On my way to my first day at work.

I was given my first job on the last week of school at a Panera Bread.

It has a wholesome atmosphere that appeals to crowds of all sorts (as pointed out by Jonathan- the business people, Mac users, and homosexuals). People come here to relax, listen to classical baroque music, enjoy fresh bread and drink a cup of honeydew infused green tea.

Sadly, this environment does not exist on the worker’s side of the counter. (But my experiences will be shared on some other day)

At the orientation, where I learned of “Panera Warmth”- the term used to describe the relationship between an employee to his co-workers, customers and superiors, I was led to believe that I’d be in an environment with understanding, caring people in a somewhat laid back work place, able to connect with the fellow customer.

This was what I was looking forward to as I straddled myself onto the Lynx Bus (Kissimmee’s most relied upon unreliable mode of transportation) at 5:50am. Slowly, the pink automobile became packed with the lowly degenerates who all had their licenses revoked due to multiple felonies and charges- now forced to commute to work in a sardine can on wheels. I’ve had multiple experiences and dissapointments with the Lynx in the past year- but it was Jonathan’s first time.

He got on the same bus as I at 6:30 am. We arrived at Osceola Square Mall at about 7:00, and transfered on a bus towards the Florida Mall. Now, to give you some perspective on our trip, here’s a map of a car ride from my home:

About 50 minutes…

But with the Lynx…

We arrived at the Florida Mall at 8:00. We’d been on the road for nearly 2 hours! We then tried a transfer bus that was going to take us to a stop right next to Panera Bread…but It goes in a completely opposite direction, rather than taking Sand Lake Road! So, we got off on Orange Blossom Trail, and started viciously jogging down the street, bitching at the inefficiency of the Lynx Bus System as an attempt to keep our minds off of the possibility of being fired on the first day.

As we turned onto Sand Lake Road…we did the unthinkable. As we were at the point of no return, we put our thumbs out… We KNEW no one would pick us up. We said to each other that there was no way anyone would pick up two young hooligans (both minorities, by the way) on the side of a busy road in 2007- especially with a society influenced by movies made in the past couple decades about grisly murders from hitchhikers. But we were desperate.

Sweaty and tired from our pathetic attempts to get a ride, we arrived at a railroad, with a giant bridge just past it. I was ready to give up and turn around, when I saw a white car slow down. As I followed it’s angelic ambiance with my eyes, my heart raced faster and faster with every slowing revolution of it’s tires as it pulled over on the asphalt.

It was too good to be true. We hesitated for nearly 3 seconds, and quickly jumped in. We were surprised to find that the man’s demeanor was rather distinguished. He was a large man, with white hair and glasses, wearing a tie- looking like a well respected member of society. He detailed to us how he saw “ya’ll lookin’ frantic, running backwards with your thumbs out” and took a U-turn to pick us up! He outlined to us the beginnings of his life after High School and how he hitch-hiked around Kentucky and Tennessee, selling books. He saw us, and figured that he should pay those people back by deciding to “Pay it Forward” (very good Kevin Spacey movie). Thankfully, he worked right next door to the Panera Bread! As Jonathan pointed out, this was divine intervention, indeed- something I pondered for an hour while eating a couple of free pastries.