My “Unemployed” Father

 

My late-father worked as a proofreader for a local newspaper, with his workday starting once the writers had finished their articles and ending when the rotary press started to roll. He would go to the office at 3:00 pm, work till midnight, come home early in the morning, and then go to sleep. When he woke, he would spend time on his hobbies—gardening and pottery.

But our neighbors misunderstood my father. One neighbor once whispered to me, “I am so sorry your father is like that…” She assumed my father was unemployed because he would take care of our garden during normal working hours, clearly having just woken up. In contrast, my mother was obviously employed: she ran a supplemental school from home and delivered lectures throughout Japan.

Although our family actually had a double income, our neighbors never saw my father going to and from work and simply assumed that my mother was working because my father was unemployed.

We can enjoy reading the morning newspaper because people like my father worked overnight to produce the paper, but most people with these types of jobs are probably misunderstood by their neighbors and viewed as unemployed. So kudos to all the midnight workers! Kudos again!

Picture by BNP