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After a 'morning shower', I drove to Stewart's Shopping Center, ten miles from my front door. Since I was interviewing for a Grill Person job, I dressed casual, not sloppy, casual. The fact that I was applying for a job on McNormal's Midnight Shift indicated I needed a job pretty bad. The impression I wanted to make was that I would require a minimum of training to do the job. I didn't dress too well for fear the interviewer would consider I had a bad attitude. When you need a job,"Necessity precludes pride in times of hardship."

Arriving at Stewart's Shopping Center fifteen minutes early for the interview gave me a chance to look over the local geography. Being familiar with the area would make it easier for me to sell myself to Barbera.

Stewart's Shopping Center seemed to be about twelve years old. The parking lot pavement was bleached gray from the sun. The white parking space lines painted on the pavement were crinkled; it was obvious there were several coats of overlapped paint. The blinking bank sign with the burnt out bulbs flashed 8:5C (A.K.A. 8:50), when I pulled into the parking area in front of McNormal's. There were thirteen shops in Stewart's Shopping Center, arranged in a semi-circle surrounding McNormal's.

At 8:55, I took a deep breath and thought to myself,"Here goes anything." I exitted the car and locked the door. I stretched and took one last look around the Shopping Center before heading up the steps into McNormal's.

The side entrance seemed like the best way to enter the store, undetected by the cashiers behind the counter. The door glass was clean. The main dining area was mostly empty. It seemed breakfast was nearly over. I found a seat where I could observe and not be seen.