Money was an issue. I had some but not enough. Incredibly, at age twenty-eight, I still had most of my bar mitzvah money in U.S. Treasury bonds, which I now cashed in. Between them, my mom and Gram came up with some more to tide me over until I could get settled and find a job. Altogether, my bankroll totaled about $11,000—enough to live on until I could establish my new life.