I turned 18 in the summer just prior to my senior year of high. Although this put me slightly behind others in my class, it made me eligible for the schools summer work program which paid well compared to other teen jobs. The job entailed light maintenance and some grounds keeping which was very easy and best of all the full time maintenance man was recommending me for the job. The maintenance man's name was Tyrone and we had built a friendship over the years, talking in the halls and helping him on occasion with a spare set of hands.
Tyrone was about 45 years old, over six feet tall and with an impressive chiseled body. He dwarfed my 5'6", 145 pound frame and his dark black skin contrasted my whiteness drastically. All the same, being friends or good acquaintances kept a lot of tough kids from bothering with me. He was always real attentive around me, asking about my grades and even attending my swim meets when they were at our school.
I was excited to start my first day on the job. When I got to the school, it was strange to see the campus totally empty. Walking through the halls on the way to the maintenance warehouse I could see that everything was locked down. I felt grown up carrying my set of keys that had just gotten me in the main gate. Tyrone had given them to me the day before and asked me to meet him at 8 am to start work.
When I got to the maintenance warehouse, Tyrone was very happy to see me and showed me where everything was for each job we would do. He also told me that most days would be routine and we would likely be done by 1 or 2 o'clock. He said we still had to stay til 5, but we could relax in the office/locker room. He showed me the office which included a locker room and shower. There was a TV, DVD, couch and a twin bed. I thought this was very cool and was grateful Tyrone recommend me for such a sweet job. He even told me I could wear my P.E. shorts instead of the coveralls.