I had been assigned to work in one of the Los Angeles slums and I didn't like it one little bit. After all, I was a college grad and could have been working for a major corporation. But no!! I just had to demonstrate my goody two shoes work ethic, so I went to work for the state. As I surveyed the broken down houses and the generally slummy conditions, I was starting to rethink my career goals, but I had signed up for this and I never back down on anything. This has led to some sound ass kickings and other unsatisfactory results in my young life.
Well, that's enough whining about how I came to be here. I rented a small house and started seeing applicants. The state had allocated funds for state sponsored jobs and I was there to select the lucky recipients. Of course they assigned me to a Spanish speaking neighborhood. Of course the only Spanish I knew was, "Adios!" I guess there may have been some method to their madness since I couldn't fairly interview a candidate unless he or she spoke English and these jobs required English speakers.
About one in ten spoke enough English for me to interview and so far, none of them could fill out the application. I was getting nowhere fast. I scattered fliers around the neighborhood advertising job openings. No luck! I called my boss in the Los Angeles office and told him of my glum results. He wasn't interested in my problems and told me to keep after it.
Late on Friday afternoon at the end of the third week, a young woman visited the office. She was pretty grubby and it was obvious that she hadn't bathed in a long while. Her clothes were in tatters and she had on some floppy old tennis shoes and no socks.
"Do you have a job for me?" she asked in perfect English.
"Maybe. Fill out this form and bring it back to me."
"Can I borrow a pen? I don't have one."
"Don't you have one at home?"
"I don't have a home either. I have been living on the streets for the past few months."
Suddenly it occurred to me that this was precisely the kind of person that this program was intended to help. I gave her a pen and she filled out the application in less than fifteen minutes. She was the first candidate to finish filling one out. I could see that under all that dirt she was probably a very pretty girl. Her name was Carmen Mendoza.
"Would you like a place to live?" I offered.
"What would I have to do to earn it?" she asked suspiciously.
"All you have to do is complete the job training program."
"You don't expect any 'special' treatment?"
"If you are asking me if I want you to sleep with me, the answer is no. I want to help you if you'll let me."
That seemed to brighten her up a bit. She smiled and asked, "Where is my room?"
"Down the hall," I pointed, "Second door on the right. Do you want to go get your stuff?"
"I don't have any stuff. Everything I've got is with me."
"There is a washing machine at the end of the hall. You can wash your clothes while you take a bath."
"Thank you so much! When do I start the program?"
"Monday we'll get you started. Until then get cleaned up and relax. I've got to wait for the next applicant to show up," I said, knowing there probably wouldn't be any more applicants.
"By the way, what is your name?" she asked.
"I'm Mark Hanson," I replied.
I was relaxing on the couch watching television when she came padding down the hall. She stood in front of me, held out her arms and twirled around.
"Is that your only dress?" I asked looking at the tattered rag that hid her charms.
"Yes Mr. Hanson."
"I see you are barefoot. What happened to those dilapidated shoes you had on?"
"They are in my room. Since they are falling apart, I only wear them when I must."
Looking at her dressed in what can only be described as disastrous clothing; my heart gave me a little kick. I picked up the phone and dialed my boss. "I finally have a candidate," I said to him.
"Why have you called me?"
"This candidate doesn't have anything but rags to wear and no shoes. I need some money to buy her the things she needs."
"How much do you need?"
"She's a girl, sir; it'll take at least five hundred dollars."
"I'll deposit it in your state account today. She better be worth it."
"I'm sure she is sir. Bye."
I turned to Carmen. "We'll go shopping tomorrow and get you the things you need. After all, I can't have my only candidate running around in rags."
She turned to me with tears in her eyes, then quickly hugged me and gave me a little peck on the cheek. "Nobody ever did anything for me before. I can't tell you how good I feel about you." Her eyes dropped to her lap. "Can I watch TV with you?"
"Sure. I'll make us some popcorn."
When I returned with the popcorn she attacked it like a school of sharks. "How long has it been since you last ate?" I asked.
"Three days," she replied.
"We'll have to get you something to eat!"
I picked up the phone and ordered a pizza. When the pizza came I ate one piece and she wolfed down the rest. She gave a satisfied little burp. "Oh damn, I'm sorry!" she exclaimed demurely.
"Don't worry about it. If I hadn't eaten in three days I'd probably do a lot worse than a little burp."
She smiled and sat on the couch by me. About ten o'clock she dozed off. I gently shook her. "Go get some sleep," I ordered.
"Yes sir," she mumbled.
Saturday morning I waited until she got up. She walked into the front room and plopped down on the couch. "How did you sleep last night?" I inquired.
"Not very well."
"Why not?"
"I was afraid that you might sneak into my room and get me," she quietly confessed.
"Put that out of your mind. I'm not here to 'get you'. I'm here to help you. You would be more likely to invade my room than I yours."
"I'm really sorry; it's just that I have grown suspicious of everyone. I guess I'll have to make some adjustments."
"That's alright. I know you have come from some hard circumstances. Are you ready to go shopping?"
"Oh yes! Let me get my shoes."
"Throw them away. We'll stop at the shoe store first."
We bought some socks, two pairs of shoes and a dress. She threw her old dress away. Then I took her to breakfast. After the meal we went back to our shopping trip. She had selected several dresses, some underwear and a couple of pairs of jeans. Then it was time for bathroom stuff like a toothbrush, deodorant and such. We had lunch and I took her home.
