Things Warm Up

On Saturday, the 4^th of August, I went to work as usual. I intended to quit as soon as he paid my wages, at the end of the day. I was fed up with the man, and his bad manners.

That day, after just three hours of work, the telephone on Ivan's desk rang. Ivan was in front of the shop, taking care of his motorbikes (which he rents). As usual, I was in front of the shop, selling tickets. He immediately started talking to me in his usual nasty way: “Pedro! THE PHONE!”. The tone was the one you use to ask something to someone who should know he has to do it, without anyone asking. Supposedly, I should answer the phone on my own.

The problem with this “theory” is that it doesn't make any sense. Not once during the week did I answer the phone. After all, it takes authority to take the phone of the boss and answer his calls (and seating at his chair, by the way?!). An authority I didn't have. He can give me his business, if he wants to give me authority. I won't refuse it.

This tone, its complete lack of sense, after a full week of vexations, was too much for me. I told him straight in the face that his manners were rude. Instead of backing down, he immediately fired me. That was the least of my worries, I was going to quit anyway.

But I wanted my money, and I told him. His garbage-manners showed off immediately. He told me I was just a piece of shit, and I wouldn't see the color of my money. We started throwing flowers at each other. I told him he was despicable, and I would make him pay. He told me I was an idiot thinking he had come to Malta to “make the law”. I could have asked him, ironically, if Maltese law allows maltese employers to steal foreigners.

From the days I worked for him, and from the comments of others coworkers, I discovered his main characteristics:

1. the man loves money above everything else.
2. he despises foreigners intensely
3. despite despising them, he doesn't have the balls to cut ties with them (customers and employees), because he needs them to make money.

A quick note about point 2: foreigners tend, whenever they are in conflict with someone of their host country, to throw the catchwords of “racism” and “xenophoby” at their opponent. Those attack are, very often, sickening and dishonest. If a foreigner behaves as a criminal or simply as an idiot, he deserves to be treated harshly in response. And that is not “racism”. Moreover, the simple fact of distrusting foreigners, of not wanting to associate with them, is perfectly legitimate. It very often makes sense, from a practical point of view. That said, there is indeed something called “xenophoby” which is sick and immoral. Treating foreigners like garbage, just because they are foreigners, falls in this category. And Ivan The Crook has this trait of character.

That day, even after our angry argument, Ivan refused to pay me. He even tried to fool me into committing a crime, so as to have a pretext to jail me.

Every day, at the beginning of work, we would be given a banana bag with 25€ in notes and coins: the float of the day, used to give change to customers. That money has to be given back at the end of the day.

After our hot-tempered discussion, and facing his shameless dishonesty, I could have taken it, to pay a part of what was owed to me. Morally speaking, I was in my right to do so. The man was telling me in the face that he didn't have the intention to pay me what he owed. He was telling me, basically, that he was a thief. So, taking the money from this dishonest man would be nothing wrong. But legally, this would have been considered a theft, and he would use it against me in a legal fight. So when I handed him back the bag, he refused it. He told me, with sarcasm, to keep it. I had to place it in front of him.

I went into the shop and sat in the couch for some time, so as to pressure him. Seeing that he wouldn't pay me, I left him and the place, so as to think more calmly about my next moves...