They hired me as a clerk in the bookstore.

I forget how much they paid but it wasn't much. Maybe $7 an hour? Maybe less 5.50? Anyhoo

It was a new bookstore across the street from the Embarcadero Center. The main bookstore was a famous technical bookstore on Market St that had been there for years. They had decided to open an adjunct bookstore  in the financial district so business types didn't have to walk ten blocks to shop. 

The manager was transferred from their Modesto location. She was cool and kinda laid back. I guess the Modesto store had been a success so they moved her to the big city. 

Most of the other clerks were weird brainiac types who were into obscure writers I'd never heard of. 

"You've never heard of J. Z. McFlintlock?! OMG wtf?"

"Yeah I like Larry McMurtry. I think he was the inspiration for Kesey's character McMurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Kesey had participated in Stanford Psychedelic tests which I think was also an inspiration for the setting at a mental institution. Tom Wolfe's book is a pretty great telling of Kesey and his Merry Pranksters!"

"Oh you should read Esther Grimey! She is dark!"

"Huh"

The shipping clerk in the basement had an encyclopedic knowledge of movies. It was incredible. He could go on for hours about minor characters in B films from the thirties etc. I was like what are you doing in the basement? You should be teaching film or writing a book!

The assistant manager was a very straight non literary type who was all business. He had a French wife and he used to bring large bags of popcorn that he created custom seasonings for. 

The manager had to deal with the district manager who was a short little bossy man who came around occasionally and complained. She grew to dislike him. I always wondered if they'd had a relationship before. It was weird. 

I was into Paris in the twenties around then and would order books from that time to try to sell. I'd make a display of them but nobody bothered. Computer books were the thing. DOS, How to Write C++, Fortran. Buzzoring!

On my birthday the manager took me on a ferry to Sausalito and we got drunk. We had a good time but we were gone from the store for hours. When we got back the district manager was there and he was red faced with anger.

"Where have you been?!"

Later she told me he could fuck off. Lol