AFTER U of O chapter 55

After the semester was completed in 1961, I returned to the shoe store full time. I informed my boss that I would not be returning to college in the fall and planned to stay on with Kinney’s. He was delighted. I was unsure, but did not know what else to do. When I put my mind to it and the traffic was reasonable, I made pretty good money.

It was a good summer. I mostly hung out with the boys from Kinney’s and continued to resist Chet and Donald’s insistence that I move in with them. I spent enough nights at their place as to feel like I had moved in. I could have managed, but it would have also broken my mothers heart. I loved her dearly, but she was a possessive woman and used emotional manipulation to keep control. I saw no real reason to fight the big fight yet.

I did quite well and shortly after the back to school shoe rush was over I spoke to my dad about co-signing a loan to buy a new car. I loved the ’49 Pontiac, but believed I was an up and coming man in the world of finance and wanted a new car. Did I need it? That was very doubtful, but when you are 19 who can distinguish between need and want.

I had the money for a good down payment and settled on a brand new burgundy Ford Fairlane 500 with genuine imitation leather seats. I loved that car and believed I was on my way. To where, I was unsure.

Parked in front of my house across the street from Webster school

In September Rich moved on to take his own store and Chet was scheduled to leave anytime. I was chosen as the next assistant manager over Donald. That left a bitter taste in his mouth as he had been there full time much longer than me, but the boss told him that he liked him and hoped he would stay, but he was still to shy to take on that position. Surprisingly, he stayed as the senior salesman. Within a week, Chet came back. Over the weekend he ran off and got married to the part-time girl at the front desk. He was 19 she was 16. He turned down the management position and asked to stay on because his new wife did not want to leave Omaha and her family. As it turned out, her mother liked Chet and gave permission for the marriage. The staff was basically back together. He never seemed bothered that I was the assistant manager. He was in love. His wife quit school and became the full time front desk gal.

By fall I was not attending church and had nothing to do with past friends. Chet and I were fending off an old gay dude from a men’s clothing store that had taken a liking to us and kept coming by the store offering us the opportunity to drive his corvette and come to his place for some cards and fun. Chet took him up on driving the car and got even more harassed. Not me, I turned it all down. Finally, Chet’s wife met the man in front of the store and told him in no uncertain terms to leave her husband alone. Apparently he did not know Chet was married. Whoops! Chet heard about that.

We did not pick up another full time salesman as the three of us could handle the store on our own. We did hire a part-time student from Grace Bible Institute for Monday and Thursday nights and Saturdays. He was a good salesman, but would do nothing but sell. He would not run stock or dust shoes or straighten displays. We had a night when no one was coming in and all he would do was stand around. I got so mad I fired him on the spot.

Later my boss came down and asked about where the kid had gone. I told him what happened and he told me I had no right to fire anyone without consulting with him and I was to go out and find him and bring him back. Embarrassing, but I did find him at the greasy spoon next door, I apologized and he came back. All he had done was order some of their terrific chili and appeared to be waiting for me. Two weeks later my boss fired him for standing around when there were no customers. Vindicated. I tried not to gloat, but I smiled as the kid left (he was actually older than me).

My biggest problem as the new assistant manager had to do with troubleshooting. Part of my job was to handle all the returns and complaints. I liked the task, but struggled with some of the reactions. I was 19 but looked 16. Few could believe I was who I said I was. Some even laughed. However, eventually they all had to deal with me. I had a harder time treating fairly those who looked down at me. Imagine that. I managed because I knew it was true.

In early October my friend Al came into the store. I was glad to see him, but surprised. He had never been in the store before. He lived on the far south side of town and had no reason to come downtown. He invited me to come on a hayride later in the month with some of the kids from the Tabernacle. I was unsure, but liked Al so said I would.

The day of the ride came on an extremely busy and rainy Saturday. I was also to close. When done I went home flopped on my bed and completely forgot about Al who said he would pick me up. That is until he knocked on the door and my mother said. “Al is here.” I was trying to figure out why. It was raining and surely the hayride had been canceled. “A group is getting together just to talk and have fun together, why don’t you come.” Like I said, I liked Al, did not want his long drive to be wasted, so changed and went.

It was a rather small group, as I remember. Most were strangers. There were two or three from Grace Bible Institute. I already had a negative idea about that school. The conversation was good. They got talking about how they came to know God and the struggles they had in that walk. I did not participate, but found it interesting and sincere. At 9:30 the “Grace” gang said they had to go home. They had to be in by 10:00. I don’t know how they got there or who offered to take them back. I think it was Al. At any rate, a girl named LaDonna also asked for a ride at that time and when she said where she lived it was only a few blocks from where I lived, so I tagged along.

It had stopped raining and when LaDonna got out, I asked her if we could walk and talk for a while. We did and she mostly confronted me on my faith and why I had turned away. I suspect we walked an hour or two. It was all Christian talk. As I walked home I began to think about what was said. In bed I looked through my Bible and prayed that God would show Himself to me. It felt like He said, believe me. I decided that night that I would believe what God said in His word and take it as face value. I would stop looking for some explosive feeling. I felt like that was how I would know I was a Christian. That is what I had seen happen in the past. I was sure there needed to be strong feelings to convince me.

I began to act on the Word. I never wavered. I returned to church and for some reason, I loved it. I reconnected with some friends and began to see them again. Several weeks later one of the guys at worked noticed I had stopped swearing and commented. I didn’t even notice. That was the first sign to me, that there had been a change.  

I also began to hang out with LaDonna more often. She was a terrific person and delightful to be with. She invited me to her apartment for some great meals. She was a pianist at the church and was exceptional. I really enjoyed being with her. The problem for me was she was 25 and ready to get married and I was 19 and not the least bit interested. The subject kept coming up and the more it did the more nervous I got.

Right after the new year my boss said Kinney’s was ready to give me my own store and I could go just about any place in America that I wanted to go. They were on track to open 500 hundred new stores by the following Christmas. I had two weeks to decide and suggest a place. If available, I could move to that area. I admit I loved the idea but was still very shy and fearful of taking off on my own. As long as I could decide I wanted to go to California. The following Sunday, after church, I asked Al if he would like to move to California with me. I would have a job immediately and could support us both until he got a job. “No, I can’t go. I’m going to Bible school.” You could have knocked me over with a feather. All I could think of was St. Paul and it seemed like everyone at the Tab headed to Bible school was going there. “I’m going to Canada. Why don’t you come with me?” I guess I had some spontaneity because I said, “Sounds like fun.”

He was scheduled to leave in about two weeks, and I moved into high gear to get transcripts, recommendations and whatever else was needed to be accepted and leave with Al. I gave my two-week notice and we began to plan together. We would take my car and he wanted to visit his aunt and uncle in Denver on the way. If that was on the way, it was fine with me. Everything came through just a day or two before we were to leave. I needed to tell LaDonna, but I was a coward. There was a group gathering that night and she would find out then, I believed we would both tell the group we were leaving at that time. Bad decision

I think most knew Al was leaving, but my departure was a shock, especially to LaDonna. She appeared crushed. I knew I had screwed up. We talked some that night. But resolved little. This would be the end of our relationship. I knew it and she suspected it. I had failed in good communication. That wasn’t the first time. I did not know how to break off a relationship and had learned nothing yet.

We left a day or two later.