Ani Difranco's national tour was countermanded by the pandemic. With no income, she was hurtled into uncharted territory: working at Taco Tico in downtown Buffalo. She applied for the manager position, but her interview didn't go so well because the interviewer was Karl Rove. They ended their heated exchange on a conciliatory note: she would be hired as an assistant manager. As soon as she got on the floor, the customers came in flocks - mostly, her most ardent lackeys. She was irate during her first shift: the unchecked horrors of hard-shelled peppercorns in the meat, sneers from obnoxious customers, oh-so-obvious mistakes by the staff, and ill-founded recommendations from upper management. By closing time, Ani felt as if she was on a ship that had capsized - lettuce was strewn on the floor and coils of receipts still had to be counted. They locked the front door and turned up the music of John Prine, the raspy-voiced heartland troubadour. Ani took her staff on a jaunt through the store to teach them how to improve for the next shift. Her dreams of a successful first shift fizzled but she was able to learn from the staff's many foibles. Within a week, Ani led an ebullient shift and she even sang "Napoleon" for some horrified customers.*****
Color words: countermand, hurtled into uncharted territory, conciliatory, lackey, unchecked horrors, sneer, oh-so-obvious mistakes, ill-founded, capsize, raspy-voiced heartland troubadour, jaunt, foible, fizzle, ebullient
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