Presley's Diary

I have never really been a part of a family. Yes I belong to a family genetically speaking... but growing up I only experienced comradery by joining a gang or playing sport. That is a very wide spectrum and maybe because of it I am somewhere in between. Friends from the streets, school, my sports teams. I have friends from work and nowadays I have friends from social media sites or dating apps. I have friends that I have become attached to for different reasons. Some are closer than family but Regardless of who, how or why. My friends come from various walks of life and in so many ways... we are all different.

For as long as I remember I wondered what it would be like to have a best friend. I often envisioned being part of a DJ and MC duo or being one half of a power couple in love. Day dreams of throwing a trophy winning alley-oop or building a dynasty with a boss like me. My best friend and I were suppose to do something great together, unfortunately I never met him... or her, until now. After 37 years of riding life's roller coaster, I found my co pilot and now I finally now what it's like to have a best friend. Chaz is best friend. He is my 11 Year old son, my middle child and the truth is if it wasn't for him I would not have survived the past few years. I was like Mark Wahlberg in the movie Invincible.. alone, punching holes in the walls of an empty apartment. Dealing with break up was hard on all of us. Luckily this young soul was around to keep me sane. 

Chaz was born out of love, pure love. After getting shot, I woke up in the hospital to learn my younger brother Chaz had not survived and before I knew what I was doing, I had asked my daughters mother if we can have a baby boy. My brother died a horrible and senseless death and I will write about it someday but I now realize that the subconscious idea of reincarnating my little brother into my son was the only thing that kept me alive after that tragic funeral.

I survived the ultimate depression and Somehow I have been able to give my son Chaz a better childhood than I had. It's far from living like the Huxtables and I have lost count of how many times I have had to tell my children, "Sorry Daddy can't afford that today". I am so honest with my kids that I never lied to them about Santa Claus or the Easter bunny. I don't hide my flaws or my struggle from my son. Story after story not to mention the hard times he has witnessed. It's been far from easy but Chaz gets it. He gets me and he knows he has to be better than me.

At times I often find myself stuck with a blank sky gazing stared while being sun-kissed by God and sunken into a state of gratifying shock.  I am mesmerized that I have survived thus far and forever grateful that God has given me to opportunity to see what I could have been. Chaz is a special child. Smart, talented and capable. This guy has a good heart, he is polite and well behaved, Chaz is loved by his peers and their parents. He has never had a fight in school and gets awards at every school assembly. He is everything I could of been with the right amount of love, attention and wisdom. He is the son I dreamt of having. Since I myself was in 6th grade I was determined to break the cycle but I realized moments ago, I could have never done it alone. Chaz, his mother and I...Together we broke the downward spiraling out of control self destructive Presley family cycle and have given Chaz a fair chance to be happy and successful in life.

In the process of trying to be the father I always wanted to have, I raised the son I always wanted to be. Chaz has become my best friend and my greatest accomplishment thus far. Sometimes I wish I could pause time and just live in this moment forever. We have been playing Chess against each since he was in 1st grade and he almost beat me on Christmas. He finally beat me in NBA 2K with a last second buzzer beater by Kyrie Irving and he acted like it was the highlight of his life. We shoot hoops together, We hit the batting cages and we both went camping for the first time last year. We went fishing, found some waterfalls on a hike and love crashing amusement parks as well. Lately we have been binging on Fortnite. Chaz is sooooo good is disgusts me. He is probably better than 90% of the globe and this game is so addicting, Last week I stayed up all nite playing. Literally all nite, which got me chewed out by my girlfriend because I never came to bed. SMH didn't care thou... I got to catch up to Chaz so we can play squads together. LOL.

I love Chaz so much I would die for him... just like his uncle died protecting his friends and family. This young man represents everything good about humanity. He is caring, honest, funny and humble. He is innocent, sinless, and karma free. I wish that would never change. I would die today to ensure my son Chaz would never regress into a state of ill mannered curiosity or negativity. I have done a great job thus far but Chaz is now at the age of influence, going into junior high next year he will began to change and Im scared I will not only lose my best friend but all the process we made breaking the cycle. Im scared I will loss my best friend to the lusts of the world and I know the direction Chaz goes will ultimately affect his younger brother AJ. So I'm not letting up. I will be there for you Chaz as long as I am alive you can count on me being by your side. After I'm gone you can count on my diary for wisdom and perspective but the bottom line is... it's up to you. Only you can keep the cycle broken.

So please forgive for every past scolding or ass whopping. Someday I might whoop your ass again, yell at you or even pop you in the back of your head... it's because I have too. It's because love you. It's because not only does your future depend on it... but quite their is a possibility the future of humanity could spend on you. So please Chas... stay focused, be good and work hard. Remember not to hurt anyone that isn't trying to hurt you and always fear death. The wrong drug, the wrong friend, the wrong way in life can get you killed and we only get one chance in this game of life.... it's up to you to make the most of it. Keep making me proud dude!

The reality is I slept in my truck the day I was hired at First Class Pizza. My truck was falling apart, my detailing business was slowing down for the winter plus I was alone, homeless and broke. I needed a part time job for "Life" but at that moment my main priority was being able to afford Christmas presents for my children.

Trying to get hired was very unorthodox to say the least but I did get hired after agreeing to "Audition" for the owner by working my first 2 hours for "free". The Owner (Rish Oberoi) said he had recently hired a bunch of kids that didn't work out and used that rational to justify him asking me to work for free. He said if the audition went well, I would be hired. So I agreed.

I got hired on a Thursday. In fact I was suppose to work that Friday and Sunday but I got called in 2 hours after I left the interview and I ended up working for the entire weekend. I wasn't just working or being the new guy. I worked so hard and learned so fast, the staff began to think I was the owner and this was undercover boss. One co worker even said that I would run circles around the owner Rish. I didn't need to be told what to do but I did ask for info on how to do a few things. I did jobs that even the manager refused to do like restrooms and other deep cleaning that had been neglected. All the staff and even the owner praised me. They said I was the best "worker" in Riverside and wondered how I had the energy. Having my own detailing company during the day, hitting the gym, being a father and then still giving a %110 percent for my evening shift had a few of them wondering what I was smoking. So I told them.... OG Indicas only!!!

It blew them away. How could a pot head be working smarter, harder, faster and without making mistakes. Regardless of how or why.... The new guy was better than all of them and that ended up being the problem. I didn't realize it but my work ethic and efforts created problems for this company. Within 2 weeks the owners was asking to give me more hours and responsibility. Even a majority of the staff asked me to be the manager but I couldn't accept more hours and had no interested in accepting more responsibility for minimum wage. I politely declined and asked to remain in the back of the house. I was already treating the company like it was my own. I literally spent my own money to buy the owner cleaning supplies because what they had wasn't good enough. The little things I was doing to improve the company was an example of what I am capable of doing if I was the manager but to be blunt... that's the owner's job and I had no interest in being under paid to do the owners job. I was just being me and showing my appreciation for being hired during the holidays but like I said.... my appreciation and efforts ended up being the problem.

Instead of offering me a fair wage to turn his company into a better, more profitable version of itself... Rish tried to take advantage of me at every chance he got. He neglected water spills, dirt, grime and customer service issues himself, only to pass it on to me. I remember clocking in and him immediately asking me to clean the restrooms while acknowledging that his lunch shift manager had neglected them. Then while in the process of doing that task, he stopped me from completing the restroom, because he wanted me to clean up a water spill. How could this college graduate, business owner and father not know that it's faster, easier and safer for him to clean up the spill himself when he sees it.... as oppose to hunting me to down to do it.

Now that the owner is taking advantage of me... the rest of the staff follows suit. Ashley, (who was hired as the bartender AFTER I told Rish I could handle the back of the house and the bar side as well) decided to walk a single dirty pitcher of beer from the bar side (which was on the other side of the restaurant and also has it's own wash station) all the way to my wash area where I am loaded with hundreds of dishes. So while I an running around like a Tasmanian Devil cleaning, restocking, busing tables and even cooking food. Ashley is texting on her phone, entertaining one customer at the bar and too busy learning how to use a direct TV remote to wash one freaking dirty dish. Instead She had the nerve to walk all the way over to me and add it to my pile. #Disrespectful

During my employment I learned that Rish had a stereotype that he wanted to cater too and he envisioned his bartenders to be attractive women and in conclusion it was the main reason he didn't let me run the bar while I managed the back of house as well. Meanwhile his stereotype of needing an attractive female to bartend was costing him more than he could ever imagine.

Ashley was not ugly but she wasn't pretty either and for some reason her make up made it worse. Some women can pull you in with their make up... her make up scared people away. I could tell she use to be or still is a tweaker but I never seen a tweakers work ethic from Ashley except her first night back, after she got fired. That night was the only night she had shown any appreciation for her job opportunity. She didn't have common sense either. The same night Ashley tried to have me wash her dirty pitcher was the same night I had to save her from a few belligerent drunks.

We we're suppose to close at 9pm that night and around 7pm Ashley had complained about the how the guys were hitting on her. She said it was making her uncomfortable but for some wacky reason she continued to serve them. I wasn't there but I assumed that it was her hoping to get tip money. 9pm rolls around and they are still there sipping and Ashley acts as if she is overwhelmed. She says she can't take it anymore and clocks out. She leaves and returns with her boyfriend who arrived on a bicycle. Meanwhile the new manager Arianna and I are left to defuse and deal with the problems she created and let fester. I had to deal with the rude, disrespectful drunks which was not only unsafe but could have cost me my job or my freedom depending on how I responded and even thou it was not my responsibility I handled it like I owned the place... without incident, while working for minimum wage and no tips. It was actually quite simple and textbook.

I had to deal with situations like that but I couldn't take it personal. The drunk didn't know me. However Ashley and Rish do know me and they both still put me in that position and I still had their backs even thou I know they don't respect me or appreciate me. I tried to talk myself in to giving Rish the benefit of the doubt but that dude went to Penn State, (worst college in America by the way) so he knows the consequences of putting an inexperienced make up queen behind the bar and he thought it was okay to ignore those consequences in spite of him making a few more dollars. I have to take it personal because I know it's not only costing an extra persons hourly wage, but having someone that doesn't care or doesn't get it, can cost much more than an hourly wage. meanwhile he wants to send people home when it slows down to save his costs not considering the time, gas and commitments of the employee he is sending home. This is why I have always been self employed... not matter how hard you work, no matter how reliable you are or how good you are too people... they will more often than not try to take advantage of you. Thank god I was in a position to walk away. I truly feel awful for those that CAN'T or don't have the nerve to. We all deserve better than that.

The General manager's name was Anthony Biggs. I knew within 5 minutes of meeting him he was trouble. He is a drama queen who is unhappy and insecure with himself so he projects it onto others. He normally works lunch shift and I worked evenings so we never really crossed paths until I came in  during lunch to check the schedule and I knew within 5 minutes that he was not a good person. I shared a little bit about my interactions with Anthony a few weeks in my Fall Recap but since then it got worse. Everyone at the pizza shop knew Anthony was a drama queen. They all agreed his was shitty manager and even worse person. He even announced that he would erase all the recipes from the company if he was fired. They all knew that my work ethic had him worried. So worried, he thought that I was a going to take his job. Even the Owner Rish found me cleaning the drains one day without being asked and he literally said " This is why I love You"... then he continued by saying " I have fought with Anthony because he refused to clean the drains." I just laughed because I knew if I told him what I really felt, that would have been my last day. So not only was my work ethic stirring fear in the less appreciative employees but the owner knew it and even added fuel to the fire by trying to boast about my productivity. I realized I was on borrowed time when Arrianna ( the new night manager who was hired by Anthony) told me that Anthony Biggs told her " no matter what I did right, she was suppose to tell the owner that I did everything wrong."

Can you believe the nerve of this fruitcake nutcase Anthony Biggs? He was literally trying to conspire with another manager against me all because I was hard working, appreciative and good at what I do. It wasn't like he was protecting a $100,000 job. He was being evil and cutthroat to secure his job as a $12.00 an hour pizza manager. To be honest a younger version of me would have followed him home and beat his ass but I just kept telling myself it will work out and if not I could always blog about it. lol! The worst part is the owner Rish became aware of all this and decided to keep Anthony on board for some mind boggling reason. Like I said in my previous post it felt like the owner Rish was being held hostage... or even being extorted because I was only there 8 weeks and I acknowledged that Anthony Biggs work ethic, managerial behaviors and his core characteristics were costing First Class Pizza at least $100,000 per year. From customer service, to food prep, to managing the pizza line, the entire restaurant was sub standard. Bottom line was a he was scarring away good customers and good employees. While I was spending my own money to buy Rish cleaning supplies, his so called general manager was day dreaming of ways to get rid of the best employee.

The final straw came right after thanksgiving. I went to pick up my check in my girlfriends car because my truck was overheating, so I had envisioned using the check to fix my truck but when I went to pick up my check, all I found was an empty envelope. I instantly knew it would be my last day. Everybody else's envelope was sealed, mine was not. I was the only employee that was getting paid cash So technically my envelope was the only one that SHOULD have been sealed. It wasn't... it was empty. Everyone else got paid that day but I didn't. Both managers that were there at the time acted as if they were to busy to be concerned, which furiated me even more. I had these managers back and the work ethic I provided made their shifts much easier. So I was instantly unstable and part of me wanted to open the register and take my money but I left to avoid making any mistakes. I didn't even bother texting or calling the owner Rish Oberoi that night. I was upset with feelings of anger, betrayal, confusion and I had no control over those emotions. I did nothing wrong... actually I did everything right but I was backed in this corner and I have learned the hard way that nothing good was going to come of the situation if I tried to deal with it in that emotional state. Plus there was a slight chance it was all a misunderstanding, right? I knew that I needed to sleep on it. Thankfully between the gym, Dr Diaz and my top shelf indica I was able to relax my mind.

I woke up and went to work that Tuesday morning at the Corona Airport and while I was working around 7am my intuition took control of my perspective. In my mind, it was no longer possible that someone stole the cash that was put in the envelope for me but instead I was inclined to think that the cash was never put in there to begin with. After working there for 8 weeks I observed the lead manager spending more time on the phone with Rish than working. For some reason Rish felt the need to call the shop every hour during closing and his communication with them was non stop every night from diner rush to closing. If it was slow he was telling the manager to send people home, even if they just clocked in. If there was a grub hub order he was telling them so because his system was insufficient. He even called me at 8:30pm one night to ask me about a yelp review... on my night off! So when He let the evening and the next morning pass without acknowledging my missing paycheck I knew he was in on it.

If someone stole $250 from the cash register, Rish would have blown up all of our phones at midnight to figure it out but now he is acting like he doesn't even know that I'm upset about my "Empty Envelope". How could he not know? Everyone knew my envelope was empty... you mean to tell me not one of the managers discussed it with him? So I waited till 9am ( normal business hours ) the next morning to call him. It went straight to voicemail and said he was out of the country... which was not true. I tried to call him about dozen times. I sent him several text messages. I did not get any type of reply until I sent a message to the group chat he started with all his employees to discuss the schedule. I took a screenshot of the group text... this was the response of people that I somehow worked with for 8 weeks.

Now I only sent the text into the group chat to provoke a reaction. I just needed someone to acknowledge that I actually worked there. I never filled out an application. Never signed a W-4 or 1099. He never even asked for my ID or Drivers License ( yet he asked me to deliver pizzas), so there was really no proof I even worked there considering he was paying me in cash. So I had to get a response to use as leverage. I got so much more than expected. The cold hearted responses I got filled in all the blanks and ended up giving the insight I needed to move forward. The first response in light blue was rude and adamant that he didn't care. The 2nd response suggested that my payment was in a check form, however I found out that the person owning that number already new I was getting paid cash. The 3rd reply was just an emoji hand waving goodbye.

I got my proof I worked there but I also got enough vowels to solve the puzzle on the wheel of misfortune. The person that replied second is a pregnant manager that I had not only intended to get Christmas present for but also a baby shower gift. Marissa Jones seemed to be a good person but I guess that was just a facade. She knew 100% that I got paid in cash. So for her to responded by saying " they can't cash it" meant she was in on "IT". At first I thought it was Anthony who took my money in an attempt to get rid of me but if we presented all the evidence in a court of law... Marissa would be found guilty if it was proven she knew cash was regularly in the envelope. This was a fact. Everyone knew, even the new manager Arianna. Maybe she or her boyfriend Alex ( who also worked there ) stole it or maybe she knew what kind of game the owner was playing but I knew then it was far from a misunderstanding, my gut instinct was right once again.

It took over 4 days to get a face to face with the owner Rish and his dumb ass decided to have this conversation in his shop, in front of his customers. They heard the entire interaction. First he claimed he had know idea I didn't get paid. Then he claimed that I wasn't answering my phone calls after I asked why he wasn't answering my phone calls. He said my phone was broken, So I called him right there in front of everyone. His phone did not ring. He had be blocked or something. He then tried to call me and immediately it went through proving it was his international phone problem... not mine but instead of apologizing his bitch ass literally said " That's impossible". What do you mean impossible Rish? We just saw it happen. Then Rish claimed he filled, licked and sealed the envelope himself. Which is absolutely false but him saying so had me thinking he and Marissa was on the same page of corruption. I also considered that he may have gave that responsibility to someone else and just didn't want to admit that he risked it all by leaving the payroll in the wrong hands. Regardless I told him I didn't trust him anymore and I just wanted my money so I could leave and move on with my life. He was literally trying to piss me. He was stalling, lying, and playing some sort of ill-mannered game that almost triggered a very unhealthy response from me. I explained my point of view in front of the customers and they heard him play dumb. Instead of apologizing and taking the appropriate actions that SHOULD HAVE ensued, he was on the defense because in his perspective I was accusing him... of something. I explained that it's his shop so he is responsible for fixing this problem. He began to act like it wasn't his problem and basically accused me of taking a full envelope even thought I opened in front of staff and cameras. Rish kept playing his game thinking he was in a safe place to push those buttons.. when about 30 minutes into our conversation, I barked at him. I announced in front of everyone I was recording this entire conversation and less than a minute later I had a check in my hands for the $400 that was owed to me.

I immediately left and never felt any regret for how things turned out. I did everything right. I was hard working, honest, loyal, reliable, generous and friendly. I went beyond the call of duty and extended myself for Rish and his company at a minimum wage pay rate but it still didn't work out for some reason So the man in the mirror tried to tell me I could improve and find a way to be a better leader... but with a few weeks to reflect on this situation I have realized that it's not me that needs the improvement, it's our society. If working hard or having a higher standard is going to be a problem, that type of environment doesn't deserve me. There are way to many food establishments like First Class Pizza. I could literally write a television sitcom based upon my experiences and it can only be described as Sad. At one point I hoped to help whip First Class Pizza into shape. I hoped that one day I could be proud of working there. I hoped that I could trust the owner and crew enough to endorse the company on my radio station. I had even hoped to hold trophy and awards ceremonies for my son's basketball team at First Class Pizza but the reality is I could not even muster enough courage to eat anything at that establishment. I worked there for 8 weeks and cleaned my ass off and it was still no where near acceptable. It wasn't clean enough or fresh enough.  After seeing that restaurant from behind the scenes I would strongly encourage everyone to avoid eating at First Class Pizza. The staff don't time stamp the food. The fridge does not have a first in first out system. The don't wear gloves and everything has cross contamination. The kids don't care if the dishes are clean or if the food is fresh. The only changed the cooking oil once in the 8 weeks I worked there. You can't blame the kids! yeah everyone should have self awareness, morals and pride to do the right thing but leadership starts at the top and it would be better if the owner was better. Even the owner Rish was still trying to sell salads containing romaine lettuce when there was an E. Coli outbreak that had it all recalled. He only stopped after a customer made a big deal about it. There will not be prompt service and quite frankly it's over priced.

I never intended to bad mouth First Class Pizza or anyone working there but this is my diary and this is a true story. As always there are several sides / perspectives to every story but my diary is clear on the difference between facts and opinions, The facts I have shared would stain any one's brain and I can only pray that my children never have to work in an environment like that or for a employer like Rish Oberoi.  Luckily for me, during the 8 weeks I worked there I was able to find a girlfriend, fix my truck and get up out the streets. So I was able to brush it off and keep it moving without letting First Class Pizza and company bring out the Hulk in me. I am still moving forward in life, progressing and in a lot of ways this hiccup of a side job ended up bringing out a better version of me. This struggle actually helped me grow. It helped me realize I am in more control of my emotions than I thought I was. It reminded me of how special I am because I care and I try. I was blind and settled for less because I found a comfort zone but the reality is That company doesn't deserve someone like me. In the 8 weeks I worked there First Class Pizza hurt me more than it helped me and that is why I quite First Class Pizza.