This story takes place in the early ‘90’s. I was working at my first employer, a local pizza place. I didn’t really have any experience of how work “worked”, and was just learning and growing, as young workers do.
So anyways, one day I come in to work and the I’m immediately stopped by one of the managers. He’s angry AF. I hadn’t done anything wrong, I was on time for work, and so the whole thing just caught me off guard. My memory of the incident is a little hazy, but I want to say the other manager was behind him and she had not an angry expression, but had a really concerned look on her face.
We’re still in the entranceway of the employee entrance and I don’t see anyone else in the store right then. The manager orders me in a stern tone, “Show me your shoes.” What? I don’t think I actually responded but probably had an extremely confused look on my face. He ordered me again, “Lift up your foot, show me your shoes.” I don’t even think this second order sunk in. It just sounded like a joke. Maybe I laughed. I’m just wearing black sneakers. I just came in, so it’s not like I tracked shit around the store or anything.
Again, “I’m being serious. Show me the bottom of your shoe.” And with complete confusion, I complied. He looked closely at my shoes and with a somewhat relieved tone, said, “ok.” He and the other manager went back to the office and I was left completely baffled.
And now, the rest of the story.
It turns out that a discovery was made in the back storage room. Some bags of flour had been stacked up and apparently some shoe prints were found on the bags. They were trying to find out whose shoes had a matching pattern. The reason for this witch hunt was not any health or safety violation. The bags were stacked up against the side wall of the bathroom, and the elevated position provided a viewing spot through a small crack near the top of the wall.
Yup, there was a voyeur in our ranks. While my memory of the female manager is a little spotty, I clearly remember that at the time we had recently hired two other females to work phones and register during busy nights. Otherwise, the place was all dudes.
It didn’t occur to me then, but looking back at it now, I wonder if I should be offended that I was accosted that strongly. Was I that much of a suspect? Or maybe everyone was treated like that? I have no idea. But, after the full story came out, there was one person that was the first suspect in everyone’s mind: Bruce.
Bruce was the son of Jack. Both Bruce and Jack worked at the store as delivery drivers. Bruce was about as awkward and different as you would expect a peeping tom to be. For what it’s worth, Jack was a Baptist minister in the town, so no telling what kind of upbringing Bruce had. Although he was only the prime suspect in everyone’s mind, Bruce never worked there another day after that event. An official ruling was never made. The rumor was that his dad called him and told him not to come in, which is pretty outrageous, but nowadays, seems like it would be just normal.
And it was never discussed again.
Comments are closed.