October 4, 1957

Wanting to change the subject, lifting himself off the bed for the third time within a half hour,  turning the tuner dial, “What in the hell’s wrong with this thing?”

“I told you, I don’t know, but it’s been making that stupid sound all day. And don’t change the subject, Mitchell, we’ve got to have more money!”

“I’m not trying to ‘change the subject’!” Going back to bed, “I do not want another part-time job!”

“You ‘don’t want another part-time job’!” She said angrily. “Then what are we supposed to do for money?”

“We’re managing! We’re getting by!”

“Oh, yes! Sure we are!” Marsha spit back. “Just barely! And what do we do if something goes wrong, huh? Like all of a sudden...” jerking her thumb in the direction of the television, “the TV stops working? What the hell do we do if we have to call a television repair man for the TV? Where do we get the extra money for that, Mitchell?”

He knew he should, but felt he’s the one that always gives in. “It’s fall! Like I told you, in the fall business starts to pick up! Business is starting to pick up, and I’ve got some pretty good prospects for some new accounts and then we’ll have more money!”

Making a stab at being patient, “Mitchell, even if business does pick up, you’re in the red on your draw and it’ll take time to get out of it.” Trying to reason with him. “Mitchie, you said the manager at Field’s liked you. Christmas is less than three months away and maybe they’re hiring, and seeing as you know the stock and all, maybe you can get your old job back. Why don’t you at least go there tomorrow and see?”

Knowing she’s right, thinking, Oh, God! why’s she always have to be right? “Why....” – come back with a real smart-ass answer – “because I don’t want to! That’s why!” Oh, yeah, that’s real smart!

“You don’t ‘want to’, huh!” All semblance of calm gone. “Why don’t you want to?”

“Why? Because first of all, all, I’ll....”

“I’ll tell you why! Because you’re lazy, that’s why!”

“Because all I’ll get...” he continued, “is minimum wage and a bit of commission.”

“Well, in our position, I’d say minimum wage is better than no wage!”

“And you say I’m lazy, huh! That’s kind’a like the pot calling the kettle black, isn’t it? I’m lazy! Tell you what, Marsha! If you think it’s so damned easy to do: to hold down two jobs, then why in the hell don’t you do it? Besides, you’ve got special training to sell brassieres’n’corsets’n’stuff, and they’ll pay you a hell of a lot more than me! Yeah! You go get a part-time job for after I get home from work and I’ll watch Mikey!” Actually, this idea appealed to him. “And I’ll tell what else!” Getting off the bed, he attempted to adjust the television. “Don’t even bother cleaning up here! I’ll do it! Then, when all three rooms are clean, oh, say in about a half-hour, I’ll go to bed, too! Just like you!”

“Why don’t you shut up, Mitchell! I told you! I won’t go back to work so long as I have a child that needs me!”

“Why? Mikey won’t miss any time with you! He mostly sleeps in the evening anyway, and I usually help out with him when I get home, so I could easily take care of him for the few hours you’d be gone. Most likely he wouldn’t even know you weren’t here.”

“I am not going back to work and that’s final! Taking care of our home and Michael is my job! Earning a living, a decent living is your job, Mitchell!”

“Okay, Marsha, now that you’ve told me what my job is, and what I’m supposed to do, and so long as that’s your final word on what your job is, then why don’t you just do it instead of always telling me what to do!” Oh, yeah, really on a roll here, he added, “But to be honest, I can’t imagine that sleeping every afternoon is that much of a job!”

“Go to hell, Mitchell!”

“Screw you, Marsha!”

And, once again, he got out of bed, crossed the room and, “What the hell’s wrong with this thing?” angrily twisted the tuner dial.

Two things happened on this day.

One that affected no less than the future of the entire world... forever!

On this day, television repair men the world over were handed a windfall as a mysterious, electronic ‘beep’ emanated from television sets and radios throughout the world creating bewilderment ... and many calls to local repair men.

It wasn’t until the next day, however, that the mystery was solved when the Soviet Union proclaimed that it had launched the first man-made orbiting satellite...

‘Sputnik’ was the name given the twenty-three inch sphere by the western world.

The ‘beeps’ that disturbed television and radios were the coded messages of the observations Sputnik made as it sailed through the skies on the day the world entered the Space Age.

Also on that day, of somewhat lesser significance, an additional head of steam was added to the pressure cooker marriage of Marsha and Mitchell Lipensky.