New Beginning #3

Living in town was so much different than country living, houses too close together, it felt like no breathing room. I could not get over looking out our bedroom window, right into our neighbors living room, and once they saw us looking they kept the blinds pulled on that side of the house. We found out everyone was really nice and at least us kids got along with all of them. Our house was a little bigger than we were use to, we even had a basement, to do the laundry and hang up the wash in bad weather.

I babysit for a neighbor with six children, we became good friends. All the neighbor kids came out at night to play kick the can or hide and seek, even the older kids. Well lets face it back then there was not a whole lot to do, some of us had TV's, but kids liked to be outside then. At least three times a week, the neighborhood got together to play baseball out back in the vacant lot, both kid's and parent's alike played, boy did we have some good times, even though there was a lot of bickering on who was out. Well, Aunt Margaret put a stop to me babysitting Mary's kids, her excuse was, and she told Mary this also, was she did not want us influenced in the Catholic religion, hurt feelings were felt all around, Mary never talked religion to us anyway.

The last three years, from 1950-1953, was a big change for me, I was growing taller and I had a new babysitting job. On the board at school was a notice that someone was looking for a sitter, I answered the notice and got the job. Her name was Marge Nedeau, she worked part time as a court stenographer and needed a sitter for some afternoon's and evenings. It just so happened that I had enough credits to go to school only in the mornings. I sat for her for three years and a lot in the summer. My Aunt was not happy that I was gone a lot, but I was buying all my books, supplies and some clothes. When I graduated, Marge wanted me to sit the kid's while they went on a week vacation, to Wasgington DC. The kid's were great, after all they knew me three years and I played with them, read, colored and took them on wagon rides. The placement place I put my name in called me to come in, I had to go and get Marge's best friend to sit with the kids. Marge was due to come home the next day and it was a good thing, I was scheduled for an interview.

I was so nervous when I arrived at Universal Camshaft Company for the interview. Mr. Cox was very nice and he hired me right on the spot. I had to record the shop jobs in a ledger, it was from each person in the shop, what job done, how much, time it took and any trouble they had on the job, any school kid could of done this job, this was my very first job in an office. I worked for about a year on this job and the switchboard operator was leaving, I told Mr. Cox I was going to talk to Ken Graves, he ran that part of the office, it was on the first floor. One of the reason I wanted to take a different job was I had to go out into the shop, when I could not read the cards and the workers would whistle and shout out, my face was red from the time I entered the shop and went back to my office. My wage was $37.50 a week to start.

I did get the new job and boy, did the job have a lot of responsibilities, I thought it was only switchboard. Well, I had switchboard, receptionist, filing, typing bill of ladens for shipping department, type letters for our two salesmen and secretary to purchasing agent. I did not receive a raise for a year, it went up to $42.50 and I was there eight years and my salary only went up to $62.50 when I quit, to raise my son, Douglas.