The day I pushed a loaded cart from Brackett Hall to Madren Center

  This story dates back 20 years back when I was a student, working in catering at Madren Center , employed through Aramark.

It was the time when the evaluations for AP - Advance Placement - classes was being conducted at Clemson University. There were two centers on campus, Vinay M and someone (Beth/Karen)managed one. My best friend Mildred Webb and I managed the other one at Brackett Hall. Our job was to fill up carts with water, soda, dry snacks (pretzels, tex-mex, chips) and sandwiches etc. Drive up to Brackett Hall twice, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. The evaluators were to be served for about 3 hours each time and then drive back to Madren Center. Vinay and I also helped with initial cleaning for the evening functions before heading home - money for overtime was good for 2+ weeks :D

One particular day, Mildred had to leave early and she mentioned to me that someone would pick me up around the time the shift ended. I wrapped up after the second session and was waiting for my ride back. Unfortunately it did not happen - the heading does state that kind of giving away the surprise..

I called Madren and heard someone was on the way, but nothing happened for 15-20 mins. This repeated another 3-4 times and it had been more than an hour since my shift there was supposed to end. The easiest thing would have been to leave the cart as is, walk down College Avenue to Village Green. But as any Indian student who did not have a scholarship, came from a middle class background, I calculated the overall value of items still on the cart and deduced that 25-30 hours worth of work was reason enough to stay with the cart.

Another couple of calls later and assurances from Frank who was one of the chefs, that someone is on the way did not help. I finally decided to push the cart to Madren Center hoping someone from catering would eventually meet me on the way. In order to achieve this, I decided to take a route which involved pushing this loaded cart way up the incline towards "Death Valley". Also thinking that from there to Perimeter Road, its all a downward slope - but not with a loaded cart ...

Though it does no snow in Clemson, it does get nippy during Winter and early Spring. Similarly during summers, it gets crazier in the late afternoon, early evening. Though the temperatures don't go through the roof, the nearby lakes cause tremendous humidity and drains you with sweat. Already exhausted by the climb upto Tiger Stadium, then moved ahead of the cart in order for it to not be a runaway vehicle.

Just past the first intersection, saw Brooks and Brian delivering something at the auditorium. They too asked me to wait where I was and that they would be back soon after delivering food. (They ran into some lock and key issue and hence the delay to no-show) Another 20 minutes and seeing no one, already drenched in sweat, started to push the cart back down. Till now, it was all single lane and a decent side-walk with hardly any traffic around. Perimeter road was tricky as I had to push cart across 4 lanes where vehicle speeds were definitely higher. We have all seen hawkers push carts in India and surely be happening elsewhere too. (Massive Respect to those who have to do it throughout for 2 meals a day) I have never ever seen a cart pushed on a 4 lane road in the US till date. Pushed the cart as fast I could from of what seemed like a jogging, cycling lane.

I am guessing it took me one and half hours or so to reach the loading dock at Madren Center. Ashu, Swati and Christy were chatting during their break as I stopped at the ramp. I asked for 2 water bottles (could not use the ones from the cart as they were accounted for), poured one straight over my head. The second one, drank till the last drop while I sat on a chair completely drained. Their faces were agape when they knew what I had just done. 

I got a drop home as happened on most days and the next day I was a HERO !! Almost all managers came and said that they were sorry for what I had to go through. Looking back, it was probably a mix of concern as well fear of getting sued :P Frank, a chef who had served in the US Armed Forces, came up tp me, put his hand on my shoulder and said "This is what everyone should be doing, alas most of them would have run away"

A very long and tiresome day but get to reminisce it with fond remembrance so all worth it..