"This animal spit on me!" James screamed. "He spit on me!
I was just kidding with him, and he spit on me!"
"Excuse me sir," James' wife put in, "it isn't this young man's fault.
My husband has been deliberately humiliating him for weeks. He doesn't
know enough to leave anybody alone. The young man was perfectly justified
in doing what he did."
The manager looked totally bewildered but finally turned to James.
"Sir," he remarked "if you cannot act in a proper manner leave my store!"
"I will!" James snorted, "I will."
As they were going off I could hear James screaming at his wife, "How
DARE you side with him? I'm your husband! How DARE you?"
"I TOLD you," his wife answered, "I've told you repeatedly, don't
do that with people when you're with me. I WON'T be embarrassed by
you."
"I'm your husband!" James screamed, "I'm your husband!"
James complained about what had happened to the boss at work and his
comment was "None of my business!"
It's rare I worked at the same place two years in a row, but it just
so happened the job I had that winter didn't work out, so I went in to
see if my old boss had an opening. He said "I most certainly do!"
"Well, another year of James!" I commented.
"'Fraid not," the boss answered. "James' wife left him.
Twenty-seven years of living with him was enough for her, especially after
that mess with their daughter. James has gone south to live with
one of his sons. He was a damned good cook, but I'm just as glad
to have him out of here! He just wasn't worth the trouble he caused,
especially in the last couple of years."
I nodded. It was a very good summer. Everybody got along
beautifully. It was like a totally different place.
THE END