About a year ago I landed a slacker's dream job. I got hired as an RA for an organization that works with at risk youth. Since it was still in the height of COVID, I was watching an empty dorm. On an overnight shift. I am getting paid something that approaches a livable wage as long as my wife holds down a job, and I get mediocre health insurance.
Like I said, slacker's dream job.
Then as community infection levels dropped, we started to get students in. Turns out, I like the little assholes. A lot.
Overnight shift is still chill, with about three and a half hours of actual work in my shift and enough leeway to do whatever I want with the rest of my time, as long as my guys are up and on their way to class by 7:30.
Come this morning, I had 4 of my guys come to me complaining about chest tightness, tiredness, weakness, and trouble breathing. It scared me. I sent two of them to the campus clinic on their own and spent the next half an hour trying to find some kind of transport for the other two. When I couldn't, I walked the other two over myself.
Then came the moment I knew I was screwed. When I noticed that the he was struggling with the walk, I asked him if he needed to stop and catch his breath. I also saw my supervisor pulling out to go home and realized that I was the only one on campus who was going to do this kind of thing for these kids. I realized that I might be a lifer here, and it was a terrifying realization.
So that, was my morning. 12% of my dorm is sick, with probably more to come, and an awakened papa bear instinct.
Screw it, I guess that I'm a masochist.