A Lady Named Lill
Lillian was a young French Canadian girl who grew up in the farming community3 of River Canard, Ontario. At the age of 16, her father thought “Lill has had enough schooling,”and she was forced to drop out4 of school to contribute to5 the family income. In 1922, with English as her second language and limited education and skills, the future didn't look bright for Lill.
Her father, Eugene Bezaire, was a stern6 man who rarely took no for an answer and never accepted excuses. He demanded that Lill find a job. But her limitations left her with little confidence and low self-esteem7, and she didn't know what work she could do.
With small hope of gaining employment, she would still ride the bus daily into the “big cities”of Windsor or Detroit. But she couldn't muster8 the courage to respond to a Help Wanted9 ad; she couldn't even bring herself to knock on a door. Each day she would just ride to the city, walk aimlessly about and at dusk return home. Her father would ask, “Any luck today, Lill?” “No ... no luck today, Dad,”she would respond meekly10.
As the days passed, Lill continued to ride and her father continued to ask about her job-hunting. The questions became more demanding, and Lill knew she would soon have to knock on a door.
On one of her trips, Lill saw a sign at the Carhartt Overall Company in downtown Detroit. “Help Wanted,”the sign said, “Secretarial11. Apply Within.”She walked up the long flight12 of stairs to the Carhartt Company offices. Cautiously, Lill knocked on her very first door. She was met by the office manager, Margaret Costello. In her broken English, Lill told her she was interested in the secretarial position, falsely stating that she was 19. Margaret knew something wasn't right, but decided to give the girl a chance. She guided Lill through the old business office of the Carhartt Company. With rows and rows of people seated at rows and rows of typewriters and adding machines, Lill felt as if a hundred pairs of eyes were staring at her. With her chin13 on her chest and her eyes staring down, the reluctant14 farm girl followed Margaret to the back of the somber room.
