I wrote this for those of us that still have dreams to realize.
Ever since I retired, I've been driving cars for a local auto dealer. It doesn't pay much, but it gives me something to do and I work with a great bunch of people. I hadn't worked for a few days when the manager called me. He asked if I was interested in making some extra money and of course, I told him yes. He said that some good customers were looking for a driver for a few days, that they were really good people, and they paid well...in cash.
Always just a little bit short on cash, I got the phone number from him and called them. They were the Langleys, senior citizens who weren't rich, but they didn't have to worry about their future if you know what I mean. I called the number he gave me, and a woman answered. I told her who I was and why I was calling, and she said she was glad I called.
"My husband and I are going to California for the winter," she said. "He can't drive due to medication that he takes. I can drive, but not for long distances. Mr. Harkins says you drive like this all the time and he recommended you highly. We'll pay you, of course. Would you be interested? It would mean driving for about three days and flying back."
I thought about it for a few minutes and mentally reviewed my financial situation. "I don't mean to sound greedy or anything like that," I said, "but how much does the job pay?"
"Well, Mr. Harkins says he pays you nine dollars an hour. Now, we can't afford to pay you overtime or anything like that, but that would be about 960.00 for the three days plus the day you fly back. Of course, we would pay all expenses, and your return flight would be our responsibility so you wouldn't need any money for day to day. If you're interested, I'll start looking for a flight back and taking care of the other arrangements. Just jeans or shorts and a pullover is fine for the day but you'll want to take something to wear for dinner. Most of the hotels have pools so if that sort of thing interests you, you'll need a suit of some kind. What do you say? We'd like to leave in a couple of days so you can get back to work. Mr. Harkins said he'd like to have you back by Tuesday or Wednesday if we can work it out."
"How about this? How about I come over and meet you and you can meet me. Then we can be sure everything is understood by everyone. If we're both satisfied that it's going to work, I'll take the job."
"That's fine," she said, and invited me to dinner that night. I put the phone down and took a deep breath. I had to make this work. That was just too much money to refuse and driving is no big deal for me anyway. I don't drink or smoke so they wouldn't have that to worry about and I'm not tied down to any tight schedule or anything so why not. A grand for three days work and a flight home. Not bad.
I called Harkins and he told me that he'd just sold them a new town car so I'd have good wheels for the trip. When I asked if he was going to be in a tight spot if I took it, he said his son-inn-law, who used to work there, was going to be around for about a month so he agreed to work until I got back.
They lived in a lovely older home on about three acres of grass and trees. In this area, that meant money so I didn't have any concerns about non-payment either. She came to the door wearing a really expensive sweater that appeared to be cashmere or something like that, and a long, full skirt to go with it. She had nice blue eyes and brown hair that was graying some, but still dark in most places. Her smile was warm and welcoming and I just had the feeling this was going to work out well for everyone.