This new company that I went to work for hired me on for third shift. The company produced copper wire, a lot of wire. They had three shifts going full force seven days a week. Working at this company required mandatory overtime working seven days a week. It took 90 days to get into the union and that’s how long the probation period lasted too. Being late or missing work would mean your chances of getting on would be narrowed.
My job was simple, sweep floors. The job paid more than I had ever been paid before. It was the lowest paying job in the factory. To make really good money you needed to get on a machine. That job paid hourly as well a piece work. Some of these employees made really good money. I decided that I wanted more. I wanted to get on the machine that paid the most. That job was working in the rod mill. The rod mill was taking rough copper rods and putting them through a machine that would shave the metal to a thick shiney copper rod. That rod would be taken to the next machine where a person on that machine would reduce the size some more and then the rod would become wire of different gauges as it went to the next machine so forth and so on down the line until it became a very fine wire.
This work proved to be very hard and I was after all in love and needed to be with Darlene. Leaving to go to work became a chore. I didn’t like not being with her. She worked at the dry cleaners during the day and we got to see each other for a few hours in the evening. I slept during the day as best as I could. I then had this great idea that I could manage my time by going to college on the GI Bill. My education would be paid for by the government. So I went to Indiana Vocational Technical College to learn Electronic Communication for Radio and Television. I thought I would learn a trade that would get me out of the factory life.
I was the first one in my family to attend a college. I was so proud. However this was going to prove to be a very tough thing to do. Work full time, go to school for several hours a day, and make a family. I missed work so I could be with my love. By the time day eighty nine came so I could get on at the factory, I was laid off. Now what was I going to do? I had a house and a baby coming during this time I even stopped selling Amway. I guess I had seemed to have lost my way. I drew unemployment, that wasn’t much. My mother and Darlene’s father helped out here and there with some money and some food. They really helped out a lot!
Poor Man’s Gold happened! Darlene had our son. A son! Just what I wanted! There were tears in my eyes. Back then we did not know the sex of the baby until it came. I was there for the whole thing. Darlene and went through natural child birth classes in the evenings and were anxious for our child to arrive. Earlier in the evening we had decided to go for a walk and there were a few steps in front of where we lived, I jokingly said for her to hop down each step and that maybe that would jar the baby loose. A few hours later we were off to the hospital.
