Too Young to Choose It
The '70s were the birth of the supermarkets. Safeway, the American chain, was expanding into Scotland. I worked the night shift at Paisley Road West while wondering what choices to make in life. One evening, we had a new employee.
The night shift procedure was routine: pull out the pallets of stock, spot them in the appropriate aisles, price and pack the items. By the time the stock was cleared—around 3 a.m.—the weariness of the night overwhelmed us. The numbing fatigue was exasperated by the gentle rhythm of the David Bowie song on the radio: “You're too old to lose it, too young to choose it.”
“Okay, you two, start washing the floor,” the night manager said to me and the new boy.
“What part?” the new boy asked.
“All of it,” the manager replied.
The new boy took in a panoramic view of the floor and asked, “All that?” with a look of disbelief.
“All of it,” the boss repeated.
“I’m out of here. I’m getting my jacket.”
He walked into the darkness. A few moments later, he banged on the plate-glass window and shouted, “You’re all a bunch of losers!”
We all turned away and got on with the work, singing “You’re a rock and roll suicide” to the chorus of Bowie’s song. I then mused over the remaining hours: What will I do with my life?
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