1980 what a year

The summer of 1980 was very eventful. I got reacquainted with Barbara Glass , Wilkerson who had grown up one house away from me but was three years younger so therefore I had never considered dating her. I was back in my old job at Kingsbury Homes, traveling again and trying to find my way as a single person. On top of all that Oklahoma was experiencing the hottest temperatures in many, many years. I was just getting back in the groove of my old job when, due to a shortage of sales Kingsbury decided they had to lay me off. Wow this was devastating. I had child support to pay plus normal everyday living expenses. I knew of NO jobs in Holdenville therefore really knew no where to turn. I immediately filed for unemployment compensation. First time in my life. My benefit was $112.00 per week. That wasn’t gonna go far because my monthly payment for child support and half of our house payment, which I was ordered to pay, came to $450.00per month. A friend in Atwood, Wendell Black, told me I could work for him on his farm. He explained to me that he could only pay $3.50 per hour. Not much but he said he would pay me in cash. Not really legal but I was desperate and he was trying to help me out. I jumped on it. We would work from about eight in the morning til eight at night. It was hard, hot, and dusty work but I had to do it to get by. I was grateful to him for his help. This went on for several weeks. Barbara and I were really getting close and she helped keep my spirits up. One time after a long hot day I decided to go by and see my mother. I was exhausted and I guess I was just looking for a little sympathy or maybe just some reinforcement because I was really depressed. Keep in mind my mother had a very difficult life and the only solution she ever knew for hard times was just work harder. Well I sat down and said ” mom I just don’t know what I’m gonna do, I have no job and can’t find one, I’ve got two kids to raise, I’ve no longer got a home I just don’t know what I’m gonna do.” Well that was not something she wanted to hear out of her baby boy. She gave me a long stare, while twiddling her thumbs and said. ” shhhhiiiittt you don’t know what hard times are, you get off your butt get out there and find you a job, you support those kids and make a life for yourself.” I was stunned. I sat there in shock for a time, I guess waiting on that sympathy I had come for, but it never came. Slowly I got up and walked out to my car drove back to Atwood. It was the most lonesome 11 miles I had ever driven. I wanted to cry, I wanted to scream but mostly I wanted to give up. Somewhere between Holdenville and Atwood I came to the realization if it was to be it was up to me. I woke up the next morning with a new determination. I decided I WOULD do WHATEVER necessary to live up to my obligations. Soon after that things started looking up. An old friend, Dean Robinson, called me. He was now working for the Seminole Indians and had a multi purpose building to build in Maud Oklahoma. He wanted to hire me as a foreman to help him run the job. I was ecstatic. Barbara and I were both too broke to celebrate but we got together and talked and for our first time together things were positive. I can’t remember ever being this excited and eager to go to work. I was alive again and doing what I loved to do. Build. Little did I know at the time another surprise was right around the corner and it too was positive.