God, this was so humiliating.

I don’t even know how I got this low in life, to where the only place that called me back was an elementary school. I got hired as a janitor.

My first day and there was snot covering the walls and unidentifiable stains in every other inch of the carpet.

I barely even started yet and I was tired of it all. I could feel the weight of it all start dragging my feet and curving my spine.

I was allowed minutes to get settled in the break room before I needed to get started on tidying the entire building for the school day to start.

The break room was surprisingly empty, with a stray jacket here and there. The floor was scuffed into oblivion and water damage was prominent on one of the walls.

The one thing that really caught my eye was a simple drawing on one of the tables. It was very crude with scribbled stickmen holding hands. One was holding a long stick with a couple of lines on one end that I assumed could be a broom. The other had a circle above its head and quite a few clustered ovals on either of its sides.

I could guess where the old janitor went.

Regardless, it filled me with a sense of dread. There was no way I was going to survive the year.

And thus, it was time to start my day of scraping boogers off the walls and poop off the bathroom floor.

By the time I found myself in the break room 5 minutes before classes started, my legs were affected by gravity twice as much and I had to actively switch between using my hands to support my weight against the wall and rubbing my eyes to keep them open for just a little longer. The kicker? It’s only been 2 hours in to my first day…

The break room chairs just looked so comfy, I found myself gone after letting go of keeping my body useful. My mind welcomed the sweet nothingness of sleep.

_________________________

“What’s he doing?”

“Are we allowed to do that?”

“Does this mean he gets overtime?”

“Guys shut up. You can’t be quiet for the life of you!”

I slowly blink the bliss away as I heard voices overlap and saw various silhouettes surrounding me. The were my new co-workers.

The teachers.

I realize that I have no sense of time, which pulls me out of my chair pretty quickly. “WHAT TIME IS IT?”

One of them, she wore a cardigan and glasses, leaned back, “just after school. We had a staff meeting, but wanted to stop by for some drinks and saw you lying there.”

“What? Why would you just watch me sleep?” I couldn’t help but ask. That was WAY too creepy for my taste.

“Well, technically we weren’t just… WATCHING you sleep…”

One of the guys tried to speak up. He reached up to rub at his head bringing my attention to how SHINY it was. I have never seen a bald head up close, but it was kind of mesmerizing in a way.

He was pushed away by a lady with her black hair up in a pony tail, “Yeah, we were watching you sleep. Dude, it’s INSANE! Today was your first day, you haven’t even made it through half of the way, and you take a nap from the sheer exhaustion? Don’t tell me that’s just sad”.

Her words lit some kind of fire inside me.

“For your information, lady, these kids are menaces! And they don’t have to worry about cleaning up after their decisions, I DO! You don’t fully appreciate a booger free wall until you have to spend 2 hours scraping, wiping, and vacuuming to get it all off!”

They all looked at me. It was a weird look. I was kind of expecting expressions of disgust at my description, maybe shock at my outburst, or even anger at my tone.

I wasn’t sure how to read this look on their faces, but it was none of that.

“What? Shocking? Disgusting? Trust me, that is one of the most mild things and elementary school building collects over months without a janitor”. I don’t know if i was trying to save face, but whatever the weird look they had was too close to pity. I would not stand for being pittied.

Some chuckles tang out among the group.

“Oh, we know what those little menaces can get up to” the ponytailed woman smirked.

There were various noises of agreement, I’m pretty sure I heard an “Amen” in the mix. It was a little comforting, in a way.

“You dont have to tell me. At least you guys are there for the fun parts. I have to deal with the aftermath”, the cynicism was too natural to hold back. The comfort could only last so long before I remebered their pity.

The one in the cardigan scoffed, “And we’re there for the worst parts. You’re lucky you dont have to deal with all the screaming and hitting and basic lack of social awareness. We are supposed to help them get integrated, but there is a reason there is a degree”.

There was no reason to continue arguing. I let out the building sigh.

“Fine. Sure. You got me. Now I’ll go do another sweep while you deal with paperwork”.

“Hey!” A teacher called out, stopping me before I close the door, “when you’re done, you should stop by The Bar on 9th Street. We can fully initiate you on your new job!”

I allowed a quick glance back at him and a quick little shrug before I continued on my journy to the supply closet. The truth was, i could always use a drink.

___________________

The bar looked super rundown and dingy. I guess it was the best you could do on a janitor’s salary, so I wasn’t going to complain… Too much.

Music was blasting through the thin walls and lights were shining through like they were paper. The door was splintered and a small dude in sunglasses with the thinest limbs standing in front. He kinda looked like a bouncer if he didnt look like a high five would break all the bones in his hand and arm.

I walked up regardless, looking forward to that drink too long to walk away now. “Hey, can I… get it?”

The man looked at me over his glasses, “Ya got and ID?”

Ok, weird. If anything I would thibk I would look older because of my new job. That kind of stuff can age you.

With a huff, I hand over my driver’s license.

The man takes it and snorts, “what do you think this place is? A joke? No ID, no entry”. He handed my license back to me.

I took a deep breath, careful to hold on to my card so that my fist doesn’t fly out to meet his face. “Sir, this is a real ID. I am way past 21”.

“That dingy little thing only tells me that you can drive. Good for you. I dont care how old you are. No Id? No. Entry!”

“You’re not making any sense! Listen, bucko, i am at least two feet taller than you and have enough muscle to overpower your spaghetti self on a bad day. Let me in, I need a beer!”

“Ohoho, boy. You dont know what you’re talking about. I have enough chemicals in my pocket to do some serious non-fatal damage. Do you like having a face? Back off! If you want a beer, go to a normal bar!”

I had to blink a bit to finish registering his words.

“A… ‘Normal’ bar?”

At that moment a familiar face opened the door and practically lit up.

“You made it!” The bald teacher exclaimed. I cringed at the realization that I never got his name.

The bouncer looked at me warily, “You know this guy, Bill?”

His name was Bill. That was so fitting for some reason.

“Yeah! He’s the new janitor at the school! Come on in!”

The bouncer’s eyes widen as he wuickly ushers me through the door, “Aw, man. I’m so sorry for the misunderstanding, sir! Please, right this way!”

I dragged my feet a little in apprehension as ⟊ followed Bill inside. This was just getting weirder and weirder.

This inside was not like your average bar. I would say it gave off more club vibes, and an exclusive one at that. There were many people mingling in a variety of outfits. Some were more like lounge clothes while others looked like they cam straight from work. There were hard-hats, coveralls, and muddy boots strewn about or hanging off of people.

“So,” I had to yell to try and get heard over the music, “What is the deal with this place?”

Bill hardly looked over his shoulder, making me strain to hear what he said, “This is the Unsung Heroes Club! Everyone here works for people or the city, fixing their problems without any recognition!”

That… that sounded kind of nice.

“And, I’m allowed? In the club?”

“Well duh,” Bill glanced back like i said the most stupid thing ever, “you said it yourself! Children are menaces and you clean up after them. You are, like, and MVP. Though we dont really do that since we all make unnoticed contributions to society, but as a teacher I have a special appreciation for your line of work!”

This whole club was making me feel a little better about my new place in life. Like it will still make a difference. For the rest of the night, i meet construction workers, teachers, garbage men, and even more people working jobs I didnt even know existed.

The next day, I practically skipped on the way to the school. Being a janitor didnt sound so bad afterall.