Would I Be Strong Enough to Be Her Man?

Previously, Part 16: It's All Clear, We Were Meant to Be Here...

When I was a kid, years away from seeking full-time employment, my friend's father shared some words of wisdom that I've never forgotten.

He said that I should find something that I really like and get into that industry. He sold hot dogs, not from a cart, but wholesale for the manufacturer. He was a successful hot dog salesman who regularly donated hot dogs to the Pop Warner concession stand.

He told me that as a kid, he loved hot dogs, and still did. So, he got into the hot dog industry. Then he used the old cliché, "You find something you like, get into that industry, and you'll never work another day in your life!"

I loved motorcycles, still do. More specifically, back then, Yamaha motorcycles. If I was able to get into that industry, I knew I'd be really good at it, and according to Mel Loomis, "I'd never work another day in my life!"

Late afternoon, the call came. I was holding the receiver close to my ear, and Susan was standing right beside me, leaning in, hoping to hear at least part of the conversation. The sales manager said, "It came down to two people, you and another guy. You certainly were more knowledgeable and enthusiastic, but he spoke fluent Spanish, so he was our first choice."

I was disappointed, but I understood their decision. I continued searching for a job, but kept coming up empty. We knew Susan could get a job in a preschool, but I had to bring home a paycheck to afford an apartment. Finishing college was out.

The clock was ticking, and Susan and I had to consider the possibility of moving to New York. We called Susan's sister, and she couldn't believe what had happened. She had friends living in New Jersey who had a spare bedroom in their condo, so she called them. Heddy and Hank were more than willing to let us stay with them while we searched for jobs.

My parents hadn't given us a wedding gift yet, so when we decided to leave Florida and follow them to New York, they gifted us their Monte Carlo. While driving from Miami to Fort Lee, the transmission was occasionally slipping, and there was a strong burning odor coming from it. I called my father, and he said they'd been experiencing some problems with it recently, but it would be okay to keep driving. He assured me, "When you get to New Jersey, we'll pay to have it fixed." We stopped for food and slept one night in a motel, and made it there in two days…

My father prepared a list of people for me to see, and the first one on the list was Henry W. I took a bus into NY and found his showroom. I was seated in a chair across from an older, bespectacled gentleman with a wrinkled face and curly grey hair. I remember thinking he looked a lot like the actor Bert Lahr, the guy who played the cowardly lion in the original Wizard of Oz.

He leaned back in his chair, smiled, and gave me a creepy look. Then he said, "The ladies are gonna love you. Do you like being with women, older women?"

I was shocked that he opened with that question. I responded immediately, "I just got married two weeks ago, Sir. The only woman I'm gonna be with is my wife…"

I didn't think it was possible, but his smile got a little creepier. He looked me up and down, the way a desperate guy on the prowl would stare at a woman. Then he asked, "Do you like guys?"

This interview, my first in the garment industry, with the first person on my father's list, was not going in the direction I had hoped. I snapped back, "No, Sir, I'm not into guys!"

Then he held that creepy smile and said, "Well, it'll take a while, but you will be…"

At that point, I got up and told Henry, "This interview's over!" And then I stormed out…

I went to the rest of the names on the list my father prepared for me, but there weren't any jobs available. It was a long, frustrating day in early September, and it was hot, and not knowing my way around the city caused more confusion. When I finally got back to Heddy and Hank's, I told Susan what had happened with Henry, and she couldn't believe it…

When my father called to see how my day went, I told him about my experience with Henry, and he laughed, "No. I know Henry too well; he wouldn't do that."

When I insisted that's exactly what he did, my father stopped arguing.

The next day, feeling the pressure of being a newly married man and not wanting to let Susan down, I took the bus back into New York and spent the day knocking on showroom doors without so much as one lead.

It was getting late, and it had been another hot, frustrating day in the city, but I pushed on. I ended up in the showroom of Pandora Industries, a well-known sweater manufacturer out of Manchester, New Hampshire. The attractive receptionist said, "Just so happens we're looking for a new showroom trainee. I'll buzz our sales manager, Mr. Sessler, and I'll see how soon he can see you."

I only waited about 20 minutes before the receptionist said, "You can go in now…"

When I walked in, Mr. Sessler immediately looked familiar, especially in a city of strangers. He motioned for me to take a seat. He opened with, "What makes you think you'd make a good clothing salesman?"

It was quite different than the way "Creepy Henry" led off, and I told Mr. Sessler my family had always been in the garment business, and I wanted to continue that tradition…"

Then he looked at me and asked, "Is your father Erwin?"

I said, "Yeah." And then, with great enthusiasm, he said, "I live in Connecticut and worked with your dad at 'John Meyer of Norwich', and I was at the church league championship game when you hit that 3/4 court shot at the buzzer for Beth Jacob to tie the game against Divine Providence!"

I chuckled, "That was a hell of a shot, wasn't it?"

The conversation quickly moved to sports, and then he looked me in the eyes and asked, "When can you start?"

When I got back to the condo and told Susan I had a job, she was ecstatic. I had pulled a rabbit out of a hat, and the two of us could finally exhale…

I was doing everything I could to prove I was strong enough to be her man…

To be continued…