My First Job
When I was sixteen, I got my first job at an ice cream shop near the beach. I worked there every summer afternoon from three o'clock until nine. I wanted to earn money to buy a new bicycle.
The first week was difficult. There were twenty-four flavours, and I always forgot where each one was. Once, a customer asked for mint and I gave him pistachio, because they are both green. He laughed and said he liked pistachio too, so it was fine.
My manager, Yoni, was patient with me. He showed me how to hold the scoop and how to make the ice cream look nice in the cone. He also told me to always smile, even when the shop was very busy and there was a long line of hot, tired people.
The busiest days were Fridays. Sometimes I served more than a hundred customers in one afternoon, and my arm hurt at the end of the day. But I liked talking to people, especially to the children who could not decide which flavour to choose.
At the end of the summer, I had enough money for the bicycle. I still ride it today, and every time I pass an ice cream shop, I remember that summer.