FINDING A JOB chapter 155

After Ron was on his way to Vancouver and we were somewhat settled at the house, at least enough to leave for a while. We went exploring. We wanted to know what was around us and we wanted to find a grocery store. We never did find one very close. If it was there we kept missing it.

We found some fast food restaurants nearby and one we had never seen before – Taco Bell. There were no Mexican fast food restaurants in Canada that we knew. We had lunch at Taco Bell and found out we liked Mexican food done their way. We found a Safeway on Lincoln that was not close. More than the food we noticed it was open all night. Never seen that before.

We brought the kids home after lunch and put them down for a nap while we finished putting things away. Bill and Faith clued us in about Knott’ Berry Farm and promised they would take us there for their family chicken dinner. Since it was only three blocks away we walked down there in the afternoon and checked out all the shops outside the amusement area. The kids loved watching them decorate carks and make candy. We could look over the wall and watch people pan for gold. We could have done that every time we visited, but didn’t. We walked through the tunnel under Beach Blvd. and found a merry-go-round and a pond with ducks and playground for kids. We rode the merry-go-round and kept Treasure Island a secret until we could take them there.

That evening we met most of our neighbors. To our left was a little girl about our kid’s age and she had a sister who offered to babysit when we needed one. We used her often. Directly across the street were two little boys. On the other side was a couple whose children were grown and on their own. They both worked at Knott’s. We loved our neighbors.

The next day I began searching for work. While Bill and Faith mentioned they were looking for a Christian education director part-time, I absolutely did not want to work at a church. I wanted to work in some factory or assembly line.

Frankly, I didn’t know what I was talking about. I could never have handled the monotony of repetitive work. It took me more than a week to give that up. Bad back got me rejected every time. The week school began I went to a Kinney’s Shoe store and got a job after explaining my background with the company. I worked for them for one week. After getting my first check I was shocked. I had been the top salesman in my first week and made only a few cents more than the other two salesmen who stood around and barely did anything. I went to talk to the manager and ask if this was right. How can that be, I worked my butt off.

The pay structure had changed since I last worked for the company. When I began, we were paid a base salary, minimum wage, plus commission. Now they were paying minimum wage or commission. Big difference. I was frustrated. There was no way I could support my family on that income.

I kept my mouth shut about my feelings while I looked for something else. I finally relented and went back to Bill and Faith to see if they were still looking for someone part-time. They were and they set up an interview with the elders.

I really did not to do much to get the job as Bill practically sold me to the men. They offered me $150 for 20 hours a week and I asked for $300 and 15 days a week. They agreed. I found it interesting that the pastor never asked any questions. I had no idea who this man was who would be my boss.

I was surprised but pleased that they offered me the job at the Long Beach C&MA Church. It was a start on what we would need each month. After learning their typical church schedule and I put those fifteen hours into two days a week. Sunday and Tuesday. Most of the church activates were on Tuesday night. I set up any appointments I needed to make one right after the other on Tuesdays, had committee meeting either before or after the regular weekly meetings. I ended up going in by 1:00 pm and leaving at 11:00-midnight. Della would always call me and ask me to pick up groceries we needed on my way home. After all, Safeway was open all night and I passed it going home. Going in that late was always a little creepy. The store was nearly empty.

The three hundred from the church and $200 from the boarders would keep us a float, sort of. My parents had recently moved to the tiny town of Superior, Nebraska and had not found a church to attend. There was no Assembly of God church in town. He told me had tithed all his life and wasn’t going to stop now. “I’m going to sent it to you.” That clinched it for us. It would be a no frills lifestyle, but if careful, we could do it. We had no expectation of more.