jobs

J

obs back in the day…. 

Both Robin and I worked since we were pretty young.  I began babysitting consistently from around 11 or 12 years old; I made pretty good money at it too. Nowwww honestly I don’t remember Robin babysitting so much, she was usually pretty busy with her boyfriend. But I clearly remember that what money she did make that she was very frugal and wise with it.  She always seemed to have more money than I did and I was the one working all the time.  She saved her money well. Partly that may have been because we didn’t have really any place to spend the money down on the ‘Strand’ – but hey still, trust me she was good with her money.

As we got older we got better and higher paying jobs.  I still babysat a lot, probably until I was out of high school. I remember Robin working at the Coronado pharmacy at the grill counter- she was GREAT at it.  Really, I’m not just saying that.  She’d make up a burger, club sandwich, grill cheese or whatever... it was ALWAYS good. And then there were the shakes, malts, vanilla & cherry cokes. I had never had a vanilla or cherry coke before that time and it was good! She seemed to have skills for making everything tasty. And honestly she was still quite young to have all these talents.  I don’t know where she got ‘em.  Her mom cooked well and all but still – I guess when you’ve got it you’ve got it.  I definitely did not ‘have it’.

 

Coronado Pharmacy in 1950 - still looked similar when Robin was there.

At the same time Robin worked at the pharmacy I worked at Coronado Vogue Theater, which is about a block away. So if my break worked out right and Robin was working at the counter…then guess where I was headed for a meal? Yep, you guessed it Robin’s grill.  It was always tasty and a high point of my day to spend some time with Robin eating her food.  Jon, her youngest brother, told us recently that both he and Chip, Robin’s third brother, would often enjoy some really good eats at ‘her counter’.  Honestly, she also had great work ethics.  So when I went to see her, I paid for my meal and I only talked to her when there weren’t others at the counter and only briefly.  I mean it was a job, you know, not a social counter.

I really don’t remember her reciprocating at the theater though.  I guess generally it was because I had no clout and I had discounts to give.  Back then whatever the prices were to go to the movies, they weren’t cheap to us.  Minimum wage was $2.90 at the time.  So you figure the math, how many hours did we need to work to be able to buy two pieces of pizza and a coke at Marco’s in Coronado?  Ha!

Around this time people were often mistaking Robin and I for sisters.  I thought it was so funny.  I didn’t know why exactly they thought that.  But they’d remark that we sounded the same (talked the same).  They thought our expressions and our laughs were similar.  And apparently they thought we looked like sisters.  I mean I’m about 4 – 5 inches taller than her, and I have always had brown hair, her’s was blonder.  Ok ok I give you this one – yes we both have blue eyes.  Ok, that’s the reason!  I get it now.  Anyway, I always loved that when they’d mistake us for sisters.  I thought they were ‘off their rockers’ but it still made me smile.

Later, both Robin and I ended up in office type jobs (e.g. payables, payroll, administrative, data analyst).  We both had taken typing, shorthand and accounting in high school (she always seemed to be the teachers’ pets.  It really was because she did so well in the classes).  I had also learned how to use a stenographer tool for court reporting (the concept was very similar to shorthand so I found that pretty easy to adapt).  Robin, let me note to you was SUPER good at typing.  She had speed and accuracy.  And frankly she was a smarty too.  I often wished I could’ve had some of her smarts.  I have to say I was probably a little envious of her and her talents; they seemed to come so easily for her.  But all in all I didn’t mind.  She was smart and I waaaaassssssn’t.  No matter, friends attract for many reasons, often not because of similarities.  Maybe sometimes because of  the differences.  

I loved her for exactly who she was and I know she did the same.  Sisters!