College Boys

Falls weren't my only reason for wanting to leave the college account. I love young people and I thought working on a Christian College would be a good environment. Most of the girls were fine. There were a few who believed themselves superior to a vending attendent, with the resulting attitude. I could handle that. It mostly amused me.

It was the boys I ran into trouble with. They were rude and demanding, and a few were even worse than that. My second winter on campus, I became the object of one young star athletes spiteful aggression. I have no idea what this fellows problem was. The first encounter with him was an accident, but he enjoyed it so much he continued to torment me.

In each dorm building, my machines were situated in a room between the front lobby and one of the halls leading to the rooms. There were swinging doors on each end of the narrow room. My storage cabinet was behind the swinging door in the boys dorm that led to their rooms. I was in front of the storage cabinet when he slammed that door wide, crushing me against my storage. My back and head were both hit hard and I cried out in surprise and pain. And he laughed. It became a game to him. I don't know if he always went through every door that way, but he always came through that door with all the force he could muster. Which was quite a lot for the schools football hero. No matter how I altered my schedule, he was able to crush me several times a month. I even stopped parking my car in front of that building in the hope he wouldn't know I was there. I couldn't understand how he was able to catch me as often as he did. When I had to get stock from the storage, there wasn't any way to avoid being in the right spot for that door to hit me. I even propped the door open so they wouldn't have to move it to come through. He would just give it a shove anyway. And, working behind the door, I was never able to hear him coming first. You can imagaine how badly I wanted to smash that sneering, laughing face. I did file a complaint with the college, but it continued all that school year. They did move him to a room in the other hall the following year, so he had no reason to use that door. But, I'd had enough of young men with his attitude. The one that said the stupid vending lady was fair game.

The boys dorm was also where all the stealing went on. My company was in the habit of bolting the row of machines together. It diminishes the shaking that people will attemp to dislodge products. That showcase must have been used in another account before going to the college. One side was bolted to the pop machine, but on the other side was a bolt hole where it had been bolted at some other time. The boys discovered they could use a straightened coat hanger to fish candy or snacks into the serving tray through that small hole. They were so brazen, they would leave the coat hanger swinging on the side of the hole. One night they even went so far as to cut the lock on my storage cabinet. The thieves were never discovered because they slid candy bars under everyones doors, and every room in the dorm had a supply of my stock. That is what goes on in the boys dorm of a Christian college.

Combined with the falls and having to lift and carry so much pop through snow and ice, I just wanted to move on to an account with adults, and everything under one roof. Even if it cut my hours.