Chapter 26 Out of Work by Elsie Swagerty Burton
I was not very sorry to be out of work. I liked playing the housewife. It was soon after that that a New York Life Insurance salesman sold Harry a life insurance policy and wanted to sell one on my life as well. We told him we could not afford it. He attempted to get me a job so that we could. First, he tried a diet pill company of some kind. I would have had to swear that I had once weighed much more but that I had lost weight after taking the pills. I wouldn’t swear to that because it was dishonest. Next, he tried the Rosicrucian Park. I was to go get an appointment for a shorthand and typing test. I decided not to. I didn’t feel like submitting to the stress. The salesman was so annoyed that he tore the papers in two and threw them on our dining room floor.
In January, six months after we were married, Harry was transferred to the Monterey Woolworth store. We were delighted. An apartment was arranged for us just around the corner from the store. It was nice but much too expensive. We moved within the month to a flat in Pacific Grove. I had a small view of the bay from a window in the living room. I enjoyed that. We owned only one large item to move – our washing machine. But oh, the boxes and boxes of other items!
Harry worked long hours and many evenings. One fine day, he brought a puppy home to keep me company. I was really eager to have children at that time but it was not feasible; so, instead I devoted my time to that small creature. We were in Pacific Grove all that winter and spring. The wind howled and whistled. I was glad to have something to cuddle when alone even if it was only a puppy.
Part of Harry’s duties as Assistant Manager was to trim windows and as hard as he tried, he could not please the store manager; so he was let go. Harry was so upset and frightened, he didn’t know what to do. That weekend we went to San Jose to visit his parents. He hadn’t told me his situation. His father had to tell him that he had to tell me. It was hard for him because from the first, he wanted to protect me from anything he considered difficult and this certainly was one of those difficulties.
We moved bag and baggage in with his folks. Harry worked in the cannery at first and then got a job with a laundry. I didn’t make any points with my in-laws when my sister-in-law offered to get me a job in the cannery where they worked. My response was, “My husband will provide for me.” That was my psych class talking. I was quite conscious of the fact that Harry felt very badly and his tender was being savagely bruised. I felt I would injure it further by working in the cannery because he was aware of how much I loathed working there before.
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