Mark clocked in and went upstairs as usual. He changed into his slip-resistant shoes and put on a light sweater. He then put on his lab coat and placed a bunch of sealed swabs into the pockets. He grabbed a contaminant counter and went down to the packaging area. He tested all the cutting lines and the packaging lines. The packaging supervisor came in as he finished his inspection. He told the supervisor that the workers may now come in and begin their working.
He stayed and watched the workers as usual. They came in and went to the sinks. They washed and sanitized their hands according to protocol. A young Mexican girl named Neri caught his eye. He watched as she headed straight to the packaging line without washing or sanitizing her hands. He stopped her and led her to the sinks. He showed her how to clean her hands. Afterward, he went to the holding cooler and grabbed some finished product to take to the lab for testing. He could not stop his mind from wandering. He wanted to speak with Neri. However, he was apprehensive because a man cannot speak with the younger Mexican women without permission from the older Mexican ladies. He decided that he could at least look at her and have fantasies at home.
Break was over for the packaging workers. Mark went downstairs and watched as they came back in. He caught a couple of people not washing. Neri came in, and he watched her intently as though she would disappear if he took his eyes off her. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw three of the older Mexican ladies. He became uneasy when he noticed that they were walking in his direction. They started giggling and teasing Neri about the attention. One started playing with his beard guard and moving it off his beard. Mark smiled at the attention and told her in Spanish that she needed to wash her hands again. They stopped with surprise. In the three months that he worked with them in the packaging department, he never showed that he could speak or understand Spanish.