Memories from Olden days
by Don Ford
This story is about a fellow who we will call Billy, who worked as a stocker in an area where he used a stand up fork lift. A stand up fork lift required the operator to stand up when operating. Billy had used the same fork lift for several years, and even though it was a functional lift, it was old and loose.
We had received a new stand up lift and we offered it to Billy. Billy’s response was no, I will keep the old lift. We tried to talk him into taking the new lift but he refused. We could have forced him to use the new lift but he would have been, “Madder than a mashed cat”, forever.
As fate would have it, Billy’s lift broke down and would take about three days to repair. The only lift we had for him to use was the new lift. Billy begrudgingly moved his items from the old lift to the new lift.
Three days passed and Billy’s old lift was repaired. Oddly enough, Billy came to me and said he would like to keep the new lift!
* * * * * *
When we were working out of the old office, I was usually the first salaried employee to arrive. I open the building and got the lights on and start the first pot of coffee. Billy arrived prior to me and would take the closest parking place. I decided to arrive a little earlier and see if I could get the closest parking spot. Mission accomplished, I had the parking spot! Next day, Billy had the spot. We went back and forth for a couple weeks before I was able to set my schedule so I could arrive earlier then Billy, each day, to secure the parking spot. (We were like two kids trying to outdo the other.) Neither of us ever commented on this contest, but we both knew.
* * * * * *
We use to let the highway patrol bring their drug sniffing dogs to the building to practice searching for drugs. They would hide some drugs and the dogs would find them. I jokingly suggested that they should let their dogs search the cars on the parking lot. They quickly said, you really don’t want us to do that, meaning we might lose an employee or two.
When employees were on break several of the staff would go outside the break room door. On this particular day the officers were bringing their dog into the building walking past the employees. The drug dog alerted on a person standing near the door. The officer called the dog off and brought the dog on inside and noted, “Did you notice the dog alerted on that person”! I assume the officer was letting us know that person might have used drugs or have been around someone who used drugs.
Don Ford
