During high school, I needed a job in order to save up for a car.
- As soon as I turned sixteen, I filled out job applications all over town.
I tried for employment at the grocery store, hardware store, drug store, the library and anywhere they might consider hiring me. I didn’t care where I worked as long as I got paid. I ended up getting a job at the local ice cream parlor. There is no indoor seating available at the ice cream parlor. The building is just big enough to accommodate a small restroom and the various equipment necessary for ice cream and fast food. There is no installed air conditioning system. Customers place their orders at small windows that slide open and closed. The windows are open the majority of the time. If we were fortunate enough to have air conditioning, all the cool air would escape outside. Rather than a cooling system, there are screens in most of the windows and a few box fans that run non stop. Most often, the temperature inside the ice cream parlor is in the high nineties and often climbs above a hundred degrees. The deep fryer, grill and machines that make the ice cream give off quite a bit of heat. The uniform I had to wear was hot and uncomfortable. By the end of my shift, I was always drenched in sweat. The job at the ice cream parlor made me appreciate the importance of temperature control. I finished out the summer and then started putting in applications at businesses that included heating and cooling.