I drank from many brooks and streams
I’ve climbed on many mountains
I dreamed from heartaches to be free
Though time has taken its toll on me
Like finest garment I suffer its wear
Believing it’s my cross to bear
Bless the morning bless the day.
Trust his judgment come what may
And when you come to final rest
Know in your heart, you did your best
~ Gemini Joe ~
T
he government gave me a part time job at the Fort Hamilton’s Veterans hospital for six months. They required that I take a mechanical aptitude test, and they put me in the ward where the veterans had lost arms and legs, some both. That was very depressing, because I got in and out of the Army with nothing happening to me. We worked with them and their wheelchairs, and were able to rig them with rods and springs to adapt to the persons handicap. There was a guy with no arms and we made controls for his legs to operate this battery driven wheelchair. We also had a guy with no legs, but he did had arms. I am talking about something that is very depressing, but it is reality and life. I felt great working directly with them, but it was sad. With the few that had no arms or legs, I thought of a high chair that would lock them in with a front plate. I didn’t know if they would accept that, but they did and it was a good idea for those completely amputated. We made them work the controls with their chin so they could go forward, stop, go back, make a left, or right. One guy couldn’t pull the lever correctly and I was constantly on him to do it. They were happy, I was happy also. I didn’t get much credit for it, but I did it for myself and I felt good.
Behind the V.A. hospital, there was a big lake. One night at work there, I was taking a cigarette break. It was winter, so I didn’t want to stay out too long. I finished my cigarette and about to go back inside, when I heard a boy yelling for help. He was out on the frozen lake. I ran out there and saw his friend had fallen through the ice. There was no one around to help, so I crawled out on the ice to get to them. I pulled the boy out of the water and put him on my back. Then I told the other boy to hold onto my leg. Very slowly, I crawled back to the shore. I rushed them into the hospital through the back door. Everyone said I saved them from drowning and that I was very brave, but I didn’t feel brave. I just did it. I went home and your mom told me that we were going to have another baby. I guess that was my reward.
After that, I bounced from one job to another, but was never out of work. If you look hard enough it’s there, but with all my bad breathing, I always ended up with jobs sucking in the worst air in the world. Once, I took a job in a plating company with sulfuric acids, gold plating, copper, and brass. The building didn’t have ventilation. There was nothing but fumes in there. It made me cough and I had trouble breathing. That wasn’t too smart of me, but I kept the job because I had a family to support. It didn’t make sense, but I did it because it was a job. I felt like God was testing me.
My dad knew a lot of people in the laundry business and since, at one time, I was able to run a route, he made some calls and got me a job, believe it or not. The name of the company was Utility Laundry in Coney Island. I took the train every day to the area where my Nonie had lived. Familiar with the streets from my childhood, I started delivering laundry up and down the streets. There I was many moons after my grandmother had passed away. It sort of hurt me a little bit, so I quit that job. The economy was bad. All I could find was a job at a gas station. It didn’t pay much, but the bills kept coming and I needed the money.
Next, I got a job in Brooklyn at Camden Motors because I had experience as a grease monkey. I drained the oil and replaced the filters for all their cars, then made sure they were lubricated. I was very greasy I’ll tell you that.
There were strikes going on and I saw the job was shaky. I didn’t want to be out of work again, so I went to Carol Motors on Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn, which was six miles away. That wasn’t really far, but in those days six miles was a lot. I told them I knew how to do brakes, springs, and shock absorbers. They were impressed and hired me right away. I had to record my time whenever they gave me a car to fix, because you couldn’t take long on repairs and cheat the customers. They gave me a timecard, which I had to punch into a clock.
The owner of Carol Motors had a spoiled daughter who got a new car every year. She brought was always bringing it in, claiming there was a squeaky noise in the engine. Every mechanic went under the hood and tried to fix it.
Finally, they gave it to me. After driving around the block for a road test, I heard the squeak and took it back to the shop. As luck would have it, I spotted the source of the noise. I replaced the part and lubricated it. The young lady picked up her car and drove off. The next day, I was called to the office.
Mr. Carol said, “Joe, I want to thank you for fixing my daughter’s car. You are quite a mechanic. I think you deserve a raise, so I’m giving you an extra five dollars a week in your paycheck.”
I didn’t think I was anything special, but I was glad for the raise. My reputation as a good mechanic later got me a job at Sears and Roebuck, fixing washing machines.
To celebrate, I brought home candy and flowers for your mom and cherry lollipops shaped like a hand for you and your brother Joey. I don’t know if you remember that. They don’t make candy like that anymore. You loved it.