\n\n\n\nMy life took a complete turn at 38 years old. I\u2019m a mother to three kids: Emma (15), Jack (9), and Sophie (7), and I\u2019ve gone from being a project manager at a mid-sized tech company while raising my children to working in a grocery store.\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nFreezers in a grocery store | Source: Pexels\n\n\n\n
This is what happened.\n\n\n\n
The first cracks came in gradually, all stemming from James, my husband.\n\n\n\n
\u201cJames, are you coming to bed?\u201d I asked one night as he sat on the couch, staring blankly at the TV.\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nA man sitting on a chair | Source: Pexels\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn a bit,\u201d he muttered, not looking up. \u201cJust need to finish this.\u201d\n\n\n\n
\u201cFinish what? The TV\u2019s off.\u201d\n\n\n\n
He sighed, running a hand through his hair, before lying flat.\n\n\n\n
\u201cWork stuff, Erin. Can we not do this right now?\u201d\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nA man lying flat on a couch | Source: Pexels\n\n\n\n
I could sense something was wrong, but amidst the chaos of work and family, I couldn\u2019t quite put my finger on it. Then, one devastating evening, I discovered the truth. James had been having an affair.\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow could you do this to us?\u201d I cried, tears streaming down my face. \u201cTo the kids?\u201d\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nA silhouette of a couple | Source: Pexels\n\n\n\n
James looked down, unable to meet my gaze.\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Erin. I never meant for it to get this far.\u201d\n\n\n\n
The stress from the divorce piled onto the already immense pressure at work. My job\u2019s demands became unbearable as I tried to navigate the emotional wreckage of my home.\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nA crying woman | Source: Pexels\n\n\n\n
The focus and sharpness I once prided myself on were slipping away, and I struggled to keep up with the relentless pace of my job.\n\n\n\n
\u201cErin, I need those reports by the end of the day,\u201d my manager, Lisa, reminded me gently. \u201cI know things are tough right now, but we need to stay on track.\u201d\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nA woman sitting at a table | Source: Unsplash\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m trying, Lisa,\u201d I replied, my voice shaky. \u201cIt\u2019s just\u2026 everything is falling apart.\u201d\n\n\n\n
And it all became too much. Lisa, though sympathetic to my situation, was left with no choice when my productivity plummeted.\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nA woman looking at her laptop and holding her head | Source: Pexels\n\n\n\n
\u201cErin, we have to let you go,\u201d Lisa said, her eyes full of regret. \u201cI tried to keep you, but my hands were tied on this one. I\u2019m so sorry.\u201d\n\n\n\n
Losing my job felt like the final blow in a series of relentless hardships. The financial strain only added to the emotional burden of my divorce.\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nA woman holding her head | Source: Pexels\n\n\n\n
I knew that I had to find another job quickly to support my children, but the job market was tough, and positions that matched my qualifications and previous salary were few and far between.\n\n\n\n
\u201cWill we be okay?\u201d Emma asked me one morning as I buttered toast for her and her siblings.\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nButtered toast on a plate | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe will,\u201d I said. \u201cWe will be just fine. I have an interview today, and it\u2019s going to be the right match for us. I promise, darling. Don\u2019t you worry about us.\u201d\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut I am worried, Mom,\u201d Emma said, taking a bite of toast. \u201cI don\u2019t want to live with Dad.\u201d\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nA teenage girl | Source: Pexels\n\n\n\n
My heart ached. I couldn\u2019t let them down.\n\n\n\n
Desperation led me to apply for a cashier position at a local grocery store.\n\n\n\n
\u201cLook, I know it\u2019s not what you\u2019re used to, Erin,\u201d the manager, Mr. Adams, told me. \u201cBut this job is stable. We can offer you stability and a steady income.\u201d\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nA person holding a contract | Source: Pexels\n\n\n\n
\u201cI know,\u201d I agreed. \u201cIt\u2019s just that I have three children to care for, too.\u201d\n\n\n\n
\u201cI understand,\u201d he said. \u201cWe can look at a raise in three months.\u201d\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nA cashier at a grocery store | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
The change was difficult, but it allowed me to be there for my children in a way that I hadn\u2019t been able to before. The predictable hours meant I could attend school events, help with homework, and tuck my kids into bed every night.\n\n\n\n
\u201cI like this, Mom,\u201d Sophie said as I tucked her into bed. \u201cYou\u2019re not always with your laptop.\u201d\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nA little girl tucked in bed | Source: Pexels\n\n\n\n
\u201cI agree,\u201d Jack said from his corner of the room. \u201cMom\u2019s always here now.\u201d\n\n\n\n
But as always, despite things seeming positive in one way, life was always going to throw curveballs my way.\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nA little boy sitting on the bed | Source: Pexels\n\n\n\n
Yesterday was different. A mother with two teenage children came into our supermarket. She was dressed in expensive designer clothes, as were her two children.\n\n\n\n
When she came to the register, I started ringing up her groceries in an autopilot mode. I was tired and just wanted the day to be over. I wanted to get home for pizza night with my kids.\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nA woman wearing expensive clothes | Source: Pexels\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s with the face, dear? Why aren\u2019t you smiling at your customers?\u201d she asked me, tapping her long nails on the counter.\n\n\n\n
I had been working all day and I had forgotten to plaster a smile across my face.\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d I said to her, taking things out of the cart.\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nA full shopping cart | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
Then I smiled at her and continued to do my job.\n\n\n\n
But, of course, it didn\u2019t end there.\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019d have that face too, if I worked here. Your face looks mean because you don\u2019t earn enough. That\u2019s why you\u2019re miserable.\u201d\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nA close-up of a woman | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
The other customers in the line looked shocked, while I became red from the embarrassment.\n\n\n\n
I wasn\u2019t embarrassed by my job; I was grateful for it. But it was her ugly comment that made me want to curl into a ball.\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nA shocked woman | Source: Pexels\n\n\n\n
Just as I handed her the last bag, she screamed loudly when one of her kids bumped into the cart, still holding onto his iPhone. The cart tipped over, spilling all the groceries onto the floor with a loud bang, followed by glass shattering.\n\n\n\n
Expensive bottles of wine were spilling onto our floor, soaking through the artisan bread and gourmet cheese.\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nBottles of wine on display | Source: Unsplash\n\n\n\n
The woman\u2019s face turned bright red as she snapped at her child, humiliated.\n\n\n\n
\u201cMichael! Watch what you\u2019re doing! You clumsy idiot!\u201d she shrieked.\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Mom,\u201d he muttered, pocketing his phone and looking around.\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nA teenage boy | Source: Pexels\n\n\n\n
I quickly bent down to help pick up the undamaged items, maintaining my composure.\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s alright, accidents happen,\u201d I said softly, while the other customers watched the scene unfold.\n\n\n\n
Mr. Adams approached as the woman and her children scrambled to gather their things.\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nA man wearing a uniform | Source: Unsplash\n\n\n\n
\u201cMa\u2019am,\u201d he said politely. \u201cIt seems you might need some help. We can replace the broken items, but you\u2019ll need to pay for them.\u201d\n\n\n\n
The woman, now visibly flustered, handed me her credit card with a huff.\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere,\u201d she said.\n\n\n\n
I swiped it, but the transaction was declined. I tried again, but the result was the same.\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nA person holding a card | Source: Pexels\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry, ma\u2019am, but your card has been declined,\u201d I said, trying to remain as professional as possible, but my insides were doing cartwheels as karma dished it out for the woman.\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s impossible,\u201d she said. \u201cThis must be a mistake. I\u2019ll call someone to sort this out.\u201d\n\n\n\n
She dialed a number and put the phone to her ear, but there was no answer. She tried again, and again, but the person on the other end did not respond.\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nAn angry woman | Source: Unsplash\n\n\n\n
The growing line of customers behind her began to murmur and exchange looks, some shaking their heads in disbelief, while others grew impatient.\n\n\n\n
Mrs. Jenkins, a regular customer, stepped forward with her bread and milk, ready to join another line.\n\n\n\n
\u201cLooks like karma has its own way of working things out,\u201d she said with a smirk. \u201cMaybe next time you\u2019ll think twice before being so rude to others.\u201d\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nMilk and bread in a shopping basket | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
With no way to pay and no one answering her calls, the woman was forced to wait in the store.\n\n\n\n
\u201cI can get you a chair, ma\u2019am,\u201d Mr. Adams offered.\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo. I\u2019m fine,\u201d she said stiffly at the end of my counter, clearly mortified.\n\n\n\n
She waited for at least over an hour, her children sitting sullenly nearby, the humiliation palpable.\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nA woman holding her head | Source: Unsplash\n\n\n\n
\u201cCan\u2019t we call a cab and go home?\u201d the daughter whined. \u201cMy phone battery is about to die and I have things to do.\u201d\n\n\n\n
The woman rolled her eyes.\n\n\n\n
\u201cEnough, Gemma,\u201d she said. \u201cI don\u2019t care what you need to do. We will wait for your father.\u201d\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nA teenage girl | Source: Unsplash\n\n\n\n
Soon enough, the father showed up, looking important in his suit. Immediately, he turned his anger on his kids.\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow could you be so careless? Do you know how much this is going to cost?\u201d his voice echoed. \u201cNo allowances for you both.\u201d\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd you,\u201d he said, turning to his wife. \u201cCan\u2019t you manage a simple shopping trip without causing a scene? This is why I told you to leave it up to the cook.\u201d\n\n\n\n
The entire store watched as he berated them. He gave me his card and nodded to me.\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nA person holding a card | Source: Pexels\n\n\n\n
\u201cMake it quick, please,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve got to get back to work.\u201d\n\n\n\n
When I was done, he grabbed the bags and stormed out of the store, not waiting for his family to follow.\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou handled that with grace, Erin,\u201d Mr. Adams said. \u201cGo on, get your things and get home to your kids.\u201d\n\n\n\n
I intended to, a pizza party awaited me.\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nTrays of homemade pizza | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
What would you have done?\n\n\n\n
If you enjoyed this story, here\u2019s another one for you |\n\n\n\n
Read the full story here.\n\n\n\n
My life took a complete turn at 38 years old. I\u2019m a mother to three kids: Emma (15), Jack (9), and Sophie (7), and I\u2019ve […]\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5315"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5315"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5315\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5316,"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5315\/revisions\/5316"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5315"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5315"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5315"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}