Time marches on, life moves forward and things change.

My first REAL job was here, at this Hardees.  Yes, this exact one.  I worked there with several of my friends off and on throughout high school.

Tonight I drove past and all that is left is rubble.  They’re rebuilding, putting in another Hardee’s – but it will never be MY Hardee’s.

The Hardee’s where Jeffy almost broke my nose one night when I was NOT actually employed there but helping them close up.

The Hardee’s where we spent hours chatting in the parking lot while I gave, and got, back rubs…and braided the boys’ (yes, boys’) hair.

The Hardee’s that I worked at and got so much grease embedded into my hair JUST by working there, that it took 3 months after I left for good for my hair to ACTUALLY become clean.

The booth that was OUR booth.  We ate there, talked there, I even had my interview there. 

The booth that I sat in and laughed my BUTT off because for the first time in my life I’d seen someone literally GRAY in the face!! Kel-Kel…I swear I will NEVER forget that New Years party…and I wasn’t even there.

Our manager, Dave…who I still see and looks like a crazy mountain man now…but was a cool manager.

The tons and tons of free chicken I took home because it was leftover.  That my family pigged out on at every sinle party we had…and it was GOOD.

The endless amounts of 1/4-cheese ketchup&mustard only w/ fries that I ate…I still dream about the damn fries.

And last but not least…that monster under the CIRO-D.  It haunted us for years…and even after the remodel that monster was there…hiding in the fat vats.  We all knew it…but the destruction of the building has taken that all away…

Hardee’s – I hated you, but I loved you.  We had some hilarious times there…especially when the closing team was a group of band geeks.  I’ll miss you as I knew you…filthy and disgusting as you were.

******

And no, I can’t believe that I just waxed nostalgic over Hardee’s…but it really made me sad.  The building NEEDED to be demolished…but I’ll still always remember it fondly as my first place of employment…where I worked with a lot of my friends and I continued to hangout and ‘work’ at after I STOPPED collectin paychecks.