Deborah Woehr

With the move, came a new school district, which has different hours of operations. Why they start so late, I don’t know. But it has cut my work hours from six to three. Now, that wouldn’t be bad if I didn’t have a forty-mile commute. Not only does this new schedule cut my day in half, but my paycheck as well. With gas prices raising (predicted long before Katrina hit), I’ll be losing nearly two paychecks per month instead of one to trek to a place that I really can’t stand.

This morning was particularly stressful because my car is having some problems. Hell, it’s thirteen years old, so I can’t expect it to last forever. All the way to work, I was thinking, “I can’t do this anymore. I don’t want to do this anymore.”

My husband wants me to stick it out until we can figure out what our budget is. I’ve already started applying elsewhere, but doubt I’ll hear anything. The effects of the recession are still strong here in the Bay Area. For every one job, you’re competing with literally thousands of other people. It’s still very tough to find a job out here.

At any rate, I found one of the corporate big wigs sitting in front of my computer when I walked into the office. He smiled and said hello as I walked past him to my desk. I returned the smile, while listening to my boss talking on the phone. She is none too happy with my new schedule, and I expected to receive some harsh words.

When she pulled me aside and told me that they were going to start hiring again, I had to make a decision. I told her that I was stuck with no one to pick up or drop of my kids, and then gave her my two week’s notice. We stood there for a minute, not knowing what to say. She understood my position, and I understood hers.

In the end, I agreed to give one month’s notice so I can not only hire more field auditors but a new secretary to take my place. September will be very stressful, but it will end on a good note (I hope.). Now, I need to break the news to my husband.