"BOBBY..!"
By: Gerald A. Polley
The problem with working in kitchens is that you see the same
things over and over again, different people, same stories. The
other day one of the cooks was up on the table with a big
sausage, pretending it was something else, teasing one of the
other cooks. It brought back memories of Bobby, many, many years
ago. I was working with a pretty rowdy bunch of cooks. When Bobby
started working with us he was a total innocent. But after two
months of working with the cooks he was as rowdy as they were.
One afternoon he was up on a table with a sausage, teasing one of
the waitresses, Carol, and being pretty vulgar, when all of a
sudden everybody heard a pitiful "Bobby?" Bobby turned
to see his mother standing there with the most horrible
expression on her face that anyone could imagine. She didn't say
anything else, she just turned around and hurried out. A few
minutes later the boss came in.
"Bobby," he remarked, "your mother came in to tell
you your sister's taken sick. You'd better get down to the
hospital. And everybody listen up! Things have gotten a little
out of hand. From now on the sausages remain in the packages
until they are being processed for cooking. They are to be used
for nothing else. I will not repeat these instructions."
Everybody said "Yes sir!" and Bobby hurried off. A
couple of days later Bobby came up to me. "Gerald," he
moaned, "Mom hasn't said anything but the way she looks at
me. You're pretty smart in these things. What should I do?"
"Remember what I told you," I reminded Bobby,
"about there being a price for everything? You thought it
was cool to horse around and act like an ass. Now your mother
knows you're not her innocent little boy any more. Why don't you
invite Carol up to your house for supper? Show your mother you
can be a gentleman as well as an ass! In a while she'll
understand her little boy's grown up."
"Right!" Bobby snapped, and disappeared out into the
dining room. A few minutes later he came back and went to work.
When Carol brought in a tray of dishes she just looked at me,
smiled, and nodded. A couple of weeks later Bill, one of the most
obnoxious of the cooks began to tease Carol and asked her what
her and Bobby had been doing, how far it had gone.
"That will be quite enough, Bill!" Bobby snapped.
"Our personal relationship is none of your business! From
now on leave Carol alone!"
"Whoa!" Bill remarked, "Carol's got a protector
now! We better not tease her any more! Really," Bill
continued, "in all sincerity, you're both good kids. Good
luck! We never meant anything." Bobby and Carol both nodded
and the rest of that year there wasn't quite as much horseplay in
the kitchen. Oh, it never completely stopped, never does, never
can. But it wasn't quite as intense.
The last I heard of Bobby and Carol they had three kids, and
Bobby was the assistant manager of a big warehouse complex. They
were doing all right! But I'm sure even now, from time to time,
Bobby remembers that look on his mother's face. I know I will
never forget it!
THE END
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Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual
power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.
Martin Luther King Jr.