Listen to "Chillin' at the Papa" while reading the story.
My first story (Wonder What I'd Be) was about my most personal song, so for my second, I'll tell the story behind my most popular. "Chillin' at the Papa" was years in creating, but minutes in writing. I had actually joked with one of my managers, named Holly, about writing it, just as a theme for the employees there. Then, a few years ago (I can't even remember which Christmas, gasp), I drew Michelle's name in a secret santa drawing. I had to get her a deeply thoughtful, yet inexpensive gift, so I made her a personalized videotape with messages from myself and coworkers. I also wrote the song "Chillin' at the Papa" for her as a Christmas present. At the end of the videotape, it actually shows me recording the song on my computer.
I guess I'll just pull something random things out of the song. I worked a lot of day shifts with Michelle, including 11-7, 11-8, 11-9, and 11-10, and later on 10-7, 10-5, etc. Hence "from eleven to seven, or sometimes 8, 9, or 10... it could be worse, I could spend all day listening to Matt curse." He swore more than anyone at work, and possibly more than anyone I've ever known, and the music was also blasting on his shifts, but they were usually fun in a wild kind of way, hence the laughing after that line. "I've got cardboard cuts on my hands from folding boxes." I've folded 10,000s of boxes in my days at the Papa, and had hundreds of cardboard cuts from it. "Calling from their cell phone, waiting on the metro, hoping they get home before we go on the deliv, and I relive every moment as I give them the benefit of the doubt when they say that they were never out of their room. So I zoom, zoom zoom zoom, back to their dorm... winter storm." I can't even begin to tell you how many times people have called from uptown, clearly still at a bar from the loud background noises, and expected to get home before we make the delivery. The amount of people who lie and say they never left their room is even more staggering. If you've ever done this, please wait until you're home before you order. :) Of course, we always end up taking the food back out (unless they pass out and call to complain the next day), and I've done it quite a few times during heavy winter storms.
"Hello? Hi. Did you order Papa John's? No. Is this 308 MacCracken Hall? Yes. Did your roommate order? I don't know." CLICK! Aside from the room number, I've had this exact conversation. She really did say she didn't order, and when I asked if her roommate did, she really did say "I don't know" and then hung up on me. I'm pretty certain it was MacCracken Hall it happened at, though not really certain that it was 308. 308 just popped into my head and has stuck ever since.
"My last tip was two quarters on a $150 order." ok, so I've never gotten two quarters on a $150 order, but I have gotten two quarters, and I have taken orders larger than $150 where there was no tip at all. To this day, my most confusing delivery tip came on a $60 order. She wrote a check for $61.50. $1.50's ok for a student special, or if the order is $13.49, and you give $15 (though I would make it at least $17 on a delivery, and probably just give a waiter or waitress a $20 and tell them to keep it because I'm a crazy good tipper), but writing in $1.50 to a $60 order on a check just plain hurt my head.
"Complain complain that's all we do." Yes, we do bitch about not getting tipped, or getting cheap tips, such as $1 on an $18 order paid for with an MU Bucks card that has a $1500 remaining balance. If you've ever worked for tips, I know you've bitched about it too. It's just something you do when you feel un(der)appreciated. I try not to do it, and most of the time am successful, but sometimes I can't help it. "Give me the phone and I'll break it." The aforementioned Matt broke the phone by slamming to hard once. "Hey Lindsay turn off the water." She left the water running, and flooded one of the rooms with half an inch of standing water. "Angela's got a beautiful daughter, oops I mean son. I'm just trying to rhyme." I really was just trying to rhyme. Angela is the only employee still at Papa John's that gets mentioned in the song, by the way, aside from myself, but I never use my name in it.
Either I just made the song worse or better for you, but now you know the motivation behind it.
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