When Bill and I found out we were pregnant with Katherine in 1995 we were both working part time, dead end jobs. I was a billing clerk/customer service rep at a trucking company and he was a cook at a burrito palace. We lived in a college type apartment in downtown Charleston with a roommate. We got married July 1st and moved in with my parents. Bill had to quit his job, because he didn't have a car or insurance. Before I met him he had been arrested for driving with a suspended license (for driving without insurance) and couldn't afford the expensive SR-22 insurance. In August he found a part time job as a stock clerk at Publix Supermarket in Summerville making about 2 dollars an hour over minimum wage. My parents and I drove him back and forth to work. By September 1st we had enough money to move into a one bedroom apartment across the street from Publix. This enabled Bill to walk to work Within 2 weeks of working Bill was given a dollar an hour raise. By October he was made full time with full benefits coming after a 90 period. I was on Medicaid at the time because I didn't have maternity insurance.
I quit my job the day before Thanksgiving-2 weeks before my December 17th due date. Bill and I were both working nights. Our plan was that I would start looking for a day time job when Katherine was about 6 weeks old so I could put her in daycare while I worked. Katherine ended up being born on December 28th. We had medical insurance on January 1st. I was so proud of that insurance card.
After Katherine was born I realized I did not want to go back to work so we moved into a less expensive 2 bedroom townhouse up the street. By this time Bill had a $60.00 bike that he rode back and forth to work. We had one car, we didn't have cable, we didn't go out to eat, our clothes came from Walmart, Katherine (and my other 4 children) wore cloth diapers, and, of course, we couldn't have done it without my parents helping us out from time to time. When Kat was about 6 months old we started to do maintenance work for my dad at his commercial rental property. Bill, Katherine and I would drive up there together, and Bill and I would take turns taking care of Katherine and mowing the grass and picking up trash and whatever else needed to be done on Bill's days off.
By the time Katherine was 2 Bill had been promoted to management, we owned a house, 2 cars and we had a few luxury items like DirecTV. Bill worked hard and proved himself and steadily worked his way up the ranks of management.
Maybe we just got lucky, but I don't think so. Bill is a hard worker who has always put his family first. I think he is the true epitome that you can get by in America.
Wendy
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