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Times Of Courage
Times Of Courage
Times Of Courage
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Times Of Courage

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"Times of Courage" is a caring and yet chilling story about the adventures of Karen and Jackson Thomas. Hunting alligators at fourteen, very little to eat, ragged old dirty clothes and terrible living conditions is a life hard to imagine for two young kids. They knew they had to escape from their mean, rotten father or they would die i

LanguageEnglish
Release dateSep 28, 2022
ISBN9781959165354
Times Of Courage
Author

Louis Tabor

Born on April 16, 1944, in Shamokin, Pennsylvania a small coal mining town. Grew up in the inner city of Baltimore, Maryland, and lived there for approximately twenty years. Received an athletic scholarship from the University of Baltimore and attended graduate school at the University of Pittsburgh and The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. Majority of education was in marketing and finance. Was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army as a Platoon Sergeant during the Vietnam War. My business career included working as a General Manager for AT&T, President of Litton Network Systems, and Chief Operations Officer (COO) for Virginia Transfer Corporation. Presently retired living in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina for the past twenty-two years. Has been married for 58 years and has a deceased daughter and one granddaughter. Loves playing golf, working in the yard, and being active in his church. Other published books are "Spread Your Wings," "Thunder in the City," "Challenges of the Heart," and "Times of Courage."

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    Times Of Courage - Louis Tabor

    TIMES OF COURAGE

    Copyright © 2022 by LOUIS TABOR

    Published in the United States of America

    All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any way by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the author except as provided by USA copyright law.

    The opinions expressed by the author are not necessarily those of ReadersMagnet, LLC.

    ReadersMagnet, LLC

    10620 Treena Street, Suite 230 | San Diego, California, 92131 USA

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    Book design copyright © 2022 by ReadersMagnet, LLC. All rights reserved.

    Cover design by Kent Gabutin

    Interior design by Daniel Lopez

    Contents

    Chapter 1

    Chapter 2

    Chapter 3

    Chapter 4

    Chapter 5

    Chapter 6

    Chapter 7

    Chapter 8

    Chapter 9

    Chapter 10

    Chapter 11

    Chapter 12

    Chapter 13

    Chapter 14

    Chapter 15

    About The Author

    Chapter 1

    Living south of Marco Island on the banks of the everglades was a hard life for my sister Karen and me. I was fifteen and Karen was fourteen when our mother up and left us a year ago. Our father was a hard nose alligator hunter who was 6’3" tall and weighed about 250 pounds. After our mother left, he insisted that we help him on his twenty-foot run-about- boat with a thirty-five-horse powered Johnson outboard engine on it. Things were really tough since Mom left, we both had grown out of our clothes a year ago and the kids at the orphanage were dressed better than we were. Karen and I would work sun-up to sun-set and we never saw the inside of a school house after Mom left for good. The food Dad put on the table was usually what he caught, squirrels, rabbits, or even snake. I decided this was not the life for Jackson Thomas and I had to find a way out for Karen and me.

    It was July right after the end of the Korean War and many soldiers were coming home looking for jobs. Even though I didn’t have a Florida driver’s license I knew how to drive and my Dad would send me to the town’s general store to buy bread, beans, coffee, and milk just for his coffee. Mrs. Goodson, the general store owner, knew me well and always tried to look out for me when I came to town. She was a jolly lady and in fact she looked like Mrs. Claus with her white hair, glasses, and short statue. How are you doing Jackson? You need your usual order? Young man, you are really growing. How tall are you now? It was hard to get a word in when Mrs. Goodson started talking. I really don’t know.

    Come over here and get on the scale so we can find out. After she weighed me and pulled this metal arm up to check my height, she determined that I was 5’8" tall and weighed a 160 pounds.

    Son, with that beautiful blonde hair, blue eyes and your stone hard body all the girls in school will be after you.

    I immediately thought, what school, what girls, the only girl I get to see is my sister Karen.

    While Mrs.Goodson was filling my order, I decided to go for a walk around town just to see other people. There were soldiers everywhere and I heard a couple of them talking about going north because there were no jobs here. Since I had lived on Marco Island my whole life, I wondered what up north was like. I decided that is where Karen and I needed to go before our Dad worked us to death, and soon. When I returned to the general store Mrs. Goodson had a pile of clothes sitting on top of my order. What is this Mrs. Goodson?

    Our church had a bunch of old clothes donated so I thought you and your sister could use them. They are free so your Dad shouldn’t care.

    Thank you, Mrs. Goodson, we can really use them. I headed back to our house which looked more like a shack, thinking of how Karen and I could break loose from our Dad. Ever since our Mom left him, he has gotten really mean and would slap us around when we did something wrong. Sometimes he would have us hunting alligators with him in the dark which was very risky because seeing the alligator in the dark water was difficult. Many times, the alligators almost got one of our hands and we had cuts all over our arms from fighting with the alligators when they were on the baited line. It was very hard on Karen since she only weighed about 110 pounds and was only 5’1" tall. She was a very beautiful girl with long light brown hair, baby blue eyes and she didn’t have an ounce of fat on her. I tried to protect her as much as I could but my Dad would always hit me in the head when I tried to defend her. Nobody should have to live the way we did and I always thought the law would check up on us but there probably were families like ours all over the everglades.

    When I got home Dad wanted to know what took me so long and where did I get the clothes? I told him they were free from the church. Boy, we don’t take charity! A long with that I got a slap in the head that almost knocked me off my feet. Put the food away and the two of you meet me at the boat and I mean now!

    Karen quickly took the clothes and hid them for now and the three of us were on the water in ten minutes. Dad put the boat motor in gear and we were off to check the alligator baited hook lines. The first couple had nothing on the lines but the third had a mean eight-footer on it who was not happy. As I pulled in the line, I knew I had a fight on my hands as Dad kept yelling out orders to me. I had to get the gator’s head just right so Karen had a clean shot with the rifle. Dad only wanted Karen to use one bullet because they cost money. I battled with the gator for about ten minutes and my hands were bleeding from the line cutting into them. Dad would not buy any gloves for me to use so I wrapped my hands with tape to protect as much of my hands as I could. However, this gator was so strong and fighting for his life that the tape didn’t help much. Finally, Karen had a clear shot right above the gator’s eyes and he stopped fighting. It took all three of us to get him into the boat and Dad cut his throat to make sure he was dead. The gator must have weighed at least six-hundred pounds which caused the water to almost come up to the top sides of the boat when we got him in. Karen and I thought we were done for the day but Dad went on to the next baited line and then to the next one. Fortunately for us, the last line only had a five-foot gator on it but when we pulled it in the boat, I thought we were going to sink. Dad slowly turned the boat around and slowly motored back to our shore front. When we got to shore, we helped him get them in his old Ford truck and off to the market he went with the two us to clean up the mess and the boat.

    Supper that evening was our usual beans, bread, squirrel, and water to drink. We never got to drink any of the milk. It was for Dad’s coffee and sometimes cooking. Even with no milk our teeth were still strong and clean. We would put soap on our tooth brushes to brush our teeth since Dad would not buy any toothpaste. Our house only had one bedroom and that was Dad’s. Karen and I had had cots that we put up at night to sleep on. We had been sleeping like this since Karen was three years old and we liked being next to each other. Once we knew Dad was asleep, we got out the clothes and tried them on. Most of them fit really good and there were even two bras for Karen. When we put on the clothes, we looked like all the other kids in town. Then Karen started crying, What is the matter? Don’t you like the clothes?

    Jackson, we have to get out of here before Dad or the alligators suck all the life out of us.

    I am trying to figure out a way but I don’t know where to go. All the young people in town are talking about going north for work.

    We can take what we have and hitch-hike to Tampa and see what we can find for work there.

    Okay, that is a start. When do you want to go?

    Saturday night when Dad has his moonshine liquor he will sleep until about noon on Sunday. We could leave very early Sunday morning and have a good six hour start before he realizes we are gone.

    That will work and we can leave the brochure we have on Orlando laying out so he thinks we went inland instead of up to Tampa.

    Saturday night Dad got all boozed up and Karen and I were out the door before the sun was up on Sunday morning. We had fourteen dollars between us and a knapsack with the other clothes we were given in it. We took a loaf of bread and two canteens of water for our trip. It took us about an hour to walk out to Route 75 which went straight up to Tampa. Once we were on Route 75, we started hitch-hiking and cars were just passing us bye. After about twenty-minutes an old couple pulled off the road and said, Where are you kids headed?

    To Tampa to help our aunt who is really sick. We had bus money but some older big mean boys stole it from us, was Karen’s reply. We are going to Clearwater which is not too far from Tampa.

    That will be great and we appreciate your help. This was great because Clearwater was about 30 miles west of Tampa and we would be far away from Dad by the time he realized we were gone.

    It took us about four hours to reach Clearwater and we thanked the old couple for their help. We decided to find a shady tree to sit under and eat some of the bread and had a good drink of water. We were on Gulf Boulevard which was right near the Gulf of Mexico. We walked down the boulevard and this was a whole new world to us. People were everywhere and then we saw a sign in a restaurant window called the Columbia. The sign said, Immediate Help Needed Apply Inside. So, we thought we would go in and see if we could get a job. The restaurant manager, Mr. Lopez, asked us if we could start working today because he had several employees who didn’t show up? We told him absolutely and he had us fill out a little card with our names and a made-up address. Once we gave him the cards, he put us immediately to work because the lunch crowd was coming in the restaurant. Karen’s job was to clean off the tables and I was the new dish washer. In the kitchen I quickly found out that this big black woman they all called Aunt Grace was the person in charge because she was yelling orders left and right and everybody jumped at her command. Karen and I worked until ten o’clock that night and Mr. Lopez came over to us, You both are very hard workers. Here is $10 each for your work today. Would you like to continue working here? I quickly responded Yes Sir, we would like that.

    Okay, you both are hired. You will work from noon to ten at night and I will pay you a dollar an hour. Is that okay?

    That would be great Mr. Lopez.

    All right then, I will see you at noon tomorrow.

    When Karen and I walked out the back door by the alley we were jumping for joy. Then it hit me, Karen, where are we going to spend the night?

    I could see Karen’s mind was working to come up with an idea. She looked over by the trash cans and there were pieces of cardboard. Jackson, let’s take that cardboard and lay it down by the palm tree and cover up with the other piece of cardboard. Then we can go to the public rest house on the beach and clean up for work.

    That is a great idea. When we get some more money from working maybe we can look for a cheap motel.

    We had just settled in on our make-shift bed and as I rolled on my side, Who is that there? You better come out before I shoot you.

    Karen and I threw the cardboard off of us and jumped to are feet. It was Aunt Grace from the Columbia Restaurant standing in front of us. I don’t know why all the workers called her Aunt Grace but she was a big woman and I wouldn’t want to mess with her. What are you kids doing out here? It is eleven o’clock at night. You should be home in your warm beds.

    We just looked at her and didn’t say a word. Aunt Grace had a puzzled look on her face. Do you kids have a home?

    Karen quickly responded to her question, No Mama! Both are parents are dead and we don’t want to go to an orphanage so we are trying to make it on our own.

    You can’t sleep in the alley. Somebody will beat you up, rob you, and throw your bodies in the ocean for the fish to eat. Get your things you are coming with me until I figure out what to do with you both.

    We picked up our things and walked over to an old beat up car that must have been older than me. This is Old Betsy, she might not look pretty but she runs really good. You two get in the back seat.

    Where are we going?

    To the police station! Just kidding, to my house so I don’t have to worry about you all night. My husband died ten years ago and my two children are adults living up north. You both could use a bath and a good night’s sleep.

    Aunt Grace drove about fifteen minutes and pulled up in the driveway of this big old house. This was my mother’s house and my family has lived here for many years. Come on, I’ll show you where your bedrooms are and then you both take a bath to get that kitchen grease off of you.

    When I walked in the front door, I thought to myself, Now, this is a house! Aunt Grace showed us our bedrooms and where the bathroom was. Karen decided to take her bath first and while she was in the bathroom Aunt Grace bought pajamas for the both of us. These were my kids years ago. They should be good to sleep in for now. By the way what are your names?

    I am Jackson Thomas and my sister’s name is Karen.

    Okay, Jackson, good night.

    This was the first time since Karen was four years old that we didn’t sleep in the same room. When I rolled over about two in the morning Karen was laying right next to me.

    When I woke up in the morning, I smelled something really good. When we walked out into the kitchen there were pancakes and bacon sitting on the table. Come on kids, dig in before they get cold.

    As we were eating breakfast the twenty questions started from Aunt Grace. Where are you kids from?

    I started to say Marco Island when Karen jumped in, Just the other side of Orlando. Our father was a carpenter before he got killed in the Korean War. Our mother died of cancer a year ago and we have no living relatives. Man, Karen was a really good liar. Where are you headed?

    Up north where we can find good paying jobs and start our new lives.

    What kind of work are you looking for?

    We would like to work in some type of factory because they pay good.

    Do you have any money?

    We have some but now that we are working at the Columbia Restaurant we can save up before we move on.

    What time are you supposed to be at work?

    At noon, Mr. Lopez says he will give us some type of restaurant uniform.

    That is where I start work so we can go in together. I am going to read my Bible for a little while. Do the both of you have a Bible?

    No mama!

    I will get you each one. I hope you can read?

    Yes Mama, we went to school before our mother died. I think we will go for a walk around the neighborhood.

    Now, you know this is a black neighborhood?

    What difference does it make?

    That’s what I have been saying for years. Just stay close to the house and if anybody questions you just tell them you are Aunt Grace’s friends.

    When we got to the restaurant Mr. Lopez gave me the same black uniform the cooks wore since I was working in the kitchen. Karen got a pretty short blue dress and a small apron for her job. I had never seen Karen in a dress since she was a baby. Mr. Lopez had one of the waitresses show Karen how to set up the table after she cleaned them off. People started coming in the restaurant which was only opened for lunch and dinner. Before we knew it, the place was filled and everybody was moving a hundred miles an hour to keep up with the people coming and going. As the day went on one of the waiters was hanging out around Karen and making her laugh at things he said. When he came in the kitchen to pick up an order Aunt Grace grabbed him by his shirt up around his chest and pulled him into her face, Boy, I don’t want you to go nowhere near that girl Karen. Am I understood pretty boy?

    Yes, Aunt Grace, I got your message. No problems from me.

    Aunt Grace saw me watching all of this and she slowly walked over to me. Jackson, that pretty boy tries to take advantage of new young girls. He just uses them for his own good.

    Thank you, Aunt Grace. I appreciate all you are doing for us.

    Okay, back to the dishes, boy.

    I determined that Aunt Grace was a hard nose person with a soft heart.

    The one good thing about the Columbia Restaurant was that employees got to eat free of charge while you were working. The food was delicious and I think I always had something in my mouth. Since we were now employees we didn’t get paid right after work. We would get paid every Friday like the rest of the employees. As the weeks went on, we got to know most of the workers and on Friday when we got our first check Karen yelled, This beat’s catching alligators. I had to laugh out loud and I noticed Aunt Grace heard what Karen said.

    On the ride to the house on Saturday night Aunt Grace said, Tomorrow is Sunday, God’s day. Anybody who lives with me has to go to church on Sunday. We will be leaving at eight-thirty in the morning and put on your best clothes.

    To be honest, Karen and I had never been to church in our lives so we decided just to go along with Aunt Grace. Church at eight-thirty tomorrow, got it.

    I am Baptist. What is your religion?

    I didn’t know what to say and Karen came to my rescue again, We are Baptist also. Only it has been a long time since we have been to church with our mother sick and all.

    Aunt Grace just looked at her with a big question mark. Baptist hum!"

    We were ready Sunday morning at eight-thirty so we thought. Go back in your rooms and get the Bible I gave each of you. You need to follow the preacher and to read the gospel with him.

    We arrived at Saint John’s Baptist Church and it didn’t take me long to realize Karen and I were the only white people in the church. Karen looked at Aunt Grace, Do you know we are the only white people here?

    Yes, darling, you need to get a darker tan. Aunt Grace then laughed. Come on kids, the black doesn’t rub off.

    We sat in a pew with one of her friends who kept asking her if we were Cubans. The preacher started the service and he was all fired up. Every time he said something the congregation would yell Amen or hallelujah. Some times they would even wave their hands or stand up. Karen and I just did what the other people did but we were so glad when the service was over. On the way out of the church Aunt Grace insisted we meet the preacher and tons of other people. When we finally got in the car Aunt Grace said, So, what do you think?

    Without thinking I said, It was quite an experience.

    Aunt Grace just laughed, Baptist my ass!

    As weeks went by Karen and I were saving all our money and had five-hundred dollars saved up. The only thing we bought were some new clothes and shoes. I knew it was time for us to move on because we were still in the state of Florida and didn’t know if our Dad was looking for us. I became friends with one of the assistant cooks, Benny. He was about twenty years old and I knew he was from the north by the way he talked. Every now and then he would tell me things about the north and things he did. Benny told me he was running from the law and came down here where nobody asked any questions. One day I decided to asked Benny where he was from but I wasn’t sure he would give me the correct location. I’m from New York city. I lived in Brooklyn with my uncle after my parents were killed by a drunken truck driver.

    The story sounded a little fishy to me. How did you get down here from New York?

    I jumped the trains heading south and finally landed here.

    What does jump the train mean?

    Are you kidding me?

    No, but I would appreciate it if you would explain it to me.

    Okay, here goes. You can tell what direction a train is going north, south, west or east by their direction on the railroad tracks. Most of the trains have cargo bins open to air them out. When the train slows down you run along side it and jump in the cargo bin.

    That sounds easy enough.

    Yea, that’s the easy part. However, some really bad mean people ride the train cargo bins and will rob you and kick your ass off the train when it is going full speed. It is best to look in the train bin before jumping on it. Also, you need to jump off the train before it comes into the depot or the station cops will get your ass. Why are you asking all of this? You going on a trip somewhere.

    No, it just sounds exciting compared to our lives here.

    Jackson, if you are thinking about doing this make sure you buy yourself a big pocket knife. It is a dangerous way to travel because even though you jump on an empty cargo train-bin other can jump on it after you.

    Thanks Benny, but we are not going to do it.

    That night I told Karen about jumping the train. Being her smart self, We can check the depot for the number of the train going the way we want to go. That way we would be headed in the right direction.

    I think you got all the brains in the family. Now, we need to figure where we want to go.

    I’ll see if I can find some information on the different states.

    I thought Aunt Grace knew that we were looking to move on by some of her comments. I think she was even trying to help us decide where to go. Do you know that North Carolina is one of the fastest growing states? All the cigarette manufacturers are there because of the tobacco corp. I’ve been there, it is a very beautiful state.

    Both Karen and I did not respond to her information, we just nodded our heads. Later Karen went to the library to look up North Carolina. Taking Benny’s words to heart I went to the hardware store and bought me the biggest pocket knife they had and I bought Karen one not as big. Since we both had experience cutting up alligator and throwing knives at targets, we knew how to handle a knife pretty good. I was not sure if we could use them on a person and hoped we never had to find out.

    One morning when Karen came back from the library, she pulled me to the side at work. Jackson, in the library they have wanted posters hanging on their bulletin board. There was one from the Marco Island Sheriff’s Department looking for two kids ages fifteen and sixteen who were missing. The poster described us clearly but in our old clothes.

    I think it is time for us to move on before someone pays attention to us in relationship to the wanted poster.

    I’ll check out the train depot to see what number train is heading to North Carolina and when.

    Once you know that we can plan to leave Clearwater for good! Why do you think Dad got the police involved in finding us?

    Are you that stupid Jackson? We were his labor force to catch alligators at no cost to him. Now he has to hire somebody to help him and they will get half of the profit from the alligators they catch.

    No, I didn’t think about that part. I know I’m not as smart as you but I know one thing. We better start running in the mornings to build up our speed so we can jump the train because they don’t go to slow.

    That is the smartest thing you have said in a long time.

    When Karen checked the train schedules there was a cargo train leaving early Saturday morning which gave us fours days to work on building up our running speed. When we came back from our morning run on the first day Aunt Grace said, What in the world are you two kids up to running out there in the heat. It must be ninety-degrees out there already?

    Aunt Grace, there is a marathon race here in Clearwater in three weeks and we are training for it. We are going to represent the Columbia Restaurant, was Karen’s immediate response. Aunt Grace looked at her, Yea, just like you two are Baptist!

    I was glad Karen came up with something because I had no idea what to say. The next morning after we got back from running and were having breakfast Aunt Grace looked us square in the eyes, You kids are leaving right? I don’t know why but I hope you know what you are doing. My house is your house and I was planning to get the two of you back in school in the Fall. I love you kids and you are my family now.

    Then to my surprise Karen said, We love you to Aunt Grace and appreciate all you have done for us. Then she proceeded to tell Aunt Grace the entire truth about our situation and our Dad looking for us.

    The man must be an animal to treat you kids like that! Where in the hell was the authority to help you? Now, I understand why you must move on before somebody reports you. Where are you going?

    We thought we would try Raleigh, North Carolina where all the tobacco factories are.

    I was surprised that Karen told her our plans. You kids have it wrong. The big tobacco company is R.J. Reynolds Company and that is in Winston/Salem not Raleigh. If I was a white woman, I could say you are my grand children but I think my dark skin would give us away. How are you getting there?

    We both looked at each other, We are going to jump a cargo train on Saturday morning heading to Raleigh.

    Please tell me you are kidding me! Do you know how dangerous that is? You both could be killed by some bum or fall under the train. Plus, you need to check if that train is going on to Winston/Salem because Raleigh is not the place you want to go for a job in the factory.

    We have to go Aunt Grace or our lives will be shitty once again and we can’t afford to go any other way. I will check the train schedule to see if it continues to Winston/Salem.

    But Karen, you probably won’t make it to Winston/Salem. You both need to re-think this. Maybe you can hide out until the law stops looking for you?

    I looked Aunt Grace in the face, We have no choice!

    The next morning when we got back from running Aunt Grace was not at home but she left some French Toast and bacon on the table for us that was still hot. When she got back, she told us she had to run over to the church to discuss something with the preacher. At work it was kind of sad because we knew we would be leaving for good in a day. We decided not to tell Mr. Lopez we were leaving because it would bring up a lot of questions. We knew he would ask Aunt Grace when we didn’t show up on Saturday and knew that she would play dumb for us. We both continued to have thoughts about what we were doing and the great danger of jumping a train. That night when we got back to the house Aunt Grace told us to take a seat at the kitchen table because she needed to talk to us. We were not sure what this was all about and we were tired from working ten hours.

    This will only take about an hour and then you can go to bed. Here are two bus tickets to Winston/Salem that leaves Saturday morning. I put the tickets in my name so nobody would know they were for you if they checked the station. I do not want my children jumping any train. I will drive you to the bus station in the morning so make sure your clothes are all clean. We both got up and hugged Aunt Grace and the three of us cried a little.

    Friday night was our last night at the Columbia Restaurant and Aunt Grace told everybody it was Karen’s birthday. After working hours, they had a birthday cake for Karen and they sang and laughed for about an hour. We knew that Aunt Grace did this as a going away party for us and wanted us to know all the friends we had made here. On the way back to the house we thanked her. You mean it wasn’t Karen’s birthday?

    We all had to laugh. Aunt Grace knew we had no choice but to leave and she stopped trying to talk us out of going. When we got to the house, she handed us both a bag. Inside the bags were a set of new clothes and fifty dollars for each of us. Aunt Grace, you didn’t have to do this. You have done so much for us already.

    It is just a little going away present for my Baptist friends. I love you both and will miss you greatly. Now, I am going to give you some important tips to help you find work in Winston/Salem. This is a big city you are going to and Clearwater is nothing compared to it. It is a giant city with lots of bad people everywhere just looking to jump you and take what you have. The first thing you need to do is find a cheap motel, no sleeping on the street. You can probably get one for $2 a night or maybe less. When you leave the motel room, take all of your money with you because the cleaning people will turn that room upside down looking for hidden money.

    How do you know all of this Aunt Grace? No, questions now, just listen. When you go for a job, you have to fill out an application. Here what they look like. I got these from the Columbia Restaurant but Mr. Lopez does not use them. Let’s fill these out so you know how to do it in the future. Use your correct name Thomas. For the address use the motel’s address but only the number and street. Do not use the name of the motel. Are you understanding all of this? It is for your own good.

    Karen replied, "Yes, I am following every word.

    Next, on the application will come your date of birth. Karen you need to say you are eighteen and Jackson you say you are nineteen. This is because some companies will not hire a person if they are under eighteen years old. Then comes your social security number which you do not have now but when you get a job you need to immediately apply for one. However, at the moment you need to make one up for the application. Jackson you use 110 02 4499 and Karen you use 110 02 7680. Write those numbers down and carry them with you. When you get your real social security, number tell the personal department you made a mistake and give them your real number.

    Aunt Grace went through the entire application and gave the copy to us so we could study it on the bus.

    "Now comes the hard part, looking for a job. You want to go to R.J. Reynolds Company which is the second largest tobacco company in the United States. When you get to Winston/Salem go to a telephone booth on a street corner and look up their address in the telephone book in the booth. Once you have the address you need to find out how to get there by the local bus. When you know that you should take a practice ride on the bus to find the place so you don’t get lost. The bus will only cost you a nickel each. I have an old friend in Winston/Salem, Mary Moore and she said R.J. Reynolds is hiring now because they just came out with a new cigarette called Winston. Mary said if you apply there you will probably get hired because they are looking for young people. Mary also said if they don’t hire you on the spot start looking somewhere else. Now, let me ask you some of the questions you will be asked during the interview

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