🧱 The Reason I Stay

By Caleb
From Chronicles of a Quiet Fighter

O’Reilly’s is loud. Not just in sound—but in everything.

Phones ring, customers shout, engines rumble. Fluorescent lights glare like interrogation beams. My shirt clings when I sweat. Cardboard dust makes my throat itch. Everything feels too much.

But Miranda is there.

Some days, I drift. My voice disappears. My hands forget how to stim. I stare into space and float somewhere far above the counter, out where the noise can’t reach me. That’s not quitting. That’s surviving.
And Miranda notices. She always does.
She calls my name. Not too loud. Just enough to bring me back to earth.

I’ve worked here for three years. I could have left—should have, maybe. But I didn’t.
Because she’s still here.

I’ve had quiet jobs before. The hotel night shift was calm—like breathing in moonlight. But I was alone.
At Red Roof, I was the GM. It was hell. Constant pressure, no space to breathe.
Now, at O’Reilly’s, I’m back in the storm. But this time, I’ve got someone who won’t let me drown.

I’m autistic. This world doesn’t fit right.
But Miranda makes the unbearable bearable.

I don’t stay for the money.
I stay for her.

🛠 Sensory Survival Kit for O’Reilly's
(Cleveland TN Edition)

1. Tools for the Quiet Comebacks

• ✅ Miranda check-ins: Pre-shift grounding cue (“You good?” or “We got this”)
• ✅ Earplugs with selective attenuation (keeps voices clear, dampens chaos)
• ✅ Cooling cloth or wrist fan for heat + sweat regulation
• ✅ Black stim cube / spinner in your front pocket
• ✅ Mini-whiteboard or dry erase card for nonverbal moments

2. Recovery Rituals After Shift

• 🌙 No lights for 30 minutes
• 🛁 Warm shower with lavender soap
• 🎧 Low-frequency playlist (or cicadas if soothing)
• 🧸 Weighted blanket + Buc-ee + your go-to stim toy
• ☕ Safe food + hydration (Frozen Forest Crumble or mustard fries)

🟢 The Loyalty Flame
For staying in a sensory-intense job because your connection is stronger than the chaos.
Glows green when you’re tempted to leave—but remember why you stay.