Alarming Behavior

(It is my first week working at a popular fast-food restaurant. I tend to fidget when I get nervous, and in my fidgeting, I accidentally trip our silent burglar alarm in the middle of an order.)

Me: “Um, [Manager], I’m really really sorry, but I think I just tripped the burglar alarm.”

Manager: “Thanks for letting me know. [Coworker], take over here. I’m going to head out to the parking lot to let the cops know it was a false alarm.”

(He leaves, and I am left apologizing all over myself to my coworker.)

Coworker: “Really, it’s no big deal. Everybody does it once when they’re new.”

Me: “Really?”

Coworker: “Yeah, and you handled it way better than the last guy.”

Me: “What’d he do?”

Coworker: “We found him trying to rip the alarm out of the wall. Turns out he was really high and didn’t want the cops to catch him! He got fired on the spot.”