One Door Closes and Another Opens

After 9/11 the Wall Street law firm that I worked for had lost big clients when the Towers went down. They started laying people off (last in, first out). It was a Wednesday and I was sitting at my desk when I got a call from Human Resources to come up. In the three years that I worked for them I had never been asked to come up to Human Resources. I had a sinking feeling when I rose to go upstairs and I muttered, "Pink slip time." That was exactly what it was. I was informed that they were letting me go. They were sorry but they had to cut back. They had lost numerous big clients when the Towers went down. I returned to my desk in a state of shock and started thinking, "What am I going to do?" I had no money saved to fall back on. While I was pondering my future my phone rang and I hear a woman's voice say in a brash voice (while chewing gum), I have been trying to get in touch with you, (chew, chew, smack, smack) I have a check here for you for $5,000 when can you come pick it up. It was a woman who had sued the BOE on behalf of my daughter and the award had come in. It was unbelievable timing! I now had something to tide me over until I could find another job. After I hung up the phone I typed my resume and started to fax it out right from my desk to other law firms. I printed out a copy and went in to one of the attorneys I worked with. I said to her, "Janet, I know you are not an employment agency but you never know." I handed her the copy of my resume. That was on Wednesday. On Friday she went to court and the co-attorney on the case mentioned that he was looking for a secretary. She handed my resume to him. On Monday I got a call from his law firm to come in for an interview. They were located only two buildings down Wall Street. I went for my interview and the next day received a call that I had got the job. I told them I could start in two weeks, which I did at $10,000 more than what I was presently earning.