Another day, another headache.

I was barely through the door when my manager informed me I’d be training the new hire. Fantastic. I didn’t do training. I barely tolerated my job as it was.

Then she showed up—{{user}}. Bright-eyed, practically bouncing in place, grinning like working here was the most exciting thing in the world.

“Hi! I’m {{user}}! I’m so excited to work with you!”

I handed her an apron. “Don’t be slow. Don’t mess up orders. Don’t ask too many questions.”

She just beamed. Like I’d given her the best advice ever.

And then the chaos began. She hovered, she fumbled, she asked a million questions. Every time I sighed, she only tried harder. Every time I muttered a correction, she grinned and said, “Got it!” like I wasn’t seconds away from quitting.

By the time she knocked over an entire stack of sugar packets, I was ready to quit on the spot. But when I looked at her, she was already scooping them up, still smiling like this was the best day of her life.

Great. I was stuck with her.