CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
Four months before I was to be discharged from the Air Force, in December 2002, I graduated from Southwestern College with a bachelor’s degree in human resources and business quality management — a double major — and a GPA of 3.6. I was extremely excited and proud to receive my degree; this was a very special moment for me. As an active-duty member of the military, I was working full-time Monday through Friday, so I had to attend classes in the evenings after work. Most of my weekends were occupied studying and working on school papers and projects.
I was the first person on my mother’s side of the family to get a college degree. I am extremely grateful to both Butler Community College and Southwestern College for the unlimited support they offered in providing evening classes, some of them on base, for active-duty military members. Without the support of the staff at both schools, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
My four-year term of service in the Air Force was due to end in April 2003, and I considered the possibility of staying in, opting for another contract and maybe even becoming an officer now that I had a bachelor’s degree. The Air Force and everyone on McConnell AFB, as well as the people of Wichita, had all been good to us, and we had made a lot of friends. But Melissa was eager to move back to Fresno and to reunite with her family, and I understood her perspective.
We packed up everything and got into our respective vehicles for the trip back to California in March 2003. We each had a walkie-talkie so that we could communicate on the road.
I was towing a U-Haul trailer behind my black Chevy truck, and Melissa was following me in her red Thunderbird. Driving for twelve hours at a stretch, we made it to Fresno in just two days.
There’s a mountain pass in southern California known as the Grapevine. It’s about forty miles of road, and the winds there can get incredibly powerful during winter, tipping large vehicles onto their sides. Because I was towing a trailer, at times we were forced to drive at about twenty miles an hour to get through the forty-mile stretch safely, and we were both exhausted. We checked in on each other continuously with the walkie-talkies to stay awake on the road.
We arrived at Melissa’s parents’ house around two in the morning. The final hour of the trip was the most challenging — Melissa and I had been driving all day and were exhausted, and if we had to drive for one more hour, I know we would have had to pull over and get some sleep.
While still in Wichita, we had arranged to rent a one-bedroom apartment in a complex called Crown Point Cascades, located on Fresno’s north side. I wasn’t very familiar with this part of town, and I still remember as we drove through for the first time how the streets had beautiful, shade-granting trees and streetlights running up and down both sides; the neighborhood had a cozy, suburban feeling. We also chose this apartment complex because it allowed large dogs and offered a large field where dogs could run, which was great for Kita. It was also located near Woodward Park, which had trails and its own dog park.
I had a month of paid vacation time from my stint in the Air Force, which allowed me to search for a new job with a little less panic than I might have felt otherwise. Melissa was a registered nurse with some experience by then, so she had no difficulty landing a position at the local Valley Children’s Hospital, on the oncology floor.
I began my job search as I had done countless times in the past, but this time with high hopes; after all, I was returning to Fresno with an honorable discharge from the military and a bachelor’s degree. Unfortunately, I was fresh out of college and lacked experience, which turned out to be an important component of getting hired in my field. I went to job fairs, pounded the pavement, and applied at many interesting places, but eventually I found myself back at Macy’s for the second time.
This time, I was selling women’s shoes. It wasn’t what I had envisioned for myself, but I was grateful for the work and for the company’s willingness to welcome me back. And this time, I was earning a small commission on sales, which was nice.
Comments