Wendy, A Large Small Woman

Wendy came out of the gate fast.

By the seventh grade she was attending high-school classes alongside students years ahead. During high-school, she was recruited into undergrad studies at a flagship university.

At the same time Wendy liked earning her way. She babysat at $6.25 an hour, and at age fifteen took a job “breading chicken” until midnight. She had saved $10,000 before she was out of her teens.

She was young when she met the husband with whom she had a son and a daughter. Pursuing of an associate degree at her community college proved difficult and she decided she could afford to take a year off from her education.

Wendy will tell you that was a mistake.

The mother of two was forced back to work full time. She clocked so many hours that the restaurant “rewarded” her with empty promotion that stripped her of overtime pay.

Now years later as general manager at a restaurant chain, she’s responsible for hiring, firing, coaching, planning and sales — she knows hundreds of customers by first name.

The not large woman can “put away a truck” with the best of them. Wendy knows that food service is punishing and that her knees will creep up on her.

One of her goals is to celebrate her fiftieth birthday without a mortgage. She’s anxious to help her daughter in college avoid the crippling debt she finally managed to overcame.

There’s talk of one day owning a coffee house (cozy, lined with books) that will satisfy a love of engaging the public. There’s talk of fascinating places around the world patiently waiting for her to arrive.

But for now there’s a more immediate goal. Wendy Borges is bent on keeping the various generations of her family intact, and within reach. She comes from a community that places a value on these things.