War Cry - October, 2013 Page 12

The War Cry | OCTOBER 2013

of which I needed to help me get on
my feet. At first, we had no furni-
ture. I made beds on the floor by
piling up comforters. Then The
Salvation Army helped me with beds
and a couch, groceries and clothing.
To someone on the outside looking
in, it may have seemed as though
life was pretty bad for my babies and
me but to us, we might as well have
been living in a castle, and we had
hope that life would get better.

I needed a job if we were going

to make it. I hunted and hunted for
two months. Then one day a woman
called to say that she knew of a job,
but she didn't think I'd really be
interested. The position was only
part-time, paid just a little more
than minimum wage and involved
watching kids. I told her
I'd take anything. So she gave me
the number and I made a call to
The Salvation Army Boys & Girls
Clubs of Hickory, NC.

Not Your Average Interview

I did everything I had learned in
my job training classes: I had my
resum� ready. I wore the one good
two-piece dress suit I owned and I

fixed my hair and put on makeup.
The receptionist, Ms. Rachel, told
me to wait while she got the execu-
tive director, Mr. Demauro. When
she came back, she told me he would
not be able to interview me that day.
I was crushed. As I pulled out of
the parking lot, tears just spilled
down my face.

But the very next day, Ms. Rachel

called and said that Mr. Demauro
could interview me if I could get
there in the next 15 to 20 minutes.
Now here I was with no makeup,
hair pulled back in a ponytail,
wearing an old pair of jeans and
an oversized Mickey Mouse sweat-

shirt. But there was no time to
change. So off I went.

Mr. Demauro asked me why I

wanted this position. The next thing
you know, I started crying. Now that
has got to be the number one
cardinal rule in job interviewing--do
not cry. I told him that I was willing
to do anything. I would scrub toilets,
change Pampers, take out trash. I
just needed a job. I also shared my
situation with him. In my mind I

could hear my ex-husband's words,
"You'll be back. You can't make it on
your own with three kids."

I found out that the position was

from 2-6 p.m. I apologized for
wasting Mr. DeMauro's time; I told
him that I really wanted the job, but
my baby girl was in day-care on one
side of town, and my two boys were
in an after-school program on the
other side. I had to do all my pickups
by 6 p.m., when the day-care closed.
Once again, I pulled out of the Boys
& Girls Club parking lot with tears
streaming down my face.

I hadn't been in my apartment

more than 10 minutes when my

Lorrie with a few of the thousands of young people she influences
through the Boys & Girls Club.

Peter

Taylor/Global Assignment by Getty Images

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