Unemployment stretched into five months. It is amazing how much money Kristine and I have spent since my last paycheque. There has been some frivolous spending, two trips to Yamba, $2300 on a vintage car and thousands spent on home maintenance, but we lived reasonably frugally.
Still, five months of unemployment cost us more than twenty grand. In that time I applied for 62 jobs. I was interviewed seven times for jobs with the state and federal governments and not-for-profit organisations. Two of those jobs were in Melbourne.
Back in December I narrowly missed out on a three month contract with the state government. Two months later, at the beginning of February, I was offered the same job I’d been rejected for. Naturally I said yes.
The approval process took two weeks. On 11 February, I received a confirmation phone call that the job was mine.
‘We think the best start date is in two weeks on 25 February,’ the woman said.
‘That is awesome,’ I said.
After five months of searching, I had found a job. Once again I am a contributing member of society. Friends and family were excited, much more than I was. I’d enjoyed my time off.
The two week delay gave me time to work around the house. I concreted pathways at the front and back of the house. The vegetable patch was replenished and replanted. When rain interrupted the digging I started making a pool table light.
Last week, with the help of Bill and Jim, the old kitchen was demolished. It’d been operational for decades and took an hour to remove. On Saturday, I spent seven hours with Peter the carpenter on the brand new second hand kitchen.
We installed a sink and sink cupboard, drawers and an oven. When Peter left, the oven and plumbing was working.
The kitchen may be brand new to our house, but it used to live in a lavish New Farm apartment. The apartment is apparently worth four million bucks. The kitchen was quality. It cost me three bottles of rum and two bottles of bourbon, saving us thousands.
On Sunday Bill and I installed a power point and plumbed in the dishwasher. The kitchen is beginning to look modern. Despite the lack of bench tops, it already works better.
The job was timely. Kristine and I have just about run out of available funds. A few times we joked about how much money we had, but the fridge and freezer were always full. I emptied my coin box but it couldn’t match the electricity bill.
Back in January, as our finances dwindled, I suspended the mortgage repayments until March. Thankfully I didn’t need to use my advance mortgage payments, but it was close.
It reminded me how lucky we are. Eighteen months ago we almost said yes to a $200,000 renovation. We had a baby instead. Angus, in the short term, is much cheaper than a renovation.
Besides, a big mortgage might’ve ruined us financially. I would’ve been frantically trying to find a job, willing to do anything. In the interim, Kristine might’ve gone back to work.
On Monday I finally went back to work. In two weeks I’ll be paid. It’s such a simple concept, one I spent five months trying to perfect.
When I got home after the first day, Kristine asked if I missed Angus.
‘Yep,’ I said. I’d been thinking about him all day, hoping he slept so Kristine could sleep too. I hoped he ate breakfast and lunch and stayed in a good mood.
‘He was looking for you in the spare room today,’ she said. ‘It was so sad.’
I cuddled my boy.
On Tuesday Kristine and Angus were waiting for me at the corner. On Wednesday, they were on their way out as I walked into the front yard.
‘Daddy’s home,’ Kristine said from the top of the stairs. ‘Look who is home.’ Angus gave me a cuddle for about ten seconds before wanting his mum.
The past five months were amazing. Not enough dads get to spend five months with their baby like I have. I feel lucky. The money, as the cliché goes, was well spent.
When my contract ended last year Angus could sit up and roll over. He was waking up two or three times a night for a feed. Now he’s mostly sleeping through. He is crawling and trying to walk. I’ve seen him grow and try to understand things. We’ve been for walks, gone on holiday, swum together and played together.
It might be years before I can spend time like that with him. It might never happen again.
And it goes further, too. It might be decades before Kristine and I get to spend five uninterrupted months together. She has been a wonderful mother and partner as I searched for a job. Never once did she exert any pressure on me to find work. She cautioned me against a couple of jobs and helped shepherd me away from a few unwanted phone calls.
Kristine didn’t care as our finances ran out. Though she would’ve found a job quicker than I did, we resisted.
Now the house husband has been relegated to employee. That’s the way life works out for most parents.
I get to spend five minutes with Angus in the morning and an hour with him at night. After being with him every day for the past five months, 65 minutes a day will never be enough. Soon he’s going to start walking and I won’t be there to see those first unsteady steps.
Going back to work was inevitable. The job will be a good one, but it’s only a short term contract. Given the government’s love of the public service, I might be unemployed again in three months.
The house husband might be forced out of retirement…
Hopefully that won’t happen.
I’d like to thank all my friends and family who offered counsel, hope and support during the past five months. Some of you worked harder than I did to get me a job and I appreciate it.
Although most of you have already experienced parenthood, I hope you’ve enjoyed reading Rambles about the house husband. I hope it brought back all those memories of joy, pain, unconditional love and heartache.
As many of you said, all those memories never stop happening.
