Back to Work, part four

After more than three months of job searching, Leta found herself in the office of a New York Life Insurance broker. The small firm had recently lost two of its secretaries—one to having a child and the other to marriage. Her potential employer was sitting at the desk opposite her on a hot August day. While he had a window in his office, there was little breeze, and a small fan in the corner made little difference. Leta felt a trickle of sweat roll down her neck She very quietly stretched her shoulder blades, which helped her feel less hot, at least for a few moments.

The owner of the small business rearranged himself in his chair, which groaned slightly.

“Can you type?” he asked.

“Yes, some. I’m not the fastest, but I don’t make errors.”

He wiped his brow with his handkerchief, finished his cigarette and lit another one.

“You’re not planning on getting married or having a baby, are you?”

Leta couldn’t help herself. She laughed.

“I’m definitely not going to be having a baby any time soon,” she answered. “I’m a widow.“

“How old are you?” he inquired, looking harder at her.

“Sixty-two,” she answered, sitting up straighter and suddenly wishing she had a cigarette.

“Same age as me,” he said. “Your back ever ache?”

“No, not usually,” she answered, “but sometimes my knees get sore, if I’m on my hands and knees for a long time.”

“Age pains,” he said.

“That’s what my mother called them!” she laughed, and he laughed with her.

He took another drag of his cigarette.

“Can you start tomorrow?”

Leta worked for the company for five years, staying two months after her boss died from complications related to diabetes. When she started, there were six people in the office. When she retired, there were twenty. Life insurance had become big business.