To Quit or Not To Quit... That Is a VERY Good Question!

I've been sitting here writing for the longest time, trying to describe the details of a situation I had regarding my part time liquor store job. It's a rather complicated story, with aparantly too many sub-plots for me to be able to write a concise and understandable 'Readers Digest' version.

Essentially, I received a phone call on Monday morning from my boss accusing me of stealing (or being complicit in a theft). Loudly, meanly, harshly, threateningly. It was absolutely devastating and terrifying. I had no clue what to do, no idea how to respond, and since I immediately crumbled into a sobbing crying puddle of scared little girl, I was unable to even formulate a logical verbal defense. The 'stolen' item was a large very expensive bottle of Hennessey that lived on a high shelf that could only be accessed by ladder. I KNEW that I nor anyone else had been anywhere near that section of liquor while I was on duty. My denials only seemed to fuel my employer's anger, fanning the flame and making him more and more agitated. He ended the conversation by telling me that I needed to sit myself down and "find a way to remember" because he was going to get that bottle back. I sat and cried uncontrollably, scared shitless, not knowing what to do next. Less than 5 minutes later, he called again. He was laughing, sounding joyful, telling me how "thrilled and happy" he was that he had located the bottle (it had been put on 'HOLD' by another employee for a customer who was going to come back and buy it later). The apology was superficial and insulting. I cried for 9 hours and missed work Tuesday at my full time job due to the resulting migraine headache.

I have never in my life been suspected of or questioned about doing ANYTHING unscrupulous on the job. I have lived my life in such a way that I have never been in that position. I have a squeaky clean legal record, and an impeccable job history. I have been complimented and praised by this employer constantly for my professionalism, to-the-penny handling of money, etc. I still am blown away that he jumped to such a dramatic conclusion without checking facts first, accusing me of theft before investigating. In his defense (which he and his wife both pointed out to me), the employee whom I replaced after her being fired had stolen the store blind (many hundreds of dollars worth of merchandise and cash). I know that because of that experience, my boss would naturally be sensitive to the possibility of disloyalty from an employee, and perhaps would even be prone to suspect that before other explanations were considered. BUT... to outright accuse me, a good employee and a reputable member of our community, WTF???

I still don't know what to do. They gave me a raise. (Well, that's another insult... a 'raise' to the new federal mandated minimum wage, making a big deal out of the fact that I'm getting it a WHOLE MONTH early to thank me for all my good work and to apologize for the 'misunderstanding'. That's not technically a raise, is it?)

Anyway, I'll keep ya posted.