My first day on the job was the Monday after the interview. I had to be there at precisely 7:15 am, and in my office by 7:30.

As soon as I sat down in my new chair, a woman came in and told me she was to be my secretary/assistant/whatever-I-need. When she asked, I told her I did not want any coffee, so with a shocked look on her face, she left and went to her desk just outside of my office.

Less than 2 hours after I got in, I was swamped with school bills I needed to approve or deny, some ideas and suggestions sent in for the schools and then a set of youth programs to evaluate the usefulness of.

As I worked through all the papers, the clock rushed through all the hours in the work day. The next thing I knew, I was told my shift was over. A big man came to escort me out of the building, because nobody is allowed to wander, to deviate from the path in and out. I should have asked why, but somehow I knew it was a bad idea.

Later, I got home to the comforts of my small house. It had 2 bedrooms, but one was my office, 1 bathroom and a kitchen/dining room, plus a small sitting room for company. It was just me and Mary-Louise there. She was a real sweetheart, Miss Lou. I loved her with all my heart, and I still don't know what I would have done If I had lost that dog. She was a golden retriever mixed with a german shepherd, and the light of my life. Lou was my sole comfort when I was home.

Only when I was comfortably settled at home, did it hit me what all the bills and investigations had in common. They all had to do with a family's' lineage and religion.