Employed 6 Part 4

Arriving in Reno in the late afternoon of the next day, l first stopped at a couple of Ben and Ted's favorite casino cabarets and then a couple of the lesser
ones before taking a cab to Ben's house. lt was near dark as we arrived  and l could immediately see that no one was home at either place;there was not a single light on at either of their homes. The cabby dropped me at the Golden Hotel, where l got a room, had dinner and then settled into the cabaret for the rest of the evening(Johnny Mathis and Abbot and Costello).(Henny Youngman     was at the Mapes)
The next day, l was up early, hoping to accomplish much, before catching the
evening train to Elko County.But, in the end, l accomplished nothing, put 275 
miles on the car l rented from Avis, and though l still had enough cash for my 
train ticket, l was 20 miles from the station when the train left it. On next day 2.0, l did better: l checked Ben and Ted's places for the last time before 8AM,
returned the rental and caught the MORNING TRAIN to Elko Co. This train,#28
runs eastbound between San Francisco and Chicago. lts counterpart, train #27
runs the same route westbound. They are both named the "Overland Express."
Those who rode it regularly called it "the Ox". It was a "Streamliner" of an order
only a little less opulent than #101 and #102, "The City of San Francisco" and 
"The City of Los Angeles".(all of the trains mentioned are Southern Pacific.)
l was home just a little after 3PM that day but that was not soon enough for my
Mom; she had assumed that l'd travel directly to home, without stops along the
way. So, two days in, she had worried herself up something fierce. And the worry became anger. When she saw me she lost it. She said she wouldn't allow
her home to be treated like a hotel and recommended the State Hotel if l was planning to "grace the town with my presence" for the night. l should have tried 
to calm her, maybe explain why l was late, but l didn't. Instead, l did an about-
face and headed for the hotel, to have some dinner and then to wait for the next east-bound train. Which would be #102, the City of LA, running  a little less than three hours late,that night. Making the arrival about 11PM. Soon after
my dinner was finished, l  moved to the hotel's lounge to wait. My Dad joined me soon after. He agreed that it was probably best that l skip the visit this time
and concentrate on what lay ahead for me. During that visit we put my miserable results at UNR behind us and optimistically looked toward my future
with the ASA.
l don't remember the first time l rode the train with my dad and mom but, growing up, l rode it many times. Usually, the destination was either Salt Lake City (actually Ogden) or Reno (actually Sparks). Those destinations were five or six hours away, a trip easily done while riding coach. The trip to Boston would require nearly six days. Railroad employees and their families ride the trains free of charge, even into the employee's retirement. But free-riders go by coach; if they want the comfort and convenience of a "roomette" (a small room
with a bed and a couch and its own rest room) they must pay for it. l had never
before traveled with a roomette (on trips of less than a day it's an ill-afforded extravagance)and l had no thought to get one, even though this trip would be many times the distance of any l'd taken before. But Dad thought of it and bought it for me.  His gift to me for my 18th birthday, he said.
So, later that evening, l found myself on SP #102, ensconced in my room after
a fine dinner and a visit to the club-car.
The train station in Boston is located on the first floor of the Manger Hotel. l 
found that very convenient. Arriving there on a train from Chicago l rented a room for the night, had breakfast in the hotel the next morning and caught the train to Ayer (the town where ASA has its HQ)all in the same building.
l arrived in Ayer a day early (thought tuesday was wednesday)and decided to go ahead and report in early and perhaps put myself on the good side of the First
Sargent. lt was good; On the day before the reporting date, l had his un-divided
attention. Happily, we hit it off. l said something self-deprecating about folks that don't know which day they're in, he laughed and we went from there. When
l asked how long it would take us to complete the testing and receive our assignments he said it varies depending on an individual's results: Passing your
first test can make you eligible for a second test or more.  Most will likely be here more than a month but less than two months.
He also told me that testing wouldn't involve everybody every day. lf one is not testing on a given day, work assignments may be given. They will include KP
(Kitchen Police),shoveling coal into furnaces,removing refuse from lawns, gardens and pathways, assisting with specific tasks. Usually you'll be assigned
to details only two or three days a week and rotating through the different jobs.
After all that, he offered me a way to avoid a situation which sounded like something l might find unpleasant. He needed a Day-Room Orderly who could
paint signs. A day room is a large living room. Actually, very large. Furnished with couches, stuffed chairs,coffee tables, a pool table, vending machines covered trash cans, two telephone booths and a brand new 1956, 21" TV.
(lt was actually delivered during my first two hours on my job as DRO). OK, so
l'd never painted a sign in my life. But l liked the DRO job, knew l could easily keep up with the demands of the job (basic house-keeping and topping off the vending machines)and since l was already into drawing, l'd just draw the signs
and then paint inside the lines. l told Sgt. Manning (Greg) as much. He agreed, but said, knowing that, he'd be looking very closely at my results. They turned
out fine.