IRISH LOVESTORY - Trouble with Sandra

 

 copyright©2025

TROUBLE WITH SANDRA

Sandra had long been a thorn in my side at work. I couldn’t shake the feeling that her hostility stemmed from jealousy—perhaps because the more attractive guys actually made an effort to talk to me. Then one day, Paddy summoned me quietly and informed me there were whispers—complaints alleging that I was shirking my duties.

I stared at him in disbelief. I had no idea where such accusations could be coming from. Every single customer seemed happy with me. No one had ever complained. I worked like a mule—cleaning the potato machine outside in the freezing yard first thing in the morning, making fries, carrying stock from the storage room, chopping chicken pieces one by one. I battered the meat, fried it, restocked the fridge, roasted chickens on the deep grill, and during service, I moved so fast I was drenched in sweat.

Sandra, meanwhile, spent most of her shift leaning against the fryers. Whenever someone gave her an order, she’d scowl as if they were bothering her. She’d yell across the kitchen for me to toss her this or that from the fridge—even when I was elbow-deep in my own orders. She was too lazy to move a muscle. When I told Jack about it, he nearly exploded.

"You’re telling me it was Sandra? That lazy cow who won’t even open her mouth when she asks you about an order—and stands there glued to the grill all day?" he said, eyes wide.

"Yeah, I´m almost sure it was her. " I replied, feeling crushed and close to tears.

"Don’t worry," he said. "I’ll have a word with Paddy. It’s not fair they’re treating you like this."

"And honestly, they don’t pay you enough to be putting up with crap like that," he added, clearly pissed off.

I felt like public enemy number one. What more did I have to do to please people? What did they all want from me?

"Every time I see you, you're the only one actually working," Jack said, shaking his head.

In that moment, I felt an overwhelming sense of relief that he was on my side. Even if the whole world turned against me, I didn’t care—as long as I knew Jack believed in me. That gave me the strength to keep going. I had nothing to fear.

Then came the phone call. A representative from the Czech agency wanted to meet me in person about the ‘issue’. Paddy, the agent, and I were to meet at the restaurant in Leighlinbridge.

I told them very little. I spoke honestly, but with restraint. I said I didn’t understand why I was even sitting there, but if it made them feel better, I’d try harder and pay closer attention to my work. That was all.

All this drama over a single complaint, I thought.

They gave me an ultimatum: if I didn’t improve, I’d have to leave—go back home. That terrified me. I imagined myself leaving in shame, never seeing Jack or Bagenalstown again. I started convincing myself that maybe I had slipped up at work, just a little. I made a promise to myself: from now on, I’d give it everything I had. No one was going to run me out of here. Not without a fight.

About a week later, Paddy pulled me aside into the storage room out back. My stomach dropped—I was sure this was it, that he was going to tell me to pack my things.

But deep down, I knew Paddy liked me. He’d never do that.

"About that problem we discussed..." he began quietly, as if afraid someone might overhear. "I talked to Sandra," he added, disappointed.

I leaned against the freezer to keep my legs from giving out.

"Look, I know what’s really going on. I may not know what happened between the two of you, but I do know she lied. She finally admitted it. I’d suspected it was her from the beginning, but I had to go through the official process. I hope you understand. If the people in town thought I was firing an Irishwoman with a small child, I’d never hear the end of it."

Great, I thought. So this whole mess was nothing but a made-up story from a bitter, insecure girl—and now I had to pay the price.

I let Paddy finish.

"I’m not sending you home, Teri. I know who you are, and I know these were just lies. But I’d like you two to find some way to talk things out. This place is my life—I have to be strict sometimes—but I see how hard you work. I’m not blind," he said.

By then, tears were streaming down my face. I couldn’t hold them in.

Paddy patted me on the shoulder as he left, telling me not to give up.

I had no idea why I had to go through all this, but one thing was certain: I wouldn’t let Sandra get away with it.

But something had changed. From that day on, Sandra was like a different person. She acted polite, even wary of asking me for anything. We kept our distance.

I threw myself into the job harder than ever before, just to make sure she had nothing left to use against me. While she stepped outside for her fiftieth smoke break, I worked like mad, covering everything without a word of complaint.

I knew exactly what was at stake.

 copyright©2025