2001 Athens High School

Sometimes when you least expect it things work out just as they should. Within a week of being laid off at Sullivan Park I was sent to Athens High School, a job 10 minutes from my house. The ironic part is that I was officially a traveler! The job was in the jurisdiction of a PA local, but none of their members wanted it because it was so far north for them. It was a simple renovation of the heating and plumbing system expected to last six months. The foreman, Chris C., was nice enough to allow me to continue to come in late twice weekly so that I could maintain my child sharing agreement. However, he made me work late those days which was just fine with me too. By then I was getting very close to being officially divorced. Three years of arguing and heartache! It took that long for a number of reasons. At the beginning my husband didn’t want it, and then he got angry wanting everything I had now and in the future, but mostly is was that I had a lousy lawyer. To finally settle it, I agreed to pay child support because I made more than him. However, I did get in the agreement that every six months we would look at our individual incomes and that I would only be obligated to pay 25% of the difference of our salaries. The judge simply couldn’t wrap his head around the concept of such fluctuations in salary. I would go from $2000 weekly to $405 unemployment with no control over it. If I took time off for a doctors appointment, sick child or vacation I received no pay at all. He said it wasn’t fair that the kids would have to suffer because of it. I explained that they have always known that when I am working we splurge; when I am not we eat mac ‘n cheese! Ken’s income had no influence on the family finances at all. I also was able to get him to sign off on my retirement and annuity as I signed of on his. I didn’t think being married 3 years entitled him to my future income. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The funniest thing that happened to me on the job was that a mason’s tender (the poor guy who lugs up all the brick and block for the mason to install) had a crush on me. I was at least 20 years older than this skinny little kid. He wrote in the Portajohn, “I love redheaded Plummers”. I knew it was him because it was like having a puppy dog following me around when he could. At the Christmas party, I was sitting at the bar talking to the office girl when I felt something. I turned around and he was petting my hair! I gave him “The Look” and he stopped. Once more I felt something. Now he was petting the sleeve of my velvet shirt. “Really?” I said. “I am much too old for you.” “I like older women.” He replied. “Well, I don’t like men who like older women. Go away” So while it was good for the ego, I was quite content with my life as it was. I had a long distance romantic relationship that fulfilled my need for intellectual conversation, a good job that let me pay my bills and sleep at night, and my kids seemed to have adjusted to our disjointed living arrangements. Life was good!