*The Phantom Contract Chronicles: Notes from a Coloured Girl’s "Trial" Shift*

It’s not every day a girl gets “fired” from a place she technically never worked. Yes, four solid weeks, countless coffee cups, and a trial shift that stretched like taffy across every single weekend until, poof—I'm suddenly “not what the business needs.” But what exactly does that mean? Well, it seems that the unofficial contract reads: *We’ll pay you, just don’t go asking for more than crumbs... or acknowledgment... or, heaven forbid, a real contract.*

Apparently, “not aligned with our business needs” is corporate speak for *Don’t expect anything beyond a friendly pat on the back and maybe some cake scraps on a good day.* I suppose I missed the memo where it says that girls with skin like mine, Coloured and African, shouldn’t ask for anything beyond what’s casually doled out.

Mind you, these four weeks weren’t without their...revelations. Let’s just say that “quality control” wasn’t exactly a kitchen priority. There’s a thing called HACCP compliance, which, judging by what I saw, might as well be a mythical beast lurking out in the parking lot. And just imagine my surprise when one of the owners casually picked up a pastry that had *graced the floor* (a floor with enough foot traffic to rival the taxi rank) and placed it right back on the tray of “delicious” baked goods for sale. I even got the honor of being asked to do it myself one day—an opportunity I declined with a polite *thanks, but no thanks.*

After all, there’s this thing I try to live by: *don’t do unto others.* I’m not about to serve up a floor-dusted sausage roll as a delicacy to anyone, especially while being told I should be grateful for the chance. Maybe the secret ingredient of my worth is a lot of silence and an “appreciative” smile. Or maybe it’s time to tear that recipe up. Because I wasn’t made for their small box, for the head-hung-low, “thank you, sir” existence. African women aren’t lining up to play small anymore, least of all me.

 

Alas....the day continues...