How do day laborers work?

[Glitterati]

3. It's pretty simple, actually

I bought a home last February, and needed a crew to help me move my furniture. I hired the neighbor next door to drive the truck, who spoke Spanish, and we went to the local place where day laborers were looking for work.

My driver/neighbor simply asked if anyone wanted to work moving furniture and then negotiated the pay for doing so for the 3 guys we figured we needed. (My neighbor and I discussed what I was willing to pay before we left for the negotiation.)

Now, I only used them to load the truck, and waited for my son to get home from work to unload at the new house. I was really uncomfortable with the idea that people I didn't know would know where I just moved to. After all, I'm a widow with a young daughter alone. I really didn't think it wise to allow strangers to know everything we owned, and where we moved it all to - 2 women alone.

And, frankly, I'm glad I was cautious. I went back to the old location the next day to finish up cleaning it and checking that we didn't leave anything behind, and it was clear that someone had spent the night at the house. Several someones, actually. And these crazy crosses were hanging from the fan cords in every room. To say I was spooked is putting it mildly.

Oh, and why would they be willing to work on Thanksgiving? That's an American holiday which few of the day laborers celebrate at all.