Chapter 2 - A NEW JOB
(NOTE TO READER: One of my followers suggested that I might start my chapters with a comment about my story. As many have surmised, this is not a story of fiction. My writing reflects real events in my life. As described to one reader, "
As written, the timeline is probably 90% accurate; the dialogues are probably 85% accurate. But the overall story line is 100% accurate. From beginning to end, my story carried on for almost 6 years. The earlier days are actually the most vivid and those are the experiences that I share in my writing." I cannot change who I was. I truly enjoyed the majority of my experiences. The major casualty of my chosen life was the damage that happened between my family and me. My family would eventually discover my activities and banished me from the family. Chinese shame is not something to be challenged. Unfortunately, I have been fully estranged from my family for over ten years.)
Tuesday was the big day. I was starting my new job. Not that it was a career or anything, but it was better than some of my previous jobs. My first job was at Carl's Jr (Hardee's in the rest of the U.S.). After that job I had also worked in customer service at a department store. The only memorable thing that came out of either of those jobs was when a customer left her driver's license behind at the department store. Customers were doing that all the time. The driver's license photo looked close enough that it could pass as me; the licensee was Asian (specifically, Vietnamese) but to some people Asians all look alike. Most importantly, the holder of the license was 22 which meant I had an ID to go to clubs. Typically, I was never much of a drinker, but I have always loved to dance.
I felt this bank opportunity was a step above what I had done before, so I appreciated the opportunity.
On that Tuesday, as always, my last class ended promptly at 11:30. I caught a bus and the route to the bank was pretty direct; I only needed one transfer and I made it to the bank 25 minutes early.
On that previous Saturday, Terry said he didn't expect me to wear a dress or skirt to school. He had let me know that I could change when I got to work.
I walked into the bank and looked for Terry. He saw me immediately and introduced me to the staff. I felt the bank was physically larger than most. It was located in a district of San Jose called Willow Glen. As I met the various staff members, I recognized that it was top heavy with women; there were eight women and four men excluding Terry. Of the women, four of the eight were Asian, I made it five. Not to say that San Jose does not have a large Asian community, because it does, but I did not expect so many Asian women.
Terry introduced me to Mae. Mae, as it turned out was also from the Asian persuasion. She was Vietnamese. She was 28 years old. Mae stood slightly taller than me at 5' 3". Long ago, I concluded that Asia was that land of short black-haired women. She was dressed sharply in a skirt and blouse. Beneath her blouse it was easy to guess she was in the B-cup range. She was very pretty with high cheek bones that amplified her exotic Asian look. Terry had told me that Mae was a 'little older' than me. For a 19 year old, 28 seemed a lot older. But that age difference quickly became unnoticeable as I got to know her.
I was directed to the ladies room so I could change. The skirt I wore was what I considered to be modest, but professional. I wore short heels because I presumed I would be standing quite a bit. Mae would later suggest taller heels as women look more professional in taller heels and not to worry about standing because we each would use tall stools at the teller windows so standing could be kept to a minimum.
I was given a general tour of the bank. As I toured the bank I noticed that all of my female counterparts were wearing skirts or dresses except for one who was in slacks. I immediately thought to myself, 'we all have to deal with the curse'.
After the general tour Terry teamed Mae and I together. Mae would be my trainer. We went directly to the training room so the torture could begin. The building had an upper level. The training room was upstairs. The stairwell was a long enclosed hall that climbed nearly 18 feet to the second floor as a straight shot. Outside the training room was a flip sign on the door that Mae changed to 'Meeting in session - Knock before entering'.
Truth of the matter was, the training wasn't too torturous, but some of it was mundane. The bank used a lot of DVDs for its training. Mae was good enough to recognize the boring stuff and she used the boring episodes to break the ice and gave us time to bond.
Mae said, "So Terry said he met you walking your dog. That's pretty funny."
"Yeah, I never thought I would find a job that way. Pretty lucky, I guess."
"Terry's pretty good that way. He has brought a number of people on board that he has met outside the bank. He says people tend to be more genuine when you meet by chance instead of during an interview."
I asked, "Have you worked here awhile?"
"I've been here almost four years. It's a good part time job."
This surprised me. I assumed she worked full time. "You're only part time too?"
Mae said, "I work here two afternoon shifts and two morning shifts. I'll be working the same afternoons as you. Just twenty hour weeks. I have a second job which is where I make most of my income."
"Really? What else do you do?"
She said, "I do massage therapy. It's mostly a cash job and working here looks more legitimate when I do my taxes and earning a credit history."
"Wow, you're a massage therapist too? Terry's wife, Karen, said she also does massage therapy. I have never thought of it, but I guess that must be a pretty good job."
