Chapter 4
CASH
Ihadn’t slept much the past few nights other than a few hours here and there.
The phone call from my parents the other day had me wondering how far they would push this financial cutoff.
I didn’t know if it was an empty threat or not.
I wish I could say that at least one of my siblings or cousins had gone rogue to compare this with so I would have a decent idea how the family might react.
At least they had to be proud that out of all their kids and nieces and nephews that only one had gone off course.
I’d spent the past few days taking long walks to think about my options.
At least it was very quiet and peaceful outside, which allowed me the perfect atmosphere to think and consider everything.
I hadn’t settled on what I was going to do exactly, but I knew without a shadow of doubt that I absolutely didn’t want to go back to law school in September.
To prepare for the war with my family, I decided I needed to look around here for a job.
Since there was still almost a month left before we were scheduled to go back to L.A.
, I thought I might be able to get a few local jobs here and there to give me some money.
I headed to the cabin rental office to check the job postings.
This place had a small town feel to it, and I recalled seeing a bulletin board with random part-time jobs on it in the rental office.
I knew online resources were best for more career types of jobs with permanent employment.
I was looking for quick, local jobs and figured local listings might have the most options.
I pulled open the glass door of the rental office and immediately caught the whiff of pine.
I loved the scent of pine but this smelled like a mixture of something else.
The scent was smooth, so I looked around to see where it might be coming from.
I spotted a massive candle burning on the counter, which I assumed was the source of the scent.
“Morning, dear,” the older woman standing behind the counter greeted me. She held her hand up and waved while the man she was talking to turned to look at me.
I smiled and nodded before saying, “Good morning.” I didn’t want to interrupt them further, so I quietly walked toward the bulletin board and found the section for jobs.
Temporary job postings were haphazardly pinned to the cork board.
Some overlapped, some had been there so long the paper had yellowed.
There were several listings for some type of yard work ranging from landscape companies looking for helpers for certain days of the week to homeowners looking for helpers with weekend projects.
I was surprised to find two pool companies were looking for help.
Were there a lot of pools in Lake Tahoe?
One of the listings was looking for someone who was experienced and had knowledge with pool chemicals.
That certainly wasn’t for me, but the other company was looking for an apprentice.
That was a possibility. I pulled my phone out and made a note of the contact info.
As I typed, I thought of how I could learn the pool business and then go back to L.A.
and get a job there. But, did I really want to be a pool guy for the rest of my life?
I continued looking at the board. Some people were looking for an auto detailer. Did I really want to wash cars? Still, I took the info down. The convenience store was looking for someone to help with stocking shelves, which sounded okay.
There were some listings for seasonal work on the mountain for ski instructors and hiking guides. I couldn’t stop myself from grinning as I pictured myself in hiking attire with a walking stick.
I’d started to enter the contact info in my phone for the person looking for someone to help do odds and ends around a senior center when I heard the door open.
Out of habit, I turned and looked in time to see the man from the counter leave with some pamphlets.
The old woman had come out from behind the counter and smiled as she walked toward me with a gray piece of paper in her hand.
I’d seen her off and on during the summer, but hadn’t caught her name before.
I could clearly see her name tag now: Bea.
“Have you found what you’re looking for, dear?” Bea asked.
Wasn’t that the million dollar question?
I smiled at her, and then I turned to look at the bulletin board again.
“I’m not really sure I know what I’m looking for,” I answered in all honesty. All I knew was that I didn’t want to go back to law school.
“Are you looking for a part-time job or a full-time job while you’re here for the summer?” she asked as she reached up to pull a push pin out of the cork.
“I’m open to either.” I skimmed the board again to see if there was anything that had really caught my attention. Then I quickly clarified, “I’m open to working full-time if the right job comes along.”
I didn’t want to wash cars for eight hours a day. I was twenty-four and had a bachelor’s degree in economics.
Maybe this was a mistake.
Maybe I needed to go back to L.A. and start applying for jobs where I could apply my economics degree. Surely there was something out there for me.
Maybe getting the undergrad degree in economics versus political science hadn’t been the mistake my dad said it was.
“Well,” Bea paused while she pinned the paper to the board, and my eyes followed her hand until the paper was securely attached to the cork board.
Instantly the white logo at the top of the paper stuck out at me.
The logo had the company name, Equinox, to the left of a mountain, and under the mountain it read Lake Tahoe.
The paper was much thicker than the other sheets of paper and there was a faint white border along the edges.
It looked like an elegant invitation and was sized like a greeting card.
She pointed to it and then looked at me.
“If you’re looking for something beyond the job postings you already saw, look into this one. It may turn out to be what you’re looking for,” she said and then walked back toward the counter. I turned my attention back to the new posting.
Job Title: Resort Assistant
Description: Various tasks that include operational and administrative tasks and guest services.
Hours: Will vary
Salary: Negotiable (range is $35,000 - $55,000 based on experience).
I took a picture of the job posting with my phone and then made sure it wasn’t blurry before I headed out of the rental office. Maybe this would work out for me.
“Thank you,” I said to the woman behind the counter as I wrapped my hand around the door handle.
“Good luck, dear.”