Ginger, welcome. You were the very first person from SeniorLearn(Net), you and Annafair, that I met, back in 2002 in DC. It’s soooo good to see you here. Glad you're back.
I love the humor that comes out of these pages --
“No, only iced tea,” Liam said, “ or I think my daughter may have left some Diet Coke.”
“I didn’t know you had a daughter,” Eunice said.
“I have three, in fact.”
“So you are what? Divorced? Widowed?”
“Both,” said Liam. “What do you want?”
Eunice said, “Excuse me?”
"Iced tea or diet coke?"
In fact, this whole thing between Liam and Eunice, this charade about a job, the resume, etc. sounds like a comedy of errors.
Sometimes I need a picture – here’s Liam’s employment, as told to Eunice –
1975 – 1982 – Ancient History at the Freemont School
1982 – 1993 – American History at St. Dyfrig
1993 – 2005 – Fifth grade at St. Dyfrig
(Somewhere did it say he taught 5th grade for 12 years?) Looks like 30 years in all.
Fremont was probably higher up the ladder than St. Dyfrig – The doctor’s son went there and we also have “ The Fremont School? Gosh,” Eunice said.
Public school teachers here in Missouri don’t pay into Social Security, but into a defined benefit pension based on salary and years of service, and after 30 years can retire at any age at full pension, likewise after age 60 regardless of years taught. A friend who retired from a parochial school also gets a pension, but the amounts are lower than the public one.
Sally, it is all enough to make your head swim, isn’t it. It’s not only the clothes being mentioned. So now Liam thinks, “but face it: she was really sort of . . .. hapless. People like Eunice just never had quite figured out gow to get along in the world”
Hmmm, is the pot calling the kettle black?
