They were living in Kansas City, Kansas, when Julia finished college on a scholarship. She was not sure what she wanted to do with her life.
Friends, impressed by her beauty, suggested that she become a movie actress. ''d be a star overnight!' Julia had dismissed the idea with a casual, ' wants to get up that early every morning?' But the real reason she was not interested was 116 use she wanted, above all, her privacy. It seemed to Julia that all their lives, she and her mother had been @hoiinded by the press because of what had happened so many years earlier. Julia's dream of one day uniting her mother and father ,,ended the day her mother died. Julia felt an overpowering sense of loss.
Myjather has to know, Julia thought. Mother was a part of his life. She looked up the telephone number of his business headquarters in Boston. A receptionist answered. ' morning, Stanford Enterprises.' Julia hesitated. ' Enterprises. Hello? May I help yout Slowly Julia replaced the receiver. Mother wouldn't have wanted me to make that call.
She was alone now. She had no one. Julia buried her mother at Memorial Park Cemetery in Kansas City. There were no mourners. Julia stood at the graveside and thought, It isn'tfair, Mama You made one mistake andpaidjor it-the rest of your life. I wish I could have taken some of your pain away. I love you very much, Mama. I'll always love you. All she had left of her mother's years on earth was a collection of old photographs and clippings. With her mother gone, Julia's thoughts turned to the Stanford family. They were rich. She could go to them 117 _LL- for help. Never, she decided. Not after the way Harry Stanford treated my mother. But she had to earn a living. She was faced with a career decision. She thought wryly, Maybe I'll become a brain surgeon. Or a painter? Opera singer? Physicist? Astronaut? She settled for a secretarial course at night school at Kansas City, Kansas, Community College. The day after Julia finished the course, she visited an employment agency. There were a dozen applicants waiting to see the employment counselor. Sitting next to Julia was an attractive woman her age. '! I'm Sally Connors." Stanford."'ve got to get a job today,' Sally moaned. ''ve been kicked out of my apartment.' Julia heard her name called. ' luck!' Sally said. '.' Julia walked into the office of the employment counselor. ' down, please." you." see from your application that you have a college education and summer work experience. And you have a high recommendation from the secretarial school.' 118 she looked at the dossier on her desk. ' take short. hand at ninety words per minute, and type at sixty ,..,words per minutet ', ma'am." might have just the thing for you. There's a small firm of architects that's looking for a secretary. The -salary isn't very large, I'm afraid."'s okay,' Julia said quickly. ' well. I'm going to send [email protected] over there.' She handed Julia a slip of paper with a typed name and address on it. ''ll interview you at noon tomorrow.1 Julia smiled happily. ' you.' She was filled with a sense of excitement. When Julia came out of the office, Sally's name was being called. ' hope you get something,' Julia said. '! On an impulse, Julia decided to stay and wait. Ten minutes later, when Sally came out of the inner office, she was grinning. ' got an interview! She telephoned, and I'm going to the American Mutual Insurance Company, tomorrow for a receptionist job. How did you dot ''ll know tomorrow, too."'m sure we'll make it. Why don't we have lunch together and celebratet '.' 119 At lunch they talked, and their friendship clicked instantly. @ ' looked at an, apartment in Overland Park,' Sally said. ''s a two-bedroom and bath, with a kitchen and living room. It's really nice. I can't afford it alone, but if the two of us.. Julia smiled. ''d like that.' She crossed her fingers. ' I get the job."
"You'll get it!' Sally assured her. On the way to the offices of Peters, Eastman & Tolkin, Julia thought, This could be my big opportunity. This could lead anywhere. I mean, this isn't just a job. r1l be working for architects. Dreamers who build and shape the city's skyline, who create beauty and magic out of stone. Maybe ril study architecture myse#@,' so that I can help them and be a part of that dream. The office was in a dingy old commercial building on Amour Boulevard. Julia took the elevator to the third floor, got off and stopped at a scarred door marked PETERS, EASTMAN & TOLKIN, ARCHITECTS. She took a deep breath to calm herself and entered. ' men were waiting for her in the reception room, examining her as she walked in the door. ''re here for the secretarial jobt ', sir."'m Al Peters.' The bald -one.
"Bob Eastman.' The ponytail. 120 ' Tolkin.' The potbelly. They all appeared to be somewhere in their forties. ' understand this is your first secretarial job,' Al Peters said. ', it is,' Julia replied.
Then quickly she added, ' I'm a fast learner. I'll work very hard.'She decided not to me ntion her idea about going to school to study yet. She would wait unt'il they got to know her better. ' right, we'll try you out,' Bob Eastman said,'and see how it goes.' Julia felt a sense of exhilaration. ', thank you! You won't be - 9 ' the salary,' Max Tolkin said. ''m afraid we can't pay very much at the beginning."'s all right,' Julia said. ' ..." hundred a week,' A] Peters tqld her. They were right. It was not much money. Julia made a quick decision. ''ll take it.' They looked at one another and exchanged smiles. '!' Al Peters said. ' me show you around.' The tour took only a few seconds. There was the little reception room and three small offices that looked as though they had been furnished by the Salvation Army. The lavatory was down the hall. They were all architects, but Al, Peters was the businessman, Bob Eastman was the salesman, and Max Tolkin handled construction. ''ll be working for all of us,' Peters told her. 121 '.' Julia knew she was going to make herself indispensable to them. Al Peters looked at his watch. ''s twelve thirty. How about some lunch?' Julia felt a little thrill. She was part of the team now. they're inviting me to lunch. He turned to Julia. ''s a delicatessen down the block. I'll have a corned beef sandwich on rye with mustard, potato salad, and a Danish.".' So much for ''re inviting me to lunch.' Tolkin said, ''ll have a pastrami and some chicken soup: ', sir.' Bob Eastman spoke, up. ''ll have the pot roast platter and a soft drink.", make sure the corned beef is lean,' Al Peters told her. ' corned beef.' Max Tolkin said, ' sure that the soup is hot.". Soup hot.' Bob Eastman said, ' my soft drink a diet cola." cola."'s some money.'Al Peters handed her a twentydollar bill. Ten minutes later, Julia was in the delicatessen, talking to the man behind the counter. ' want one lean corned beef sandwich on rye with mustard, potato salad, and a Danish. A pastrami sandwich and very 122 hot chicken soup. And a pot roast platter and diet cola., he man nodded. ' work for Peters, Eastman, A Tolkin, huh?' and Sally moved into the apartment in Overland the following week.