The getting of a J-O-B..eyes crossed??

The list of what I needed on a material level for my daughter was growing as her age did. DeAna and I got a small sum of cash from the state and food stamps. Although holidays and birthday she was spoiled beyond spoiled, by myself and our family and friends, there were still things I wanted to give her and couldn't. I needed a job. I didn't want to be on State. I wanted to be more than that, I didn't want to fall in the trap. My parents put a roof over our head, but everything else was my responsibility because I took on the challenge of raising a baby, she was my responsibility alone in my parent's eyes.

The story of me getting my first job makes me laugh out loud. Again, it is a testimony that although I was a determined and caring mother, I was still sixteen and trying to figure out how the world worked. I decided I wanted a job at Taco bell. I really wanted a job at Taco bell! One day when I went to eat there I filled out an application, the next day I called and followed up, landing an interview.

In my previous blogs I talked about my belief in personal appearance playing a roll in getting what you want. So I stood in front of mirror, rehearsing what I might say and what an employer might want to see in a person they'd be hiring for Taco bell. Now this is where my shenanigans get out of hand. What i decided to do was approach my first interview as a "casting call" for a role. Previously i;d wanted to be an actress, and spent hours studying up on the subject of landing a role.

The outfit...oh boy. Pulling through my clothes I put on some type of older woman's business like suit with of course the heels. It was a bit much. I didn't want to appear to be just another irresponsible teenager looking for a job. What I did next..oh my goodness!!

SO I had this pair of glasses that belonged to a friend. She'd gotten them from someone in her family and one way or another they ended up at my house. The were those old style type of prescription glasses that wing up in the corners, and the type of bi-focal that makes your eyes magnify.

Now mind you, I have beyond perfect vision or at least had..as I have gotten older I wonder. Anyway, I don't wear glasses. I put the glasses on and changed my role. I took off the suit and put on a turtle neck, tucked that into a pair of jeans. As if a job interview were a costume contest, I dressed up as nerdy as I could. When my mother drove me over I kept the glasses off until I got out of the car. Then I put the glasses on. I sat down with the manager and he start interviewing me. Every time he looked up at me, I kept my eyes crossed!!! Why, I still don't know what my exact thinking was on the issue of crossing my eyes.

A few days later, I got the phone call. I got the job! Now I ditched the whole act the first day and he didn't call me on it just then. I worked weekends and between my friends and younger brother I was able to cover child care. I would work on and off again at Taco bell until I was 21 years old. My last year there was when the general manager finally said to me, "You know what?? I thought you were crossed eyed when I hired you." I just laughed. I thought he'd forgotten. The joke was on me.