Weird Weekend

Shawn had went back to his old job last Monday.  He went to the welding job he had quit to pick up his check and spoke to the boss for about 30 minuets.  They discussed the issues Shawn had at great length.  On Saturday, the boss called twice.  He wants to make Shawn a table foreman, they’ve fired the trouble makers and the losers.  They want to send Shawn to get a couple of welding certifications.

They’re fighting to get Shawn back.  We’ve been struggling with this all weekend.  On the one hand, if Shawn stays with Kenny, he has job security to some extent.  But Kenny has never cared about Shawn’s safety.  Shawn needed extensive knee surgery due to this type of work and no one there seemed to care.  Workman’s comp didn’t pay much, it simply kept the bills paid while Shawn laid up in the bed for a month healing. 

He’s ran into apartments and put out fires before the truck arrived.  He was involved in a police shooting where a bullet whizzed by his head by a few inches.  And has Kenny recognized Shawn for any of this?  Has Shawn received any extra benefits or pay?  In fact, he received a pay cut in January.  Also, I always consider the fact that many of the employees are riding on free rent and titles.

Where opportunities where open or available, they were not given to Shawn.  He’s worked there almost twelve years, working HARD, and has been passed over at every chance. 

I personally didn’t know what to tell him.  I was split down the middle.  My dad said that going with the welding job was risky because they might lose the contract, yes.  However, staying with Kenny would certainly be risky because Shawn would never get anywhere, obviously.

Shawn has had no intention of staying with Kenny; he merely wanted to finish school.  And Kenny has made even this simple task hard on Shawn.

The welding job would give Shawn experience, knowledge, something on his resume’.  After a week with these people, they want to make him table foreman and pay for his certs.  Either choice is a gamble.  Shawn hates working for Kenny and only wants to weld.

Shawn’s mother said it seemed these people for fighting to keep him and asked would Kenny ever do that.  Good point. 

When Shawn was transferred from one apartment complex to the other, the first fell apart around itself.  It was quite obvious who was getting things done over there.  So when Shawn put in his two weeks’ notice, Kenny said, OK, bye-bye.

Kenny didn’t offer Shawn anything to make him stay.  Kenny has never offered anything to Shawn other than grief.

After much prayer, I myself am leaning towards the welding job.  Shawn has apoken to much of our family and they all seem to push him towards this choice.  “If they want to put you in a position of power, that’s going to look good on any application you fill out anywhere,” my dad said.

There are so few choices in the job market these days.  Shawn’s been looking since last October.  He doesn’t want to leave us stranded if the contracts don’t pan out, yet he doesn’t want to work for Kenny a second longer. 

I told him last night that I could push a mop.  If he took the job and the worst were to happen, I could push a mop in the evenings, he could get a couple jobs pushing a mop; we would not be left without.  Even though the job market is tight, you can still find part-time jobs around here cleaning toilets.  A job is a job, and it would keep us fed. 

Of course, I hope it would not come to that.  I hope in whatever Shawn decides, he would thrive and be happy with his work.  I don’t know yet what Shawn will decide, ultimately.  I think today, we will do our normal Easter Sunday thing and continue to hash things out.

I haven’t been to church in a couple months.  Perhaps it will do us some good.  It could not hurt!