Feri is a veterinary horse of the what-why mentality and the nothing-is-good syndrome.
"Hi, Géza!" - a hoarse male voice can be heard at the end of the line - I really need a job. The woman has been working alone for about a year and a half. We can't get by on one salary. You said last time that you might know of a job.
"Hi, Feri!" Yes, I can. Nice of you to call me! The new factory has opened here in the city. I know the staff well, they are looking for people. Three shifts, good basic pay, plus bonuses. Good benefits package and…
"Oh, well, the three shifts won't work." The woman also works continuously. Here are the three children. One of us must be home in the evenings.
- I understand. They are also looking for people to work in the warehouse. The one-shift. The pay is pretty good there too. You have to complete a small machine operator course and pass a forklift test, then...
"Unfortunately, that won't work," Feri says immediately. "I'm completely illiterate with these machines." I certainly couldn't learn that...
- They are also looking for an employer.
"Office work?"
"Of course!"
- It's a pity! You know, I can't do a job where I have to sit all day because of my waist. You should really go to the gym and swim. They're all just expensive. Even the pool pass. We cannot afford to live on one salary.
– You can also get a swimming pool pass on a TB basis. If justified, the doctor will prescribe it. Then you can use the swimming pool almost for free.
"That's true, but my eyes can't stand chlorine, so the swimming pool is out of the question for me."
"Then there's the gym." It can also be prescribed by a doctor.
"He's already sent out." I was too. Don't think it helped anything. Ten were eligible. I left it after three because it didn't help anything. They say that only masks are good for physiotherapists. But we can't afford it on one salary. That's why we really need a job.
- You speak English?
- Very little. Rather only in a kind of kitchen language.
- I have an idea! Complete a two-month intensive language course. Then you could be a dispatcher. It pays very well.
– We cannot finance an English course from one salary!
- There is also a free one. You can apply for it at the unemployment office. There is a…
"I won't put my foot in there!" - he interrupts angrily - I've been there a dozen times, but they always cut through or drive away. I don't believe a word they say! And anyway. I have already enrolled in three courses. You hear me! The first one was so pointless - something computer-related - that I left after the first class. They didn't make this for me! The other one was a nursing assistant. Only I'm sick of blood! So I didn't go there. The third was a shop sales course. Think about it, it became clear already on the second day, there is also a need to increase. I can't stand it with my waist. Let's leave this unemployment office.
"Okay, then let's look at it differently." What is your degree?
"Well, we won't get very far with that." I have a teacher's paper. But I didn't teach a day. Children annoy me. My mom only wanted me to finish college anyway.
"Then where have you been working?"
"I was a waiter - but I can't stand it." So much to tread on! It's out of the question right now, because someone has to be with the children, and you have to be there until nightfall.
"I have a friend who owns a small cafe." It opens at six in the morning and is open until two in the afternoon. There is only coffee brewing, and sandwich and cake delivery. No need to tread and…
"I can't get up early in the morning!" - Feri says almost indignantly - I have some sleep problems. So I can't fall asleep at night. Sometimes I'm still sitting here in the kitchen at two in the morning. How could I get up at five in the morning to get there at six? I used to be a bad sleeper. But lately, this lack of money is completely wearing on me. So that got a lot worse too. I'm sorry, but I certainly can't commit to a six-hour start.
"Unfortunately, I don't have any more ideas, Ferike."
"You see, Géza, we're stuck here." We barely make ends meet. The woman works in three shifts. I have a lot of health problems. It would take money to solve everything, but there is none. I can't find a job. I am completely mortified. It's a bloody world…
Író Mariann Bucsi - short story writer
Featured image: StockPhoto
