Emily Messer

My summer stint as a waitress/wine stewardess/cashier/retail salesperson lasted a little more than a month before I was canned.

No, I didn't curse everyone out ala Scarface (“Half Baked”) or run across Yankee stadium in a nude body suite (“Seinfeld”), but I did go out with a bang.

I knocked over a $2,000 oil painting and left a softball-sized hole smack dab in the canvassed face of a mariachi singer. The painting was propped up against a card table in the storage room (which is a poor place to put expensive things).

When I went into the room to grab extra wine glasses, I had to squeeze between the wobbly table and a barbecue pit.
 The mariachi singer came tumbling down when I tried to maneuver through the space, essentially leaving him in need of reconstructive surgery to his nose.

The painting was permanently damaged as well as my career in waiting tables. I was overwhelmed by my quandary. Do I call my boss? Do I leave a note? Do I have a nervous breakdown?

One of my co-workers suggested covering up the blunder with Scotch tape. But the thought of trying to lie like that made a thumping sound in my chest like that of the old man's in Edgar Allen Poe's “Tell-Tale Heart.” One friend told me he thought I would be taken to civil court to pay for damages. I thought there was no way I would pay for something I wouldn't buy even if I had $2,000 sitting around.

In the end, I informed my boss of the blunder at the beginning of my next shift. He had no reaction as he looked up the price of the painting. After my shift, my last paycheck was in my hand, and I was jobless. Sure, my heart sank into the depths of my stomach, but I soon decided everything must be for the best.

Employees must remember to look for a positive work environment. I had to ask myself if I'd really want to work for someone who didn't seem to value my honesty. Even if getting fired left me without rent money, it was important to me to establish good work ethics, no matter what the consequences.