It's been forever since I started this blog and I left you hanging with only posting the first part of the story about how I am now "Bobcat". So, here is Part II. And thanks to my followers for sticking with me!
So there I was, working at Starbucks. I was a shift supervisor and that translated to being in charge of the staff for the duration of each shift. I was responsible for making sure everyone knew what they were supposed to do and when they could go on breaks or clock out. I was also responsible for handling customer complaints. This particular morning it was fairly busy during our usual rush and I was helping in the drive-thru, making drinks and taking orders. In other words, I was in tune to what was going on in the whole store, but focused mainly on the drive-thru. I didn't ever worry about things falling apart because the morning crew was amazing. The two people I had working at the front counter and bar were perfectly capable of handling all the customers coming into the store, while the rest of us worked in drive. It was actually a very mundane, as usual type of day. Well...until HE came in.
I was pulled from my rhythm of drink-making with a shrill "Temple I need you!" coming from the front. I figured it was an over-flowing coffee urn, or a huge line, or a bar that wasn't working. You know, the usual stuff. I lookedd over my shoulder to see my co-worker, Kelly, at the front register with a male customer standing at the counter. She had a look of fear, anger and questioning on her face. Odd. I shrugged.
"What do you need, Kel?" I said as I turned back to my bar to work on another drive-thru drink.
"I need YOU. Here. Now!" Kelly's urgent request brought me up short. Something was wrong. Really wrong. I turned the bar over to one of the other barista's and walked over to the counter.
"What's up?" I smiled at both Kelly and the customer, whom I hadn't taken a good look at up to this point. I wanted Kelly to explain the situation and then I would focus on the customer. It was obvious something out of the ordinary was going on.
"THIS CUSTOMER IS STEALING OUR TIPS!" Kelly's anger was in full throttle now; she wasn't holding anything back. I did a head shake, like I wasn't sure I heard her correctly. So not what I expected to hear.
As I said "What?" I turned and sure enough, the man at the counter had our tip jar in one hand and a crumpled wad of bills in the other. Nice. Why did this shit always happen on MY shift. I immediately was not impressed with this sweaty little man.
Straining to maintain my composure, I asked the customer what he was doing with our tips in his hand. I really wasn't sure what to do, but I was having an out of body type of experience. On one hand, I felt like I shouldn't be challenging this person because he could be armed. But, there was another part of me that wasn't going to let this customer - this THIEF! - get away with our hard earned tips. Not on my watch!
He actually had the gall to look at me and reply, "I need the money."
Really? REALLY. Are you kidding me? If I didn't say those words out loud I certainly thought them. What a jerk!
A sense of deep anger started to crawl over me. It started in my stomach and crept its way up my spine and then over my head to my eyes, cheeks and mouth. I clenched my fists and leaned over the counter to get eye to eye with this freakin' amazingly ballsy guy. And then I transformed into something different. A person I'd never been before. I was going to get the tips back and kick this guys ass before he knew what hit him. I was MAD.
"Oh really. You really need the money." I responded in a sarcastic tone, not caring to hear any of his excuses. The baristas worked hard for those tips - sometimes a penny at a time - and THEY needed the money, too. And they earned it!
"Well, these hard working individuals need the money, too, buddy, and it belongs to them. PUT. IT. BACK. NOW."
He stared at me and my unblinking stare bore into his pupils. He seemed to hesitate, trying to plan his next move. I knew at this point he wasn't armed and I looked hard at him with a clear message in my eyes. Don't MAKE me come over there. I was so irate I could have put him down and held him there until the police came.
He didn't speak English very well and fumbled about trying to explain he needed to get on the bus, pointing toward the bus stop. Now, some may think this is cold, but I didn't care if he needed a lung transplant, let alone bus fare. This wasn't his money and this was robbery. He wasn't getting that money.
"I don't really care what your excuse is. You are stealing and there are a lot of people witnessing you do it. Give back the money or I will come around the counter and escort you out of the store while my co-workers call the cops to come pick you up stealing. It's your choice and you are going to make it right now. I'm not kidding."
I still couldn't believe what was coming out of my mouth, but I liked it. I was bold and confident, maintaining my calm. I actually think for the first time in my life, I was intimidating! It was obvious, of course, I was furious, but my voice remained steady. There was no doubt in my mind this man was going to cooperate, either by his choosing or my doing it for him.
He stood there for what seemed like a long time, although it was probably less than a minute. Again I said to put the tip jar and money back and reminded him it wasn't his money and it belonged to those who earned it, with an emphasis on EARNED.
I began to notice three or four customers watching on the fringes of the store and the other baristas watching me, too. Without even looking, I could sense there was an overwhelming "way to go sistah!" mood in the air.
He suddenly slammed the tip jar down on the counter, stuffed the bills back into it, and started yelling at me in a foreign language. I immediately grabbed the tip jar and handed it off to Kelly.
"Now you can leave the store. And don't ever come back. If you do I'll call the cops on you." I was still empowered with this sense of super-human ability. He cussed at me, but walked out the door. Whew. The tips - and all of us! - were safe. Thank the good Lord above.
My fellow baristas cheered and laughed, adrenaline flowing through their veins. We all babbled at the same time about what had just transpired. The customers laughed and congratulated me on my toughness. What was so cool about it was I didn't feel shakey or ready to burst into tears. I felt empowered and confident. I was high on the rush of maintaining control and putting a situation right. Pretty heady stuff for sure.
I laughed it off, telling my baristas we needed to get back to work. All morning, though, we talked about the experience and how it upset us that someone would just come in and attempt to steal right in front of us. The moral question, of course, came up about whether he needed the money more than we did. My take on it was that even if he did, stealing is against the law. If he needed money he could have asked. Lord knows we'd had our share of folks begging for spare change in the parking lot over the years. And in the past, people who have come in asking for a sample of coffee or a drink of water, obviously in a situation of needing money, usually found themselves with baristas and customers asking if they needed anything. To barge into a business and so matter-of-factly tell us he was taking the money because he needed it was not good enough for me. It was wrong. He's lucky we didn't call the cops to scare the crap out of him and trespass him out of our store. I didn't think it needed to go that far - hell, I do have a heart. But, if you let stuff like this go, then you become marked. Other "needy" people come and steal your tips because they've heard you're soft and unprepared to deal with them. Not so at this little Starbucks on the corner of Craig and Losee. Not on my watch, anyway.
So as the day progressed, other baristas came on to their shifts and everyone was talking about what had gone on earlier. One of my fellow Bux employees - Mike - asked me just what in the world was going through my mind when I stood up to this man.
"Mike, I don't know what came over me. I was just so pissed he was going to take our tips. I know what goes into earning those tips and it just seemed so unfair. I just wanted to go all..." {insert author's note...I meant to use a word like mama bear or wild or crazy or spider monkey, however this is what came out of my mouth and to this day I don't why} BOBCAT on him!"
"Bobcat? What the hell? Bobcat? What does that mean, Temple?!" Mike was laughing so hard he was bending over and when he stood up his eyes sparkled with merriment. "Bobcat, huh?"
I was laughing too, realizing what a silly word that was to use. I tried to backtrack and explain I wanted to be ferocious and I felt like a mama bear protecting her cubs, but no matter what I said, he kept repeating the word Bobcat.
Bobcat.
Ok, so that wasn't exactly what I was going for all those years ago when I craved a nickname. And of course, when I least expected it, here I was in my late 30's blessed with a nickname that stuck. And it was Bobcat. Who would hav ever dreamt?
But, you know what? I'm a-ok with that. Bobcat represents a moment in time I stood up for myself and my fellow baristas and enforced the law as a citizen. I wasn't scared or embarrassed either. I did it. I saved our tips. You know what else? That man never came back into the store after that. I had done something to protect our money and show we were not going to sucker under to thieves, unless they were armed, of course. I felt like I had an alter ego with Bobcat.
I haven't worked at Starbucks for a while now, but every time I go into the store, especially if Mike is there, I get called Bobcat. I love it - it makes me feel like I am part of a cozy family who experienced something together that tightened our bonds even more. Heck, even my friends and family call me Bobcat sometimes and use the phrase "going Bobcat" on someone if they are going to rip into them with a vengence. And that is why this is a legend. I may not leave a huge legacy behind me - although I hope I do - but a small part of my life may live on with people I know because when they are faced with having to stand up to someone in an uncomfortable and urgent way, they will think "Bobcat".
So, now you know. I hope it was worth the wait to find out why I am now.........the Legendary.....Bobcat.
***
