I only had a few weeks left at Blumhouse since I was heading toward the head of the semester, which meant the end of the internship. I wasn’t doing a good job keeping up with my internship class, which I had to take to intern. I was pretty done with school mentally since I graduated with my BA.

The year 2015 was a year that brought a lot of change. I finished school, and my job of 5 years was always coming to an end. My boss had told me that the toy store would close because the rent had tripled at the mall and although it was a thriving location, we couldn’t afford the high rent. So I picked up a second job as a hostess at an Italian restaurant which I would go to in the evenings after I worked at the toy store. I wanted to become a server, but they said I had no experience. The general manager promised that he’d make me a server in three months and held on to his words. I enjoyed being a hostess, and I loved talking to the guest. I’d spend three hours every night chit-chatting with fabulous people. That’s a story for another time. My general manager, Josh, got fired for drinking on the job. New management came in and did not want to honor the original agreement. So I have my two weeks’ notice. I started to look for other work. I got hired at Barnes and Noble, which was a rough process. They wanted references they called and spoke to for an hour. Once I was hired, they only wanted me to work at the register and promote their rewards and credit card. I was pretty good at it, so I always ended up there. I was hired as a temporary sales associate. So, I was juggling jobs at one point, but in the back of my mind, I knew by January I’d only have one job left since three of them were ending. At the same time, I decided to apply as a substitute for LAUSD. I had a degree and might as well do something with it. At this point, it was November leading up to one of the busiest times of the year at the toy store. I informed the staff that we would be closing come January. I was instructed to put up signs in the restaurant to let the customers know why we would be closing our doors. It was depressing, but simultaneously, I was excited to do something different and spread my wings. I would stick it out until they closed, as tired as I was from the toy store. I was loyal.

To top it off, my dad was having severe chest pain. My sister and I took him to the ER, and they said he had gastritis. The pain continued. A few days later, I could hear my dad moaning in pain late into the evening. I rushed to his bedside. He was pale and holding his chest. My brother Omar called 911. Something was wrong. My dad had a heart attack back in 2001. He also had high blood pressure and high cholesterol and was pre-diabetic. The ambulance showed up and said his blood pressure was acceptable, but my brother told him the paramedics didn’t know what they were talking about. They barked back, “sir, are you a doctor?’ My brother said confidently, “yes, I am a doctor,” even though that was far from the truth. My brother saved my dad’s life for the second time. Another story for another time. Anyways, my dad had a heart attack and needed open heart surgery. He ended up staying in the hospital for a month. I stopped going to Blumhouse the last two weeks, called off from the bookstore, and took a couple days off from the toy store. At that point, I had left the Italian restaurant as a hostess, but three after quitting, I received a call from the same company but at another location. They wanted me to come in to interview for a server position. I was recommended by one of the assistant managers from the location I was hosting at. I was hired, and I still work there almost eight years later. Barnes and Noble asked me if I wanted to come back and interview for a permanent position, but I said no. I disliked that job very much, but I will say that I was meant to spend those few shifts there. I will explain soon. The toy store ended up staying open for one more year. So, I looked for other jobs for no reason since I could keep my job. At the same time, I felt sad knowing I would be staying one more year. I wanted a new adventure, but nothing happened to me in my career. Blumhouse understood my absence but hired another intern for the office P.A. job. It was such a tremulous time in my life. Everything was changing. I was changing. Chapters were closing.

The biggest lesson I learned from interning at Blumhouse, I should never force things because I might not be ready for what is to come. One of my mentors told me not to be too bummed about Blumhouse. He said they don’t pay well and don’t have the best reputation for taking care of their employees. He told me to move on and introduced me to a director named Dean Lim.

To be continued…