Pink Eye Or The Pink Slip

(I have recently come down with pink eye, which is very contagious. Since I work around food and people all day, I decide it’s best to call into work. The lunch manager tells me I’m not allowed to call in or she’ll have me fired, so I decide to wear an eye patch to work instead. About ten minutes after I clock in, the morning manager notices me.)

Morning Manager: “[My Name], what’s wrong with your eye?”

Me: “Oh, I have pink eye.”

(The manager and any nearby employees leap back from me like I have the plague.)

Morning Manager: “Why didn’t you call in? That’s contagious! You’re not allowed to work in that condition!”

Me: “But [Lunch Manager] said she’d have me fired if I didn’t show up.”

Morning Manager: “No. Don’t touch anything and get your things. I will clock you out myself. Go home, get some rest, and don’t you dare step back into this store until you have recovered. I will deal with [Lunch Manager].”

(When I eventually got back to work I was not in trouble. But as punishment for making me come in, the lunch manager was forced to clean and sanitize everything I had touched that morning. At least she never threatened to fire me for calling in sick again!)