THE MAN WHO LOVED HIS JOB
By Tamar Kevonian
Asbarez
man-who-loved-his-job/
May 8th, 2009
On an average Wednesday evening a few friends sat around a table
that held several of plates of mezzes (middle eastern appetizers)
and some half filled glasses. Eventually the conversation came around
to why Armon was feeling sad.
"Che baba," he said protesting the claim. "I’m very happy," he
continued. "I go vacations," he offered as proof against his friends’
claim that he was sad.
Armon has just returned from a weeklong trip to Puerto Vallarta and
Cabo San Lucas in Mexico and is regaling his friends with stories of
his adventures.
"We did sport activity," he says. His English, after many years in the
United States, still has a heavy Persian accent with its sing-sing song
quality and often dropped articles in his sentences. "ATV (all terrain
vehicle). I love ATV, man. Swimming, fishing, sunset cruise," he says
listing all the activities in which participated during the week.
The vacation was an all boys week, part of their twice yearly ritual
of bonding through such male activities as sports, eating and drinking.
Although some of the others on the trip to Mexico are married Armon
is completely unattached.
"What are you getting away from?" I asked curious as to know the
daily stresses that called for a vacation.
"Actually, nothing," he responds. "I love my job. Every morning I
wake up and… I love my job."
The boon in construction during the last decade has been a blessing for
Armon. His specialty is installing fire extinguishers and sprinklers
in new buildings, a field he’s been involved in for the past eighteen
years.
"I love my job," he stresses again explaining how he likes the
exactness of the task and the clean nature of the work but mostly
he cherishes his work schedule. "I start 7 o’clock and I finish
2:30. 2:30 I come home. Eat lunch. Take a nap. That’s it. The next
day I start again," he says describing a typical day. "I love my job."
There is leisureliness to his job. "The crew is all my friends. I
go to supplier and have coffee over there." It wasn’t always so
easy. He was out of work all those years ago until a friend took
him to a construction site and introduced him to the task which he
hated doing at first. Eventually, after almost two years, he began to
like it. "When you start learning professionally you appreciate your
job." Still, there are aspects of the job he doesn’t love. "Our job
the owner never appreciate your job," he explains. "What is this? We
don’t need the sprinklers. We don’t like this," he says mimicking the
voice and tone of some of the owners. "At least when I see everything
perfect, I enjoy myself."
Before the construction industry, Armon was involved in the auto
industry working with his brother but he found it too unpredictable. "I
liked it but I cannot make money every month. In the car business one
month you make money and the other month you don’t make enough. I
cannot live like that," he explains. "Here at least you fix your
life. You know that every month you have income."
"Why do you look forward to a vacation?" I asked curious to know why
a man who loves his job as much as Armon would want to get away.
"Because I see everybody going," he says simply. "When everyday
you’re happy why you need vacation? I’m relaxed. I came home 2:30
every day. Take a nap. I go gym everyday. And most nights I go out."
He finds that he gets bored after five days while on vacation and wants
to come home. "Because how long you can go jet ski, jet ski. Go ATV,
go swimming. Because same thing I can do here."
Armon is perfectly happy maintaining his life the way it is
now. Although business has been down more than thirty percent during
this economic downturn he is not concerned. "I don’t have any extra
stuff. My house, my payment is same as rent. I don’t have any car
payment, this, that. That’s why I go to work, don’t go I don’t care. I
like that. No worries."
"What about the future?" I asked. "Don’t you want to get married?"
"I don’t think so anymore. It’s too late. For relationship, for
married or something. Because even for children, 40 -43 years old,
to bring children in this world I think is too late," he says with
a resigned air. "I don’t know."
At thirty-nine years of age he considers himself too old to start a
family. He had a girlfriend once but that was long ago. "It didn’t work
out," he says and attributes its demise to his social habits. "I don’t
know. Maybe I go to much outside. Clubs, this that. I don’t know."
But Armon is very much aware of the passage of time. "Honestly,
the times is fly," he says and goes on to explain how it’s working
again him. "How I think if you find somebody right now, after one,
two, three years you marry, and then after one or two years you
have children, you’ll be 44-45 years old. You don’t think so is too
old?" he asks his friends for confirmation. Although they don’t agree
he remains unconvinced. "I think it’s too late. You don’t enjoy with
your children."
He is pragmatic and knows that he doesn’t want to be old and
alone. "Maybe it’s happen. I don’t know. Everything is happen. I’m open
to it but I don’t go to club to find somebody. That’s when I’m thinking
like American. I live day by day. No plan. Anything happen, happen."
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
