Brief Autobiographies

Four years later, I began looking for a job on Wall Street. I became secretary to a partner in one of Wall Street’s finest investment banking firms. Again, I realized I was a servant. I not only had to have my boss’s coffee ready when he arrived, but I had to help him off with his coat and fedora. I did make an observation that these minor jobs led me to interesting, important, well-educated men. It made me realize the importance of education. I knew I lacked a great deal of knowledge.

After fourteen years at the firm, an unbelievably joyous event finally came into my quiet uneventful life. I married the top partner, head of the Wall Street firm. He died six months later.

The latest entry in David Brooks’ “Life Report” series, in which “readers over 70 … write autobiographical essays evaluating their own lives,” is from Regina Titus, an 85-year-old Delaware woman. It, like all entries in the series, is honest and alternatingly inspiring and heartbreaking. Metafilter has a nice summary of the project if you’re short on time.