Scott A. Roberts wrote:
>Just remembering something not quite a bonehead mistake, but hilarious...
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SNIP
In the same vein, I have a tale to relate.
In my early 20's, I worked at a Texaco station as a gas jockey. In those
days, self-serve was a new-fangled innovation that had me worried about
my job security. Anyway, the lead up to the incident happened in June.
Ian was one of the shop mechanics. He couldn't have been taller than
5'6", small and wiry. His big mouth more than made up for his lack of
stature.
One afternoon in the shop, he was spouting off about about Max, the
owner. Ian's back was to the office door. The scene was straight out of
the movies. As Ian badmouthed Max, one of the other mechanics started
motioning and grimacing at Ian. Ian looked puzzled, but kept up his
tirade. Of course, Max had quietly slipped out the office door and was
standing directly behind Ian. All very comical.
Ian knew that Max wouldn't fire him, but he also knew that Max was very
much a "don't get mad, get even" kind of guy. Ian minced around the shop
on eggshells for days, peeking around corners before entering rooms,
flinching and starting at every odd sound. Finally, things settled down
and Ian apparently decided all was well.
About a month later, one hot July afternoon, Ian was working on an old
Cadillac. The hood was up and Ian was completely bent over the radiator.
Max slipped out of the office and crept up behind Ian. In one
simultaneous combo, he screamed "IAN" at the top of his lungs, pinched
Ian on the back of his thigh, and....fired two rounds from a .32 pistol
into the garbage can.
Remember, Ian is a short little guy. The top tip of the open hood of
that Caddy must have been 7' in the air. Ian jumped so high he slammed
his head on the tip of the hood. There were three of us there and we all
saw the same thing. We all swear that even though the garage bay was 20'
long, Ian's feet never touched the ground once on his way out the door.
Poor guy was so bent out of shape he had to walk around the block twice
before he stopped shaking enough to come back to work. He didn't say a
word, just picked up his wrench and got back to it. Max just grinned and
went back to his paperwork.
Ian never did learn to keep his mouth shut, but after that day, he
always made sure he knew where the boss was before he opened it :-)
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