The Juice

It is strange what is recalled at work and where it takes me. There was a package for Audi of Arlington. In my day that property was Heishman BMW. Was I in the market for a European car? Not really.

As a bank teller we were not supposed to carry over fifteen thousand in cash. There were many business accounts before debit cards existed and credit cards were less commonly used. Local restaurants deposited a lot of cash.

The money meant nothing to me. Holding eight thousand dollars in my hand meant it needed to be counted and verified. To this day I count the money even when the teller counts it in front of me.

There was a limit we were not supposed to go above. I did not like selling money back to the head teller. What if the next customer wanted to cash a check? It was a policy.

On Friday mornings there were large cash deposits. I was probably over the limit. You don't balance over the limit. It was a long time until the close of business. I had extra money on hand.

Remember, this is the job where I balanced before the more experienced tellers leading my Branch Manager to say "I'm proud of you." That means more than a job where you start at the bottom and stay there. I did not want to sell money back to the head teller before lunch.

If she knew I had extra money she would not have liked it. Rather than making a lateral move I waited for the employees at the car dealership to come in. Most did not have accounts with this bank so they cashed their checks and hopefully visited their own bank to deposit at least some of that money.

There was something about having thirty thousand dollars in the till and balancing with twelve thousand. I think our limit was fifteen thousand. It was my decision to hold and every time I was right.

Maybe that is why the tellers did not like me. On average jobs, colleagues are nice while management is difficult. I had a great Manager and Assistant Manager while the tellers were not great. I am out of contact with everyone. All I recall is the juice on Fridays. Holding a lot of money and giving it to account holders- I knew what was needed based on previous performance.

The fact they didn't want me to move up proved that position was not for the long haul. It served a purpose. There were great customers who ran local businesses. This is where I worked across from a strip club. It was a bar and restaurant above all else. There were many restaurants in that area as well.

It's not like dancers came in with wadded up singles. I would have changed them if they asked. Not every position ends up on a resume. This one is so deep in the past I don't list it.

Doesn't mean I didn't work there and had some good engagements. If nothing else it brought me to the other side of town where there was a lot to see and enjoy.