I had a druggie come in the other day try to kiss my hand and I don't tend to overreact in situations like that but I must admit, I panicked. I was giving him his change as like any other customer. Except he was slurring all over the place with his discoloured drool. The second my eyes left him he cupped my hand and pulled it in towards his lips. I actually screamed and pulled back.
I held my hand as if it was an injured puppy. He looked at me with such sad eyes. "I didn't meant to scare you. I was just trying to kiss your hand because you're so nice to me. Nobody has been this nice to me in years." I was frightened and angry. I was angry for so many reasons. I kept changing the reason the more I thought about it.
- How dare he grab me like that.
- Doesn't he know he's dirty and filthy.
- How can you let yourself abuse such a substance.
- I overreacted.
"I'm not full of disease". How do I trust your word on that. Addict are known to be liars. He began to give me a sob story but I zoned out on the condition of his skin. It was red, sore and covered with track marks. I guess I began to sympathise with him because after all, he's still human.
I later got a lecture from my manager saying that I should of handled the situation differently. I'm sorry but it's not like everyday I get approached by a schmecker. I am not trained to deal with those type of situations. I know he meant no harm. Our systems don't know how to handle people like him.
I guess because if you asked me a year ago, I would of been just like him.
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