It was 2000 and I had moved back to my childhood home in West Plains, MO after graduating in December. I was working at Movie Gallery video store inside Walmart. To my knowledge, this was the first job where they actually called my references. Jennifer was the manager at the time and she could only give me 15-20 hours a week. I was looking for another job to fill my time and fill my wallet.
I saw an ad for part-time work in accounting at a local classified paper. The paper was rather famous in the area, The Horse Trader. I thought it would be a neat job. It’s really rather remarkable that I got the job, I had no interest in accounting and no aptitude either. I think I got it because the owner knew and liked my dad. Come to think of it, that’s how I got my first job too. Dairy Queen. But that’s another story.
I started working at The Horse Trader and as the day went on, I noticed two girls sitting in a back room with computers. Teresa and Julie. I asked what they did. They typed the ads and scanned and edited photos. This seemed like a much more interesting job. I talked with my boyfriend that night and told him how I wished I could do that.
A few days later I went into work at the paper and noticed the somber mood. I asked what had happened and they told me that Julie had died the night before in a car accident. Her, her boyfriend and two kids were in the car when a semi-truck hit them as they pulled out in an area known to have a terrible blind spot. Her boyfriend and one of the children survived.
Immediately I thought of Jennifer, my manager at the video store. I knew that Julie was her best friend and just couldn’t imagine how distraught she was. I asked my new boss at the paper to let me go to the video store to relieve Jennifer so she could go home. I rushed to Movie Gallery.
As I walked up to the counter, Jennifer greeted me with a warm smile and asked why I was there. She didn’t know.
I didn’t know what to say. I had to tell her something. I can’t even really remember what I said. I just remember her falling to the floor crying. She called someone and they took her home.
The next day at the paper they offered me Julie’s job and I began to teach myself the programs. That’s how I learned Photoshop.
