AN INTERESTING PERSON, AN UNUSUAL JOB

My name is Diego. I am actually an archaeologist, but I work as a merman at Plisades Amusement Park in New Jersey. What I really love about my job is being with children and working at an amusement park. Who wouldn’t like this! I don’t have to get up early, dress up in ugly suits and do a desk job all day long. I don’t have to deal with nerve-racking adults with unrealistic demands and money, and I don’t have to write and sign papers. I find usual jobs monotonous and boring because of all these things. I am almost never bored at work. After I get to the park at about 10 o’clock every day, I put on my merman costume and start walking among smiling children. Most of them seem amused, and I cannot blame them. They see mermaids everywhere, but they are not used to seeing a merman. It’s something new to them. Yes, I love my job. But I have problems, too. I get to work at 10 o’clock, every day, EVERY DAY, and work until midnight! Saturday and Sunday are the busiest and the most hectic days of the week, so I cannot take a weekend off. They let me have a day off on one of the weekdays, but then they pay me less. The pay is not so good anyway, and I cannot afford to earn less money. Also, at the end of each day, my feet hurt so much that I cannot go to sleep without a painkiller. I am afraid of having more serious health problems soon. My job is very tiring. Another problem is my children. I have two daughters who are 11 and 7. When people ask them about my job, they feel embarrassed. They want to say things like “My father is a manager at a bank” or “My father is a doctor”, but that’s not me! I want them to be proud of me, not embarrassed. I don’t know what to do!