Starr Market

I drove to the small city of Atwater to my next account. Its a large store sitting just off the northern exit of highway 99. like I said it was the day before turkey day, everything being on sale, the store was totally wiped out of product. All the shelves, displays and coolers were empty. I was not paid to merchandise stores. I was paid to sell Coca-Cola. I was good at it, Well actually I was very good at it. I was told once by the plant manager of Pepsi-Cola that I could sell ice to and Eskimo. I believed in what I was doing so I did my job very well. So... I started the manual labor job of filling shelves, coolers, vista coolers, racks and displays. I would write down on a piece of paper what I needed to fill a rack walk to the back of the store, go through the back room to a storage filled with different beverages. Pepsi, Coke, 7-up, and all kinds of beer. Once to my produce I had to lift product onto a cart and then make my way back to the front of the store and make placement. It was about my fifth trip and I was running behind the clock. It was about 11:30 and I still had a full day ahead of me. I had climbed over a pallet of cans and was standing in a very small space. I mean it was small. I really didn't have enough room to turn around in. I needed 2 liter mt dew bottles. They were berried in the corner just out of my reach. I had a heck of a time digging out cans trying to make a hole big enough so I could get them out. After a lot of effort I was finally able to start pulling 2 liters. I had to reach out and over in a ockward way that placed me off ballance. I was now lifting with my arms and back rather than my legs. I was in a hurry. I needed the product. The shelves had to be filled. I had more stores that needed me that day. What could happen? Well.. It did happen.. I bent down to pick up a case of eight 2 liters. Weight.. Maybe twenty five pounds.. Well because I was off ballance, reaching incorrectly and lifting something to heavy for me in that possition. I grabbed the case with both hands and with a mighty jurk. It happened. I felt a pain. Not just a pain. It was the father of pain. A fathers, faters pain. I dropped the mt dew and hit the ground. I couldn't move. I had a pain running from the small of my back dowwn both legs and stopping in my big toes. I began to perspire. SWEAT. I have never felt so much pain in one spot before. I thought I as going to die. I was actually wanting to die at this point. I felt like I was falling apart. I layed partly on the ground and partly over cases of soda. I was in a very bad spot. I lay there for about ten minutes resting trying to build up enough streangth and courage to bring myself to a standing possition so I could finish merchandising and write an order for Fridays delivery. Also known of as Black Friday.