The Immigrants

One side of a conversation overheard in Starbucks on the Plaza, between the boss--an Irishman with a thick brogue who seemed uncomfortable with his position as employer--and the young Hispanic man he was trying to woo back to work:

"George, I still don't know why you walked out. I haven't seen you for three days."

(George speaks.)

"I know, I know. Jose got a raise, from $12.80 to $14.60. Yes, sometimes he works overtime. But other times, he doesn't even work fulltime. His paycheck fluctuates--
do you see? If there's no work, he doesn't get paid."

(George.)

"Okay, I see. But you know what, George? People take advantage, don't show up. They use fake names because they owe back child support and Missouri is strict. No, I'm not talking about you, George."

(George.)

"Yes, yes, I know. It's true that I gave Wes a cell phone. He couldn't qualify to get one of his own."

(George.)

"All right, George. If you want to go back to hourly, you can. But there are advantages to being on a salary--you can budget. Think of the bigger picture. You have children. Christmas is only two months away. There's more than just today..."

(George.)

"Whatever you say, George. What else do you want? Okay. I'll get you your own cell phone. Take some time off, but then come back to work on Monday."

I don't know why I felt that both these men were struggling to become authentic Americans, struggling to understand the way of things, but I did.

Maybe it's because I was just speaking with my cousin who was raised by two immigrant parents--a mother from Scotland (my father's sister) and a father from Norway. She told me how she wanted to live in my family when she was a kid, because I only had one immigrant parent, and we must have been like a "real" American family.

She felt better after I assured her that immigrant status is a dominant trait in a family, one that can't be easily overcome even if your mom is a Daughter of the American Revolution.

I was happy I could help.

Posted by Katy on 10/27/03 at 10:39 PM

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Personal blog of christian writer & fallible mom Katy McKenna Raymond in Kansas City, Missouri Katy is represented by Greg Johnson at WordServe Literary Read more Katy at LateBoomer.net Follow Katy on Twitter Follow Katy on Facebook 123 Recent Posts Try Becoming Brenda Starr Off Beat Scattered That’s It So I’ve Finally Signed With An Agent. Now What? The Spoon Sciatica Sweetheart A Woman’s Train of Thought Has No Caboose However much we own, we are all still living on borrowed time After all, when restaurants shrink portions, they don’t shrink prices. As with everything in life, balance is key. Slow down, you move too fast… Yeah, I know. I have issues. Search Advanced Search Syndicate Login E me at katy @ ngenius.com	The Immigrants One side of a conversation overheard in Starbucks on the Plaza, between the boss--an Irishman with a thick brogue who seemed uncomfortable with his position as employer--and the young Hispanic man he was trying to woo back to work: "George, I still don't know why you walked out. I haven't seen you for three days." (George speaks.) "I know, I know. Jose got a raise, from $12.80 to $14.60. Yes, sometimes he works overtime. But other times, he doesn't even work fulltime. His paycheck fluctuates-- do you see? If there's no work, he doesn't get paid." (George.) "Okay, I see. But you know what, George? People take advantage, don't show up. They use fake names because they owe back child support and Missouri is strict. No, I'm not talking about you, George." (George.) "Yes, yes, I know. It's true that I gave Wes a cell phone. He couldn't qualify to get one of his own." (George.) "All right, George. If you want to go back to hourly, you can. But there are advantages to being on a salary--you can budget. Think of the bigger picture. You have children. Christmas is only two months away. There's more than just today..." (George.) "Whatever you say, George. What else do you want? Okay. I'll get you your own cell phone. Take some time off, but then come back to work on Monday." I don't know why I felt that both these men were struggling to become authentic Americans, struggling to understand the way of things, but I did. Maybe it's because I was just speaking with my cousin who was raised by two immigrant parents--a mother from Scotland (my father's sister) and a father from Norway. She told me how she wanted to live in my family when she was a kid, because I only had one immigrant parent, and we must have been like a "real" American family. She felt better after I assured her that immigrant status is a dominant trait in a family, one that can't be easily overcome even if your mom is a Daughter of the American Revolution. I was happy I could help. Posted by Katy on 10/27/03 at 10:39 PM Fallible Comments... Commenting is not available in this weblog entry. Next entry: Progress Report Previous entry: Oneness << Back to main


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Personal blog of christianwriter & fallible momKaty McKenna Raymondin Kansas City, Missouri

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The Immigrants

Personal blog of christian
writer & fallible mom
Katy McKenna Raymond
in Kansas City, Missouri