My First Paying Job

My first paying job was as a newspaper delivery boy for the Washington Post when I was 13. It was 1958.  I lived in Kensington, Md. The Post was a morning edition. I had to get up at 4am and walk to the  newspaper drop point about six blocks from my house. I can’t remember how many customers I had, but I had to deliver the papers in two loads because my newspaper bag wouldn’t hold all of them. I’d get back home about 6:30 or 7 in the morning, eat breakfast and walk to school.  

This was a seven day a week job, (Sundays were brutal!) and once a month I had to go out to every single house in the evening  to collect the paper money from the customers. Sometimes I had to go back to a person’s house several times before I could get them to pay up. (That was my first experience with poor credit risks.) I found that if I went back often enough I could shame them into paying what they owed me. I figured the job was about 65 hours a month, for which I netted about $15-$20.  

I will say the man who dropped off the papers, and for whom I was a subcontractor of sorts, was a life long inspiration. I was always at the drop point waiting for him, most kids weren’t.  He really appreciated that, because papers left laying around can and did get stolen. He was always cheerful and and he had nice things to say. I didn't know if he was married, or if had any kids, or if this was a temp  job  or if this was his life's career job, but he seemed to enjoy his work. His enthusiasm was contagious and I enjoyed working for him. People like to work for people they like. 

 One day, it was snowing and he didn’t show up at the usual time. I ran home, got a couple of hot dogs, ran back to the drop corner, made a stick fire and roasted hotdogs waiting for him. When he finally pulled up, he couldn’t believe his eyes! I gave him a hot dog. 

Later he gave me a set of cuff links as a tip for my diligent work.  I was beside myself! They were only costume jewelry, but it was the first bonus I ever received!  A fancy little box contained two sets of cuff links, one silver and one gold. When my dress called for cuff links, I have always worn those inexpensive cuff links all my life (and still do) as a reminder of my first job and my first boss. I keep them in my  Dopp kit bag. They have a nice patina now, where the gold plating has worn off and exposed the brass. They don't have any value, but for me they are a treasure. Funny how a little thing like that can shape a person’s work ethic.