part 15
I worked in a bank on Normandy Isle on Miami Beach, Dade Savings a small branch. We were cross trained as teller’s/new accounts CD’s and other aspects of banking. Just 7 staff total including one armed guard which did not help the day we were robbed at gunpoint. I hated the job but loved the interaction with customers and my co-workers. We were like a little family. The benefits were good and George thought I could make a career of it when they offered to train me for manager. But soon realized this was not for me and so I started my own business buying close-out merchandise and selling it at flea markets.
I sold shoes, books and then Toys. I did well with the toy’s demonstrating and putting on quite a show at Gulfstream racetrack and Thunderbird swap meet. I drove a big van; up at 5 am and off to swap meets in the dark. I also burned to a crisp in the hot sun despite awnings; umbrellas and sun screen. My Lilly white skin could not take it, so I moved to indoor market in one of highest crime areas. Business was good but after my car was stolen, my purse then followed up with my house broken in too and a fire bomb was thrown into bathroom as armed robbers stormed in to jewelry booth next to me. I decided that this was probably not the place to be.
Oh what is a woman to do, here I am in the land of opportunity and I still don’t know what I want to do now that I was all grown up. Then a lady, in my neighborhood, asked if I could help her out with shopping and driving her to doctors and before I knew it I had a nice group of elderly people and their families who did not live here all year round to help them with every day needs. So I had a little work and George was, as always working 2 jobs and taking care of me and all the bills.
One day a friend of mine who I had worked with at the IHOP called and asked me if I wanted to go to a rodeo in Davie, FL with her and her boyfriend .She said it was real cowboy’s roping and bull riding, Jackie is French, her boyfriend German. We were excited to see real American cowboy’s in action, so off we all went including George. The rodeo was fantastic I had never seen that style of horse riding, roping and the bull riding WOW. Anyway after the Rodeo we went to a bar where we were told they had the best steak sandwiches it was called Club Elvis on Griffin Road a small restaurant bar and dance floor. Loud and full of life once you were inside with country music playing, It seemed like a real local hang out everyone seemed to know everyone. We sat near the dance floor and enjoyed our steak sandwiches and then all these men and women wearing cowboy boots and cowboy hats started line dancing .I was fascinated did not really know what they were doing did not know what line dancing was just saw they were all doing the same steps in some kind of sequence to a song.
I wanted to get up and dance so bad but of course, I did not. It was the first time in my life I could not get up and dance, because you had to know the steps to join in. After a while the DJ announced free line dance classes every Wednesday night and I was all ears. On the way home George said I should go and try it he knew I loved to dance and he did not ever dance. George was working night shift every night I was home alone and we thought this would be fun for me even though I was afraid to go and drive all that way by myself. I planned to go that Wednesday night once again not realizing this would be another life changing experience
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