Wednesday, April 07, 2004
MY WORLD CHANGES
It wasn’t long after my reinstatement with Mrs. Martin until I was called into the principal’s office one day. I had the normal amount of fear and trepidation at his summons. The principal, Don Edwards, was every woman’s dream. He was single, tall, dark and handsome. Young women all over town swooned over him. My interest this morning was one of curiosity.
As he asked me to sit down he told me that Verl Murr had called him for a recommendation of a student that would be good part-time help. As my curiosity grew he went on to say Mr. Murr was the manager of the Rexall Drug Store on Main Street.
He gave him my name and reiterated what he said to Mr. Murr. I was a good student who kept my grades up, that I worked at the café next to the movie theatre, that I didn’t live at home and I was honest and conscientious. He told him that anytime I had to be out of school for work I always came and squared it with him first. He had given me a high recommendation.
I sat with my eyes locked on him in disbelief. He went on to say that I was to go down after school and apply for the job if I would like to. My mind was racing in silence…… if I would LIKE to? Was he kidding? It was the hang-out for all the kids after school and the meeting place for date bait. I told him I would and I went promptly to the drug store when school was out.
I was afraid to count on it too much the way things had been going lately. I walked a fast pace to the drug store and asked to see Mr. Murr who was at work behind the prescription counter. When he finished, he motioned me to his office and offered me a chair. He had a kind, thoughtful face and I judged him to be in his early forties. He was impeccably clean and wore a white shirt and a tie. He had the crinkly kind of wavy hair sprinkled with gray. I liked him immediately.
He told me he needed a part-time employee and what the pay would be. It started at $15.50 per week and when school was out for the summer he would raise me to $18.50 for the longer hours I could work. He knew that I got my meals at the café which I wouldn’t have working for him but the hours would be much shorter and I wouldn’t have to work through my noon hours as I had at the café. I would work after school until 9:00pm with an hour off for supper during the week. If I worked the Saturday night shift I was off on Sunday’s. If I was off Saturday night….then I worked one-half day on Sunday. I couldn’t imagine having so much time off. The hours were cut in half with a little more pay.
To have “time off” was not in my imagination. I had worked from opening til closing with the Martin’s and ran down from school at noon to work during the lunch hour. I would eat a sandwich on the way back to school for afternoon classes and then back to work until closing. Naturally it was a vicious cycle. All I had known was work and school. I cannot express my gratitude with words at the turn of events. I was to start work the next week after giving notice to Mrs. Martin. My last days at the café were not very pleasant.
I had not dated up until this time for two reasons. The obvious one is I didn’t have any spare time to date. The other reason was because I grew up where girls didn’t think of dating until they were at least sixteen. After I went to work for Verl Murr I had exposure and location. School kids didn’t hang out at the café where I had worked but the drug store was the meeting place of choice for everyone.
All of a sudden I was beginning to feel like a normal kid again. I connected with some good friends at both school and work. I was appreciated by Mr. Murr who thought he had the best help in town. He laughingly told me (after I had worked for a few weeks) that when I had no customers he noticed I was always cleaning and shining the fountain. He told me I could relax because he wasn’t going to fire me.
He also told me when I began working for him that I could eat all the ice-cream I wanted……just help myself. I could also have potato chips and candy. Later on he told me I was the only soda jerk he ever had that he lost money on. He said most kids got tired of ice-cream after a week or two and couldn’t bear the thought of eating it anymore. I was the only one who could eat it every day and never get sick of it. Of course he was teasing and loved to rib me about my love affair with ice-cream.
It is true, I have always loved ice-cream. They say it is a comfort food and they might be right. All I know is after I worked for Mr. Murr a while I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. He was always looking after my best interest and guided me into safe decisions. He impacted my life with goodness and direction. I owe him a great debt of gratitude. He was truly a good Christian man who walked his talk. He was my hero……
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
As he asked me to sit down he told me that Verl Murr had called him for a recommendation of a student that would be good part-time help. As my curiosity grew he went on to say Mr. Murr was the manager of the Rexall Drug Store on Main Street.
He gave him my name and reiterated what he said to Mr. Murr. I was a good student who kept my grades up, that I worked at the café next to the movie theatre, that I didn’t live at home and I was honest and conscientious. He told him that anytime I had to be out of school for work I always came and squared it with him first. He had given me a high recommendation.
I sat with my eyes locked on him in disbelief. He went on to say that I was to go down after school and apply for the job if I would like to. My mind was racing in silence…… if I would LIKE to? Was he kidding? It was the hang-out for all the kids after school and the meeting place for date bait. I told him I would and I went promptly to the drug store when school was out.
I was afraid to count on it too much the way things had been going lately. I walked a fast pace to the drug store and asked to see Mr. Murr who was at work behind the prescription counter. When he finished, he motioned me to his office and offered me a chair. He had a kind, thoughtful face and I judged him to be in his early forties. He was impeccably clean and wore a white shirt and a tie. He had the crinkly kind of wavy hair sprinkled with gray. I liked him immediately.
He told me he needed a part-time employee and what the pay would be. It started at $15.50 per week and when school was out for the summer he would raise me to $18.50 for the longer hours I could work. He knew that I got my meals at the café which I wouldn’t have working for him but the hours would be much shorter and I wouldn’t have to work through my noon hours as I had at the café. I would work after school until 9:00pm with an hour off for supper during the week. If I worked the Saturday night shift I was off on Sunday’s. If I was off Saturday night….then I worked one-half day on Sunday. I couldn’t imagine having so much time off. The hours were cut in half with a little more pay.
To have “time off” was not in my imagination. I had worked from opening til closing with the Martin’s and ran down from school at noon to work during the lunch hour. I would eat a sandwich on the way back to school for afternoon classes and then back to work until closing. Naturally it was a vicious cycle. All I had known was work and school. I cannot express my gratitude with words at the turn of events. I was to start work the next week after giving notice to Mrs. Martin. My last days at the café were not very pleasant.
I had not dated up until this time for two reasons. The obvious one is I didn’t have any spare time to date. The other reason was because I grew up where girls didn’t think of dating until they were at least sixteen. After I went to work for Verl Murr I had exposure and location. School kids didn’t hang out at the café where I had worked but the drug store was the meeting place of choice for everyone.
All of a sudden I was beginning to feel like a normal kid again. I connected with some good friends at both school and work. I was appreciated by Mr. Murr who thought he had the best help in town. He laughingly told me (after I had worked for a few weeks) that when I had no customers he noticed I was always cleaning and shining the fountain. He told me I could relax because he wasn’t going to fire me.
He also told me when I began working for him that I could eat all the ice-cream I wanted……just help myself. I could also have potato chips and candy. Later on he told me I was the only soda jerk he ever had that he lost money on. He said most kids got tired of ice-cream after a week or two and couldn’t bear the thought of eating it anymore. I was the only one who could eat it every day and never get sick of it. Of course he was teasing and loved to rib me about my love affair with ice-cream.
It is true, I have always loved ice-cream. They say it is a comfort food and they might be right. All I know is after I worked for Mr. Murr a while I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. He was always looking after my best interest and guided me into safe decisions. He impacted my life with goodness and direction. I owe him a great debt of gratitude. He was truly a good Christian man who walked his talk. He was my hero……
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
