like I did and let someone take advantage of you.”
“You know I think I’m going to like living here,” I tell my dad. “I might even decide to go to college at Boise State.”
“It’s a pretty good school, I hear,” my dad tells me, “I think I’m going to like Boise too once we get settled in.”
As we are finishing dinner my iPhone rings. I answer it, and it turns out to be Keith from Chick-fil-A.
Keith says, “I checked your references and everything turned out okay. I’d like to put you on the schedule this Thursday from 3 to 9. After that your schedule will rotate different days of the week, but you will always work from 3 to 9.”
“That’s fantastic,” I exclaim. “I’ll see you Thursday then.”
My dad over hears the co
nversation and once the call ends, he congratulates me.
“Boy, this has been quite a day for you,” he says.
I agree, and hope the rest of the week goes as well. One can only hope.