Michael Opas - [n.d.]
Finding a Job
Doing what?
I worked at a furrier--I worked as a furrier in Hamtramck with a Polish family. Matter of fact, that lady who, who--the lady who helped me on the railroad station--her husband was a, was a furrier.
Mm-hm.
Not a furrier--he was--he had a, a, a store--a fur store--a shop. So when she found out that I'm a furrier, she said, "If you need some help, contact us." And she gave me her card, said "Contact us." So naturally after, after a couple weeks--maybe five, six weeks I couldn't find any work. And I was embarrassed to take--they, they gave me some--I think, thirty dollars a week to live on. So it, it wasn't--but it wasn't ??? size. Besides, I, I didn't--I, I'm not, I'm not used to take from, from, from an organization money. I'm a grown man. I feel--I, I want to work. And I couldn't find any jobs. Wherever I went I was recommended to different, different Jewish shops. But they wouldn't speak to me in Yiddish. They only spoke in English to me and I, and I, and I could not--I couldn't get through them. They all told--kept telling me, "People call you. Don't call us, we will call you." I said, "How can you, how can--how will you call me? I don't even have a phone!" How--this was like this. For about six weeks I couldn't find any work. Finally I went to Hamtramck. I called him up and they told me to come down. I went--took a bus and I went down to Hamtramck and he hired me. He needed a furrier. So I worked about for two months. They, they had a furrier, but the furrier was sick--out--sick leave I think for two months, so they hired me temporarily. They already told me, "It's only temporarily." So then finally, finally I, I had no job so I, I met a guy. You know the Schlosses, you know?
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