She Dreams in Color, She Dreams in Red. Can't Find a Better Man...
Previously, Chapter 34: And I Wonder, Still I Wonder, Who'll Stop the Rain...
Shutterstock Images.Despite my stint selling clothing in a New York showroom for Pandora Industries in '79, which didn't work out, I decided to take my father's boss up on his offer, fly into New York, and interview with Little Topsy's.
The money made it tempting, and with Irv's passing and everything else that happened, getting away and starting over was tempting. It was 1983, and I was still only 27.
Susan was pretty adamant that she didn't want to move back to New Jersey. We were both unhappy the first time around. If Irv had been healthy and we'd continued working together, I would've gotten my plumbing license, and he and I would've eventually changed roles. He would've been helping me run Sharon Plumbing as he got older. But life had other plans…
I got a haircut, put on a shirt, tie, and blazer. The only things that gave me away were my working hands. They were bruised, cut, and calloused, the only visible evidence that I had been a plumber. Hands I once displayed like a badge of honor, now stuck out like a sore thumb, and I was a little self-conscious about it given the environment I was about to enter.
I took a taxi from LaGuardia to 131 W33rd, where I took the elevator up to the 17th floor. It was 10:30 when I arrived. The entrance doors to the showroom were massive and made of heavy plate glass, but they swung open with very little effort, like they were weightless. And there wasn't a fingerprint on 'em.
The reception desk was just at the end of the mirrored hallway, where I told Claire, the receptionist, who I was and who I was there to see. She said she was expecting me.
Seymour Baruch was an extremely wealthy guy with hospital wings bearing his family's name. He bought Little Topsy's from a guy named Howard, who had founded it in 1966, and turned it into a powerhouse in children's clothing for infants, toddlers, young girls, and pre-teen girls.
Baruch's experience was in budget clothing, and Topsy was closer to high-end, so ownership of this type of business was new to him. My father was in production, and Baruch needed him, and giving me a job ensured that my father wouldn't be leaving anytime soon. The interview was just a formality, and I knew it.
When I shook his hand, it was soft, and his shiny fingernails indicated a recent manicure. His dark blue suit looked expensive, and his hair was perfect and sprayed to stay that way. His limousine driver was sitting just outside his office, waiting.
I was the square peg in a business full of round holes, but I was confident that, given a chance, I could adapt to this new environment, maybe even succeed.
My father worked in the plant located in Jersey City, so I was on my own. After a brief Q&A, Mr. Baruch took me into a small showroom and introduced me to Stan, the guy in charge of pre-teen girls, a line sold under the label "Someplace Else". I'd be working as his assistant. Pre-teen accounted for a very small percent of the company's overall business, but it was necessary.
Nothing about Stan impressed me. He was well into his fifties, with salt 'n' pepper hair combed to one side, a cheap-looking suit, and low energy. On his dark suit, the dandruff specs on the shoulders were plain to see. He barely opened his narrow lips when he spoke, and as a result, he mumbled. He was nothing like the high-powered salesmen I'd met in the past. He'd been there a while, hired by Mr. Howard, but I wasn't sure he was Mr. Baruch's kinda guy, and could keep his job if sales were down.
The steel door to a long, narrow closet had been removed, and the space converted into an office with two desks side by side, with barely enough room for rolling chairs. The empty desk in back would be mine.
After a brief tour of the big, plush showroom, where each salesperson had their own cubicle and a seat by the window, Mr. Baruch and I went back into his office to talk specifics. After he discussed pay and benefits, he expected me to accept the position, but I surprised him when I said I'd have to talk it over with my wife. He cracked a silly smile, the first one of the day for him, and surprised as he was by my response, he said, "Okay. Go back to Massachusetts and discuss it with your wife…" I could tell he thought it was cute and he was mocking me, but to me, it was the right thing to do.
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After the interview, I grabbed a New York slice and then took a cab back to La Guardia. I called my father from the airport, and he thought I was taking the job and didn't need to talk to Susan about it.
It was a big move. A career change, a relocation, and it would affect her as well, especially given that her father had just passed away. I loved Susan and needed her to be on board before committing.
My father told me to "make the right decision, and make it quickly." I was feeling the pressure.
Irv taught me so much about plumbing and heating before he passed away, and now it would all be for naught. I was proud to be his apprentice, but I had to consider the future, and making a career change might be my best option at this point.
When we left New Jersey back in 1980, I promised Susan we'd never go back, and there I was, three years later, preparing to ask her to go back there with me again. I wouldn't have blamed her if she didn't want to go back, and our marriage ended. But I was hoping it wouldn't, that she'd find a reason to give me one more chance…
She loved him, yeah
She don't want to leave this way
She feeds him, yeah
That's why she'll be back again
Can't find a better man…
To be continued…