My New Job

Yesterday I started my new job. I already know I will like it.

My new job is in downtown Minneapolis, and my building is not far from Andrew’s building.

My assigned hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

At my old job, I worked in a nearby suburb. I always drove our car to work because there was no other efficient way for me to get to work. Now I can travel to downtown Minneapolis reasonably well via public transportation.

To get to the nearest bus that will take me downtown, I have to walk about a mile-and-a-half, which is a nice walk when the weather is good. Whether I will want to make this walk in rain or brutal cold is another matter.

Andrew has always taken the bus downtown to work because he had no choice. We only have one car, and Andrew always had to walk to and from the bus stop each day because I needed our car to get to my old job. On days involving pouring rain, Andrew would try to catch a ride with his father. On days in which the cold was at its worst, however, Andrew would simply bundle up and he would make the walk back and forth between the bus stop and our apartment twice, once very early in the morning and once in the evening.

At his firm, Andrew has always worked from 7:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. or 6:00 p.m., but this week he decided to change his hours. Andrew has been working from 8:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. this week and he changed his hours so that he and I could go to work together and come home together.

I sort of like taking the bus to and from work each day, and so does Andrew. I also like the fact that we get to ride the bus together. Andrew has always used this time to read the national news magazines. Now I do the same.

This schedule gets me to work half an hour early, and keeps me at work an hour beyond the official end of my day.

Depending on the day and my mood, I can remain at work until 6:00 p.m. and collect overtime, leave the office at 5:00 p.m. and do something downtown until 6:00 p.m., go home by myself on the bus at 5:00 p.m. or catch a ride home with Andrew’s father at 5:00 p.m.

I have lots of flexibility, and I can make a different decision each day, and I can make a decision at the very last minute each day. I like that.

In addition, since I am no longer driving our car to a nearby suburb each day, Andrew and I now have the option of driving our car to the bus stop on rainy days or on days of severe cold. This is good, because bitter cold bothers me much more than it bothers Andrew.

Andrew and I also now have the option of driving our car all the way into downtown, an option we can use on evenings in which we plan to do something downtown after work.

We are going to do that very thing this Friday, for instance, because Andrew says he has something special planned for me for Friday to celebrate the end of my first week at my new job. He will not tell me, however, what that something is, which I think is incredibly mean of him! All I know is that he taking me somewhere for lunch on Friday, and that we are going to do something downtown Friday night after work.

The people at my law firm are very professional and very polite, and I like the atmosphere at the office a lot. Everyone there is first-class in every way.

My boss has told me that I may work as much overtime as I want, which is good. I welcome the money, and I can tailor my schedule to Andrew’s if I want to, including going to work on those Saturdays on which Andrew must go to the office. I think everything will work out very well at the new job in every possible way.

Now if only I could find out what Andrew has planned for me for Friday! I called Andrew’s mother and asked her if she knew, and she said she had no idea—and she was telling me the truth.

I may have to torture him to discover what he has in mind!