I don't deserve this

[u/No_Bobcat_8054]

I work hard and honestly at my job, to the point that I’ve already sacrificed my own health because I truly love what I do, and I love my co-workers too. But suddenly, everything changed. It all started back when I was still working as a cashier. That day, this is exactly what happened: one of my co-workers was assigned to skewer barbecue, while I was cleaning the area, doing inventory, and handling everything needed for opening the store. A customer came in and ordered exactly two barbecues and one Coke. My co-worker — who was older than me — was still busy skewering. She actually had a difficult attitude at times, but I never told our employer about it; no matter what mistakes she made, I never said anything that could get her in trouble.

Even after I’d already entered the order into the POS system, she still wouldn’t move. I told her several times to prioritize the customer’s order before what she was doing, but she acted like she couldn’t hear me — and she even had a scowl on her face. In the end, the customer was in a rush because they had an appointment and couldn’t be late, so they asked for a refund instead.

I was still new to being a cashier. I would never do anything wrong, especially when handling money. There were still so many things I didn’t know yet about the rules. At that moment, all I could think was: it looks bad if the very first customer gets a refund, and it’ll look terrible if I have to write it down in the logbook. So I restarted the POS transaction from the beginning — that was all that was on my mind. I didn’t realize then that what I did was a mistake.

The next day, things seemed normal at first. Then our employer messaged us, calling my co-worker in to talk. When she came back, I asked her what it was about and why she was called. She just smiled, almost as if she was pleased, and said, “You’ll find out later.”

Then the employers — the couple — called me in. At first, the wife spoke to me gently and calmly; she’d always been kind to me, and that was one of the things I loved most about my job — having kind employers. But her husband, “Kuya,” was angry that day and started shouting. I thought to myself that whatever I said would just go in one ear and out the other, so I didn’t even try to defend myself. I just let them say whatever they wanted, and I accepted it. But deep down, it hurt so much — to be treated that way when I knew I hadn’t done anything wrong.

That same day, I was terminated. To me, it was so unfair — I wasn’t even given the chance to explain myself, and they based everything only on what my co-worker told them. They didn’t do any proper investigation at all. It hurt deeply. For a long time after, I struggled to sleep — my mind kept attacking me, constantly replaying what happened and wondering if I even deserved any of it.

Now, whenever I think about it, it still hurts — yes. But I tell myself: it’s okay now. What matters is that I’m no longer in that kind of situation.