The unforseen situation

"Where do you think you're going?" Her baritone tone halted my steps, and I turned back to look at her.

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"I'm going to school, not yet done with my exams," I said. She was seated on the chair reserved for customers.

"You finished yesterday; I'm very sure of that." I took a mental picture if we had a conversation about me telling her my exams were done. I wore a gray skirt that stopped at my knees with a slip at the corner, coupled with a long-sleeve shirt neatly tucked in. I have been working in a gas station for some months now, and my board exams are around the corner. I have the option to work while I write them. Stopping my work and writing my board exams won't make much sense to me, as I will be stuck at home doing nothing.

I discussed the exams with my boss, and she approved them. It was just a one-week exam. Instead of employing an assistant for my position when I'm away, she decided to fill in for me.

"I can't tolerate this anymore; if you step out of that gate, consider yourself sacked." Those words easily left her mouth, like they meant nothing. That day was just the last day. I tried to make her see that I wasn't lying and even showed her my timetable, but she was hard-hit.

With so much sadness in my heart, I picked up my bag and dragged my feet to the gate. I looked around one more time, Tori workplace has turned into my second home. A place I spent almost all my day. If my boss thinks I will compromise my exams just to sit back for that day, she should think again.

I considered myself sacked as I left the premises, even though I never wished to leave like that; it was for the better.

After my exams, which ended earlier than I thought, I decided to spend some time with my aunt, so instead of going home, I moved straight to my aunt's house. She was so delighted to see me. We spoke a little, then I decided to take a nap.

Two hours later, a call came in; it was from my boss.

"Nancy, where are you?" She asked in a husky voice.

Has this woman forgotten what she said to me earlier that morning? I thought to myself. "You said I should consider myself sacked after I left your company," I rephrased just in case she had forgotten.

"I want to see you here in the next 30 minutes," she said before the phone went dead. Within me, I was so happy; probably she changed her mind, or probably she considered I wasn't lying after all.

I got up to leave while my aunt asked me why I was leaving so soon. I explained everything to her before I left. I took the bus back to my workplace. I sluggishly walked in, not knowing I was walking into trouble. I saw a uniform man at the far end of the company, closest to the tank, with this gun bending downwards.

I panicked slightly. What is happening? My boss's car was still packed, which means she was around. I was hearing distant noises from the pump station. With my chest pounding within, I moved forward to know what was happening.

I saw my boss, with another uniform man, a customer that came to buy gas, and our company's driver standing at the pump station.

"There, that is my sale's rep," she pointed in my direction to the uniform man closest to her. He nodded, and my heart jumped inside my stomach. What did I do? Have I done anything wrong? My hands begin to shake, and my legs tremble. I stood still, trying to comprehend what was happening.

I summoned the courage to ask the driver, who explained everything to me. The pump attendant had been caught doing fraudulent business.

We usually had a set meter, which we used to sell to daily users, while for bulk gas, we used a scale to sell to bulk users.

The bottles for bulk users can contain 61.23kg of gas, depending on the bottle, but not more than 62kg.

According to the driver, the pump attendance filled more than he was expected to buy.

He usually buys 50 kg, but his 5 bottles were completely filled up, which added an extra 11kg to his 5 bottles. I usually supervise that, but since I wasn't around, she asked the pump attendant to fill the bottle up.

You know the saying "Every day for the thief, but one day for the owner" displayed here. The pump attendant finished filling up the cylinder, waiting for the driver for home delivery. My boss was in her office cooling off when a thought came into her mind to check those bottles that had been filled. That was how the thief was discovered.

She came outside with the pump attendant, who had gone out to buy food. She went to the pump station, taking turns to rescale those already-filled cylinders. From the scale reading, it indicated the bottle was completely filled.

"Bursted," she called her husband, who immediately called Sars. The pump attendance was nowhere to be found, so I became the scapegoat.

"She is a culprit," my boss pointed out to me. The police took me away. I sat in the back seat of the police car like a criminal. I was numb; I couldn't cry; I couldn't talk; just deep in my thoughts, my stomach churned badly. I was fascinated.

I thought back on my journey: Why does my life just seem so difficult? For a straight week, I haven't rested, burning the candle at night just to make sure I pass my exams, and when it seemed it was over, I found myself at the police station.

One of the policemen asked me questions, prompting me to admit that I was the culprit. Instead, I blunted out that I went for exams when the incident happened and knew nothing about it.

I was taken to the State CID, and later on, the pump attendance was found together with the bulk buyer. We were asked to write a statement. I didn't know what to write; I have never been to a police custody before. Is it a crime to work for someone? I blamed myself for looking for a job instead of sitting comfortably and doing nothing at home. Tears were dripping down my cheek, wetting my clothes. I cursed my boss for putting me through so much pain.

I was pinning down my statement just like everyone else, including my boss, the pump attendant, and the bulk buyer, when all of a sudden she asked me to stop. She removed my name from the list and asked the police officer to allow me to go. Just like that, I was set free. I made a resolution that never in my life will I ever work for the private sector. Funny enough, she called me back to work for her.