FOR HIS LIFE PART 2

FOR HIS LIFE
PART 2

The times to follow would be very difficult, I could hardly pay the rent and buy food yet I had to find money to pay Barry’s student loan. My mother was trying to look at the bright side of it the situation and would give me money sometimes but I felt really bad taking it. Barry said that it would be worth while in the end and I should look at the big picture. I listened to Barry and did what I thought would be good for the both of us. Many times I asked myself if it would be worth it but continued on, I put my best foot forward and made sacrifices so the both of us could. benefit. The pressure was mounting but just as I was about to give up things started looking up. Almost eight months after being unemployed Barry said that he got a lead for a sales job and he was going to pursue it. This took a heavy burden off my shoulders and as I expected the general manager liked him and hired him on the spot. For the first two months things were slow but then it started picking up and more money was coming in. A few months later I got a special assignment at the bank to assist the loan manager. I was very excited and could not wait to tell Barry the news. When I went home he was not home. I decided that I would wait on him because I wanted him to be the first to know.

When Barry returned home and I told him about the promotion he told me that was very good. Then he asked me ” So what is the pay increase?” I told him there was no pay increase until the assignment was up and I proved myself then he said “Well, technically that is not a promotion dem jus a use yu.” I really was not expecting that response but I understood what he was saying. Eventually I told my mother and she said something similar to Barry but still congratulated me, my father said that this was a stepping stone.

My first day on the assignment was very interesting and I decided that it would be good for me to do the best I can so I could get the promotion. At the same time I wanted to learn the ins and outs. It was long hours, I had to leave work very late and start really early. This was to ensure that everything was done on time and the deadlines that I had were met no matter what.There was a lot of tension in the house between Barry and I, I did not know the reason for it but to me that should have been a happy time. We both were working and he was doing well at his new job but for some reason Barry did not seem happy. When I could not take it anymore I asked him what was wrong he told me that it was stressful because he did not have a car.His argument was that if he had a car he would be able to drive and get more accounts and make more money. He said that he did not have enough money to buy the car he was looking at because he had to pay the rent and pay for his student loan. He asked me if I could help him with the car as it would benefit both of us. I had manage to save some money while he was working and he said he needed 80,000 dollars to complete the money he had. I gave him the money to help with the purchase of the car. With the car purchase sales were going good and in no time Barry was promoted to Sales Lead. At this point it seemed as if the promotion got to his head. He was responsible for training new hires and he would make his position bigger than what it was. I was there right beside him, I just went with it whatever he said I agreed. Whenever we would go to visit my parents I would sugar coat everything and pretend all is well. We were going in the third year of our relationship and I wanted it to work.

My “special assignment” came to an end and on my last day on the assignment my manager was not in office I found that really strange. The next day I did not here anything from the manager and was getting worried, I made Barry aware of what was going on. I knew no one was hired for the position but I was not feeling positive about the situation at all. It seemed like I wasted my time and missed the opportunity of getting a 22% pay increase among other benefits. I was worried and when Barry saw that a few days had passed he said to me, ” Carolyn, a use dem use yu, because dem know seh yu can do di work, as mi tell yu, yu cannot get promotion widout raise. All this time you a wake up and do dem dutty work and yu nuh get pay fi all weh yu do, yu nuh have nuh sense man.” I just stood like a fool I didn’t know what to say because what he was saying seemed like the truth. My tears were flowing and I couldn’t control it. Barry came to me and said to me, “Carolyn, don’t worry, things a go work out, a just you and me inna dis ting yah, mi a look out fi yu nuh bada cry.”