Gridlocked

There was a time when I would harshly judge someone for not trying to work or get their license. I mean, hey! Look at me! I didn't let it stop me from keeping a job when I didn't have a car. I would walk and hitch-hike to get where I needed to go and I usually made it to work on time, every single day. For me, my mother wouldn't let me get my permit when I came of age (she let my younger sister and brothers get their immediately when they came of age, but she didn't think I was good enough). Then I got married, thinking that my husband would. He was so insecure that he refused to even let me drive and when I would complain about it, he would point out that the vehicle wouldn't pass inspection. He always had an excuse. Well, he's long gone now and I am still without a license. I'll ask someone if they will let me practice in their car and they will say that they don't have time. I'll never get my license without practice. They LITERALLY will pretend I didn't say that. So without a vehicle, I can't take my test. Therefore, I can't get my license. If I had someone with me, I could PAY to RENT a car and practice in that and then take the test in it.  Again, no one has time.

Then there's also the fact that I can't find work. I am a convicted felon. [I probably just lost some readers for that statement.] I was innocent of the crime (I had no choice because of the stakes and the plea bargain) but employers don't care. Especially those in Aiken, SC. All of them. Even McDonald's. They all have a secret blanket policy against felons, which is illegal, but Aiken is renown for corruption, thus the companies and the county, itself, get away with it. Employers are heartless. They are snide and won't give someone a chance. They don't care that they are also punishing my children. They don't care that my children need a roof over their head. They don't care that my children need electricity to see in the dark, to power the refrigerator to keep their food fresh, to power heat to keep them warm in the winter, to power air conditioning to keep them cool in the summer, to power a stove so they can eat hot meals. They don't care that my children need clothes, shoes, soap, Bandaids, food, etc.  They don't care if you're actually innocent.

All they care about is hiring someone with a clean piece of paper, not even thinking that maybe the person with a clean record is just a criminal who hasn't been caught.

A manager at the Kroger on Whiskey Road in Aiken interviewed me this year and she was just as nice and polite as she could possibly be to me until she saw where I listed my felony. Then she spoke to me like I was the scum on the bottom of her shoes. She said that she had no room for people like me in her company. She also said some other choice phrases that I know were not listed in the interview handbook. She also refused to hire me because I was pregnant. She kept staring at my swollen abdomen AND mentioned that it's very important that I not miss any days; implying that when I went into labor, that was not an excuse to miss work. That is also illegal.

I had another interview at Wal-Mart for a cake decorator. The manager liked me, she liked my work ethic and my determination. She even commented that she sensed "good vibes" from me. She told me that I had to have a second interview with HER manager and that I should be scheduled for orientation later on that week. I waited in the HR room where two employees were on the computer. The head manager came in and said he was going to schedule me for the second interview but the girl at the computer said, "No! No!" and motioned for the manager to come quickly. She pointed and I heard her whisper, "She has a felony!" The guy looked up with an awkward grin and said, "Um, we'll call you." I am currently in an email battle with the two companies.

I loved working. I loved the rush of independence, I loved the break from home, I loved paying my bills, I loved being able to pay my way, I loved being able to buy things. I was so proud to be a working mother. But a corrupt system took that away from me. No one will hire me at all. My independence is gone and the felony will not be eligible for expungement. Now, I am called "a bum", "a leech", "a mooch", "scum", "lazy", etc.

So the next time you see someone who has less than you. Someone who can't drive and doesn't work, maybe you should think before you judge. You don't know what is holding them back. If they just outright tell you that they don't want to work, then fine. That is when you draw that conclusion. But before you hear that come out of their mouth, don't assume that it's the truth. More than likely, it isn't. More than likely, they need a serious "leg-up" and they just need a chance. Someday, you might just wind up wishing that you gave them one.