American dream comes crashing down

BOARDMAN — Four years ago, John had a nice home in Boardman, a wife, two children and a good-paying job.

But something was bothering him: his afternoon hours at work.

Instead of spending evenings with his kids, John only got to see them for a little while in the morning. In the evening, he settled for a phone call home.

“You give them a hug and a kiss before they get on the bus in the morning and that was it till the next day. All you did Monday through Friday is talk to them on the phone for five minutes,” he said.

So when a real estate developer he knew offered him the chance to work during the day as a salesman, he decided to take a chance. He gave up his job of 15 years and dove in.

But the new job didn’t go as well as he hoped. Nine months in, John was unhappy, and so was his boss. John spent the last 30 days looking for another job.

It was November 2004, and John discovered that the best he could find was work paying about $7.50 an hour. With such a drastic cut in pay, John knew tough times were ahead.

His wife went to work, but it wasn’t enough.

John’s American dream came crashing down.

Read more in Sunday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com