Some people
ordered subscriptions, some didn't, and there was still the
"sympathy subscriptions." After that I solicited fewer and
fewer subscriptions. I would only sell three to five per day,
and those were from people who had just moved in.
"Normally, if you haven't worked
a full month, we don't pay you," the boss told me, pointing
at the rules posted on the wall. "But I feel sorry for you.
I'm going to make an exception for you. You must remember
though, if you continue this way, there's nothing I can do
for you." It was my twentith day working for him. The boss
had called me in to talk, and proceeded to lecture me. Afterwards
he carefully counted out four dollars and twenty cents and
gave it to me. Then it was as though he had completely forgotten
about my existence - - he turned to face the table and started
working on something else.
VIII.
I started at the subscription
slips, feeling as though I'd lost my soul. Each subscription
was worth five cents. I'd sold withy five subscriptions. The
grand total came out to four dollars and twenty-five cents.
I was speechless. If I were fired now, there would be nothing
I could do. I'd worked continously for twenty days and I'd
only made four dollars and twenty cents. He couldn't have
made a mistake calculating, could he? I felt that it was useless
for me to ask now.
"You didn't make a mistake claculating
this, did you>" I asked him.
"A mistake? Where?"
"I've been working twenty days."
"So what? A year, ten
years, it is all the same. You didn't sell very many subscriptions.
Where do you think the money comes from?"
I didn't know what to say. I
calculated mentally?if I quit now, I would have six dollars
and twenty cents from my security deposit as well as my salary.
That made ten dollars and forty-five cents all together. I
could return eight dollars to Tanaka, and I would still have
two dollars and forty-five cents left. It was no use arguing.
I'd ask for my security deposit back, and then I'd quit.
"Then I still have the six dollars
and twenty cents from the secuirty deposit, don't I?" As soon
as I said that, the boss looked at me like I was a fool.
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