THIS
IS
RICHARD
MESEROLE
PART III

"...SHE WAS WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR, SOMEONE TO BE
THE MOTHER OF MY CHILDREN AND TO BE WITH ME FOR OUR
LIFETIME......"



PICKED UP THE JOB REAL FAST AND IN THREE MONTHS I

WAS THE HIGHEST PAID PRESSER ON THE LINE.THE

COMPANY(3GGG'S) WAS A COMPANY WHO HAND MADE HIGH

PRICE SUITS AND COATS. IT WAS NOW SPRING TIME.I LIVED IN A

FURNISHED ROOM AND ONE NIGHT I WENT ROLLER SKATING

AND MET A 17 YEAR OLD PHILIPPINE GIRL NAMED ANITA.

IT WAS LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT FOR BOTH OF US. I WAS 25 AND SHE

WAS 17. SHE WAS WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR, SOMEONE TO BE

THE MOTHER OF MY CHILDREN AND TO BE WITH ME FOR OUR

LIFETIME. SHE GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL IN JUNE.

ANITA'S FAMILY WAS A LARGE ONE. SHE HAD FOUR SISTERS

AND THREE BROTHERS AND TO ME THIS WAS WHAT A FAMILY

LIFE WAS ALL ABOUT. HER FAMILY ALL TOTALED WAS ABOUT

SIXTY PEOPLE. A FOURTH GENERATION FAMILY SOON TO BE A

FIFTH GENERATION. MONEY WAS NO PROBLEM TO THE WEALTH

OF SOME OF THE FAMILY MEMBERS,PLUS HER FATHER WAS A

WEALTHY RETIRED NAVAL OFFICER.


WE WERE MARRIED IN NOV. 1951. WENT ON A HONEYMOON TO

P.R. AND THEN BACK TO THE STATES. THEN TO THE APT. WHERE

I FOUND OUT ANITA DID NOT COOK.  CALLED MY NEW FATHER-

IN-LAW AND HE TOLD ME NONE OF THE WOMAN COOKED. IT

WAS A TRADITION FROM THE ISLANDS THAT A LOT OF

PHILIPPINE PEOPLE STAYED WITH WHEN COMING TO THE

UNITED STATES, AS DID MY FATHER-IN-LAW AND FAMILY.

SOLUTION NEEDED.. .WE GAVE UP THE APT. AND MOVED INTO

MY IN-LAW'S SIX BEDROOM HOME FOR TWO YEARS TO LEARN

TO COOK.  IN 1952 OUR FIRST DAUGHTER (MARLENE)WAS BORN.

IN 1953 MY MOTHER GAVE ME THE RUN DOWN HOUSE THAT

JOSEPH MESEROLE OWNED.  I GUESS SHE THOUGHT THAT THIS

WOULD REPAY ME FOR THE YEARS LOST WITH HER AS A

MOTHER -  SHE WAS WRONG,  BUT I SAW A WAY TO MAKE SOME

MONEY. AS THE HOUSE WAS ALMOST UNLIVABLE I STARTED

WORKING ON IT DOING ALL THE REPAIRS WITH THE EXCEPTION

OF THE PLUMBING, HEATING AND ELECTRIC WORK. WHEN ALL

REPAIRS WERE COMPLETE I WENT TO THE BANK AND RECEIVED

A $5000 LOAN TO MAKE A APT. ON THE SECOND FLOOR. ONCE

DONE WITH THE IMPROVEMENT, I RENTED THE APT OUT FOR

$150.00 PER MONTH AS THE MORTGAGE PAYMENT WAS $76.00

PER MONTH I KNOW HAD $74.00 PER MONTH TO PUT INTO THE

FAMILY BUDGET.  1ST SON(MARC) IS NOW WITH US. I STILL WAS

WORKING FOR (3GGG'S) AND WORKING PART TIME DOING

REPAIRS ON OTHER PEOPLE'S HOMES. THEN I DECIDED ONE DAY

THAT I NEEDED MORE MONEY TO GET BACK IN THE STYLE I

HAD BEEN USED TO IN HOLLYWOOD.  I QUIT (3GGG'S) AND

DECIDED TO GO INTO THE HOME IMPROVEMENT BUSINESS.

I WENT AND BOUGHT A PAPER AND SAW IN THE WANT ADS

THAT A CONTRACTOR WAS LOOKING FOR SUBCONTRACTORS

TO DO REMODELING WORK.  I WENT TO HIS OFFICE AND

APPLIED. HIS NAME WAS SULTAN. HE DID REMODELING WORK

WHILE OPERATING A PLANT THAT WEAVED STAINLESS STEEL

THREAD. I THOUGHT HE WAS A GREAT GUY AS SOON AS I MET

HIM.  HE TOLD ME HE HAD THIS JOB THAT HAD TO BE DONE. AN

APT. THAT HAD BEEN TRASHED BY THE TENANT. HE SAID "I WILL

TAKE YOU OVER THERE SO THAT YOU CAN GIVE ME A

ESTIMATE".  I HAD NO IDEA HOW TO ESTIMATE, SO I HAD TO

FIGURE WHAT TO DO.  AS WE WERE NEARING THE APT. SULTAN

SAID TO ME "PLEASE BE FAIR AND GIVE ME A FAIR

PRICE" BINGO... THIS WAS MY WAY IN... I SAID TO SULTAN" BE

FAIR TO ME AND PLEASE INFORM ME OF YOUR LOWEST BID". HE

REPLIED THE LOWEST BID WAS $8000.00. WE LOOKED OVER THE

APT. TAKING A GAMBLE I QUOTED HI A PRICE OF $6500.00

HE SAID "GREAT, LETS GO BACK TO THE OFFICE AND MAKE UP A

CONTRACT. WHEN WE ARRIVED AT THE OFFICE, SULTAN DREW

UP THE CONTRACT STATING THE WORK HAD TO BE FINISHED IN

30 DAYS. "HE THEN ASKED ME IF I NEEDED MONEYS TO GET

STARTED". I AGREED TO EXCEPT $3000.00 AND THE CHECK WAS

WRITTEN OUT.  SULTAN SAID "PLEASE A GOOD JOB, RICHARD"

I WENT TO THE BANK AND DEPOSITED THE CHECK AND THEN

WENT TO ANOTHER PAPER AND PUT THE SAME AD IN AS

SULTAN DID. TWO DAYS LATER TWO MEN ANSWERED THE

AD AND I WENT THRU THE FORMALITY THAT SULTAN HAD

GONE THRU WITH ME. THEY APPEARED TO KNOW THE BUSINESS

AND GAVE ME A PRICE OF $4000.00 . 1 AGREED, TOLD THEM ABOUT

THE 30 DAY LIMIT. I TOLD THEM I WOULD SET UP A ACCOUNT IN

THE LUMBER YARD TO GET THE SUPPLIES NEEDED FOR THE JOB.

TO MY AMAZEMENT THEY COMPLETED THE JOB IN 22 DAYS.

THEY DID A BEAUTIFUL JOB.  THEY WERE GREAT

CRAFTMEN. SULTAN WAS PLEASED.  I MADE $2500.00 IN 24 DAYS

AND THE $100.00 BILLS WERE REGISTERING IN MY

HEAD, DING, DING, DING.  I WAS ON MY WAY AGAIN. SULTAN I DO

BELIEVE WAS MORE PLEASED THAN ME. HE HAD A JOB TO

REMODEL A BASEMENT. AGAIN $2800.00 IN 21

DAYS, DING, DING, DING. THEN CAME A CHALLENGE, A

KITCHEN. BEFORE TAKING THIS ON I HAD MET A FELLOW

NAMED CHRIS. HE WAS A SALESMAN IN THE HOME

IMPROVEMENT LINE. HE WAS KNOWN AS A TOP SALESMAN AND

ALSO THAT HE WAS A DRINKER.  HE HAD WHAT I NEEDED, A

ESTIMATE BOOK THAT HAD ALL THE PRICES AND THE COST OF

MATERIALS AND WHAT TO CHARGE THE CUSTOMER.

I CALLED HIM UP AND INVITED HIM TO LUNCH. WE HAD LUNCH

AND HE GOT DRUNK AS A SKUNK.  FOR $10.00 I HAD MY DRINKS

WATERED DOWN BY THE BARMAID. I TOOK HIM TO HIS APT. GOT

HIM SETTLED DOWN ON THE BED, WE HAD TAKEN HIS CAR SO I

HAD THE KEYS . I THEN WENT TO A REAL ESTATE OFFICE WHERE

A FRIEND OF MINE WORKED. SHE MADE ME A COPY OF THE

BOOK ON THE XEROX MACHINE WHICH WAS NEW TO THE

BUSINESS WORLD AT THIS TIME, AND A BREAK FOR ME DROVE

BACK TO CHRIS'S APT. LEFT A NOTE THANKING HIM FOR A

GREAT AFTERNOON AND TO CALL ME TO DO IT AGAIN. I WAS IN

MY GLORY, NOT ONLY COULD I NOW PRICE THE JOB S, BUT KNEW

HOW MUCH MONEY I WOULD MAKE. FOR THE KITCHEN JOB FOR

SULTAN I MADE $4200.00 DING, DING, DING.

To be continued .................

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