I can clearly remember when I wanted to start working, but I can’t seem to remember why I wanted the job. I was fourteen years old. It was just after school had let out that year around the end of May. I had not started driving since I wasn’t of age, but I seemed to need money for something, anything, other than what I already had.

The little town of Wingate, Indiana probably had a total population of less than 600 people, and that would be an extremely generous number. I know that there was only one other girl in that town in my grade, and we were not friends. My closest friends lived about 5 miles away in different rural towns and our only means of travel at that time was the 10-speed bike.

My parent’s were a dedicated couple, but they were not very affectionate. There was always a security that they would be there for me if I needed them, but for the life of me I can’t remember them telling me that they loved me even one time. My father was self employed as a welder fabricator and worked on farm machinery. He was dedicated and went to work every day rain or shine. It was steady employment but it was below the poverty line.

My mother stayed home with us kids for as long as she was able. When we became more or less self sufficient, she opened a tiny, small town beauty salon. My mother was a great beautician and had steady business for years. She had given up her job when she married and had children, a small sacrifice of her freedom for the rewards of a family.

These examples of work ethic shaped my perceptions of what an employee should be. My first job in this small town was at the local downtown restaurant. Previously it was a soda fountain and was right next door to the town bar. I had to obtain a special paper and have my parents sign it in order to work under the age of 16. There were raised eybrows about my intentions, but no objections. I was able to start waitressing the breakfast and lunch crowd in our small town.

I served endless cups of coffee to local farmers and hundreds of cheeseburgers to everyone else in the community. I worked that entire summer at that restaurant, learning how to do a job, how to take orders and how to grow closer to my community