It took me over 46 years to realize what had actually occurred that night. I won’t write it but if you ask me in person I will tell you. The answer will lead you to believe as I do. I am not as smart as I thought I was or you may think I am. In spite of the lesson learned it was an event I wish I could relive where my different actions would have resulted in a much happier occurrence that evening.
Kat and I were busy working, and enjoying the life of newlyweds. I could not wait to get home to see her after work. That feeling started as newlyweds and it never left me. Kat was the most exuberant person imaginable. She made me feel like the most important person in the world. We were that to each other.
We purchased our first bedroom set soon after we got married. We went to a showroom in Manhattan. A double bed with headboard and footboard, box spring and mattress; a chest and dresser, all in maple. No night tables or mirror. All for three hundred sixty-five dollars ($365), delivered. We could never remember why we didn’t get the night tables or mirror. Our later guesses was that we were young, foolish and cheap. That remained our main bedroom set for over 30 years. We later added night tables and mirror, non matching. When we finally bought a new bedroom set we moved that set to the guest room. We had that set until 2011 when we moved to Seattle.
Although my job as a bank auditor was okay, I didn’t love it. My cousin Steve and I began to talk about going into business together. Neither one of us was sure of what we wanted to do regarding careers. Both of our dads were in the painting business. Steve’s father was the principal owner of a very successful, fairly large painting company headquartered in Queens, New York. My father ran a small business with himself and one or two workers. My father was still the principal painter. We discussed it with my father and he agreed to train us. I don’t know if Steve ever discussed it with his dad, my uncle Dave. Assuming that discussion did not take place, that turned out to be a big mistake. Kat totally supported the plan we came up with. She had complete confidence in me. That would remain so for the rest of our lives together.
Steve began working and training with my dad. I gave two weeks’ notice at my job. The weekend before Steve and I were to begin our partnership and after my last day at the bank, Kat and I received an invitation to visit Steve’s older brother Larry on Long Island that Saturday. Steve joined us. When we got there Larry told us that the partnership idea would be detrimental to my Uncle Dave’s business and it was not a good idea. We did not think it through enough. The partnership and the idea of forming a business together was over before it started. And I was now, once again, out of a job. Kat never complained. There were no recriminations. I can’t say I was worried but I didn’t know what I would do regarding work.