48. My First Job

My first "real" job was during my last year of high school (1). I had taken classes in various business subjects (2). In that last year of high school, we could do a "co-op". That meant we could work part of the time instead (3) of going to school. It would count as a credit towards our diploma.

The place I got a job was at a men's tailor shop. The owners were a very nice older (4) German couple. They had two other men working for them, too. One of the men had had brain surgery for cancer (5). He had a big, long scar all around the top of his head. He told me all about it. He was always happy (6) and full of fun. I thought he was very brave!

The tailor shop made suits to order. One of the salesmen would measure the man, and the customer (7) would choose a fabric and style he (or his wife!) liked. The people in the back of the shop would then cut and sew the suit.

The suits cost a lot of money. There were also suits already made that the customer could buy instead if they wished. They could also rent suits or tuxedos for weddings (8) or parties.

I worked at a little desk. I answered the phone, wrote letters, filed papers and did some bookkeeping. It was about a mile walk from my school to work. I passed many clothing shops. That wasn't good because I spent a lot of the money that I earned (9) in those shops!

I worked at the tailor shop for almost a year. It was a good experience and helped me get my next job with the United States (10) Navy. That was fun, too!