"Frank, you're not going to sit around and do nothing." Terry flat-out stated. "You're just bored and depressed, that's what's wrong. And it's no wonder after what you've been through. I've circled some jobs in the paper and I'm coming over to get you." After the few weeks Terry spent with Frank, she knew he needed help and she didn't want to risk Pat getting as frustrated with Frank's presence as she was. "He just needs to be busy" was what she told me and I couldn't say I disagreed. Frank always was a go-getter and took alot of pride in his salesman's charm; it wasn't like him to sit and brood. Terry pulled up to Pat's house at the end of the cul-de-sac with her little gray Civic and bopped the horn. Frank came out dressed in his brown tweed sportcoat, khaki pants, and peach shirt and tie. He looked great and Terry already felt better just seeing him cleaned up . "The first place we're going in Henning's, they need a store manager. You have management experience, you can do that." Terry encouraged. "Oh yeah, I had twenty people under me at . . . uh . . .AT&T, and stuff like that." Frank didn't have much else, but he still had that old confidence."Laytonacity" I call it.
Laytonacity runs in the family. I hear it originated in the senior Mr. Layton. Although I never met him, I saw his handywork in the family home in New Jersey. The old heathkit brick stereo that never quite worked, the family room addition on the back of the house that wasn't quite attached and also didn't have a foundation, and also had interior paneling on the exterior, the toilet that was painted dark blue, but the paint didn't stick very well inside the bowl; there are other stories, but you get the picture. I see it in my sixteen year old who, armed with his driver's permit with the ink still wet, criticizes every driver in front of him. "Look at this guy, he's driving 42 in a 45 mile per hour zone!" "Look how far back this guy is from traffic in front of him, what's wrong with these people!" Actually, I'm quite worried about this Laytonacity trait. One day you're on top of the world and next thing you have a harvest gold and cobalt blue stained toilet in your house. You can't be a professional in everything.
Terry dropped Frank off in front of Henning's and said "I'll be waiting right here. Good luck." "Thanks Mom." Frank hopped out of the car and strode purposefully into the store. He came out about twenty-five minutes later with a big smile. "How did it go?" Terry asked hopefully. "It went great, I think I got the job. I told them about my jobs, that other place I worked, and stuff, and what I did, and stuff like that, and about that thing I got, you know, that . . . um prize . . . that bonus, that's what it was, the bonus, no . . . award, that's it, I couldn't think of it. He said they'll call."
"Okay good, but let's go one more place. They need a forklift operator at the chocolate factory." Terry proposed. "Okay, let's go!" Frank was on a roll and felt great. He thought he got that job too, but those phone calls never came. He did get a job stocking shelves at Target overnight. We were proud of him for continuing to look for a job and then landing one, even though it wasn't store manager.
"How's the job going Frank?" Matt asked one day. "Uh, well, I got fired." Frank said quietly. "What happened?" Matt wanted to know. "The guy was always yelling at me. I was putting stuff in the freezer and he told me that he didn't want me to do that. He said he told me to do something else. It seemed like I was always doing the wrong thing. I applied for another job at that place near me."
"Oh good Frank. Where?" Matt asked. "You know, that orange place." Matt and I looked at each other. We were actually getting quite good at filling in Frank's missing words. I love word games and puzzles so it was actually fun to try and figure out what he was trying to say, like charades. "Um, orange . . . orange . . . Walmart? . . no that's not orange." I was trying to figure it out.
'They wear those orange things, you know. It's big, really big." Frank offered another hint.
"Home Depot!" Score ten points for Matt. ding! Cue canned applause and theme show music.
"Yeah, Home Depot, that's it." Frank confirmed.
After Frank left, I said to Matt,"You know he's not going to get that job, right?"
"Why would you say that? Frank's always gotten the best jobs. When we were in high school he got a job as a salesman at Sears. He made alot of money too. The only reason I got that job at Walgreen's lunch counter was because Frank had it first and they liked him." Matt seemed to be in denial.
"Matt, we have to do something. Frank is not my child, I have my own bills to pay and we have three children that need to go to college. We can't keep paying his rent forever and there will be no other job." "Wow, I can't believe you're so negative." Mat stalked away. "I can't believe you can't see what's right in front of your eyes!" I shouted at his back. Now we're fighting over him. I knew it would not be good for our family to get involved.
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