Just a quick funny
Guy I work with told me this story.
When he was in college he had a frat buddy, the 2 of them actually weren't filthy stinkin' rich so they did a very novel thing and got jobs over breaks and the summer to pay for their frat ways during the school year. This friend, we'll call him Jim for purposes of the story telling, had a tough time finding something for the upcoming Christmas break, no tied in family members to help with an internship, he was from a fairly rural area, no big city to run about in and he was a FRESHMAN with no car, and it's only a month off so...his mama sent him down to the local WINN-DIXIE to bag groceries, etc.
They loved him there, he was one of their own who was now a big college boy, he worked hard in high school, he got a scholarship, he was getting out and making everyone proud, it was a homecoming of sorts he said. Now Jim had been fairly sheltered, we can say that without much worry. He hadn't experienced much prior to going away to school in terms of life lessons, but he did that break at the Winn-Dixie. He saw good people and bad, he saw thieves and poor folks who were trying hard to get by, he saw the well-heeled neighborhood lady, her husband was a local judge, well she liked to "flirt and swagger" with the young college aged boys, "the local cougar"...he saw folks do things they probably didn't want to but felt desperate. And he worked for a great man, a manager, Leonard, who was a forgiving man who helped out his hometown people as best he could, he gave away that's right, GAVE AWAY the day-old and about to be bad stuff to folks who he knew needed it, he looked the other way when a customer was a little short and instead offered to let them help unpack a truck "next week sometime" to even up.
This is one of the funniest anecdotes Jim shared and every time I'm feeling a bit down, bored, or otherwise non-plussed I think of this and I howl with laughter, maybe just howl on the inside when I'm at work.
One afternoon, during the start of the friday going home rush he noticed one of the regulars, a grandmother who the whole town knew come in. She kept her 6 grandkids, their dad, her son, was working at a factory 75 miles away and their mother had sadly passed early in life due to a tragic accident, she was Gramma, Momma, and caretaker to many. Times were tight for her and the kids. She was frugal, but her son hadn't been home in 3 weeks with payroll and it'd be a few more days before his return. She picked up a few things, milk, bread, peanut butter, some bologna [yes Jim remembers the contents he packed for her and carried the two bags out behind her as he always did and would place them in the back of her quite aging station wagon, wood pannel sides] a few other sundries. She paid, with a lot of change and was on her way, him following her with the 2 bags. She had a large coat on and was a large woman. She was walking a bit funny, he inquired to her if she was alright, she flushed a bit and said "yes son, I'm fine, just gettin'old is all" She walked 2 more paces and as she approached the door a HAM fell down from her coat!
AN ENTIRE HAM WAS UP IN HER COAT! You see it turns out she was supposed to bring an entree to the Sunday social that weekend, and she had always brought a ham. Leonard told Jim this later, they went to the same church.
So she stops suddenly and looks down at the ham, she turns around and looks, many eyes are upon her.
With conviction she shouts to all present: "WHO THREW -- THAT HAM -- AT ME! I SERIOUS NOW!"
Not a soul answered, no one responded, no checker rang anything up, time stood still. There were several muffled giggles at this point.
Leonard rushes over and hoists up the ham and says, "Grandma Turner, I'm so sorry, my young college packer here didn't double bag your groceries, looks like this fell out of the torn bag. I'm so sorry, please take this ham and I'll have him bring you out another fresh one as well for your trouble."
She welled up a bit, took the ham, said to Leonard that she was so sorry for the scene and thanked him. She told him to make sure he got a double helping of her candied ham after services on Sunday.
That was it.
I always laugh so hard after the part where she yells at them all, like she's admonishing a class of misbehaved ruffians.
I asked my friend if Jim told him other stories and he said he had a ton. I've heard a few others. All I can say is that I hope I can do something like that for someone else, or when I'm in need, however it is, I'll have a Leonard around to give with a grateful heart, forgive me and mean it. I wish the same to each of you!
Lots of love to each of you, hope you're well!
-Lil'sis
When he was in college he had a frat buddy, the 2 of them actually weren't filthy stinkin' rich so they did a very novel thing and got jobs over breaks and the summer to pay for their frat ways during the school year. This friend, we'll call him Jim for purposes of the story telling, had a tough time finding something for the upcoming Christmas break, no tied in family members to help with an internship, he was from a fairly rural area, no big city to run about in and he was a FRESHMAN with no car, and it's only a month off so...his mama sent him down to the local WINN-DIXIE to bag groceries, etc.
They loved him there, he was one of their own who was now a big college boy, he worked hard in high school, he got a scholarship, he was getting out and making everyone proud, it was a homecoming of sorts he said. Now Jim had been fairly sheltered, we can say that without much worry. He hadn't experienced much prior to going away to school in terms of life lessons, but he did that break at the Winn-Dixie. He saw good people and bad, he saw thieves and poor folks who were trying hard to get by, he saw the well-heeled neighborhood lady, her husband was a local judge, well she liked to "flirt and swagger" with the young college aged boys, "the local cougar"...he saw folks do things they probably didn't want to but felt desperate. And he worked for a great man, a manager, Leonard, who was a forgiving man who helped out his hometown people as best he could, he gave away that's right, GAVE AWAY the day-old and about to be bad stuff to folks who he knew needed it, he looked the other way when a customer was a little short and instead offered to let them help unpack a truck "next week sometime" to even up.
This is one of the funniest anecdotes Jim shared and every time I'm feeling a bit down, bored, or otherwise non-plussed I think of this and I howl with laughter, maybe just howl on the inside when I'm at work.
One afternoon, during the start of the friday going home rush he noticed one of the regulars, a grandmother who the whole town knew come in. She kept her 6 grandkids, their dad, her son, was working at a factory 75 miles away and their mother had sadly passed early in life due to a tragic accident, she was Gramma, Momma, and caretaker to many. Times were tight for her and the kids. She was frugal, but her son hadn't been home in 3 weeks with payroll and it'd be a few more days before his return. She picked up a few things, milk, bread, peanut butter, some bologna [yes Jim remembers the contents he packed for her and carried the two bags out behind her as he always did and would place them in the back of her quite aging station wagon, wood pannel sides] a few other sundries. She paid, with a lot of change and was on her way, him following her with the 2 bags. She had a large coat on and was a large woman. She was walking a bit funny, he inquired to her if she was alright, she flushed a bit and said "yes son, I'm fine, just gettin'old is all" She walked 2 more paces and as she approached the door a HAM fell down from her coat!
AN ENTIRE HAM WAS UP IN HER COAT! You see it turns out she was supposed to bring an entree to the Sunday social that weekend, and she had always brought a ham. Leonard told Jim this later, they went to the same church.
So she stops suddenly and looks down at the ham, she turns around and looks, many eyes are upon her.
With conviction she shouts to all present: "WHO THREW -- THAT HAM -- AT ME! I SERIOUS NOW!"
Not a soul answered, no one responded, no checker rang anything up, time stood still. There were several muffled giggles at this point.
Leonard rushes over and hoists up the ham and says, "Grandma Turner, I'm so sorry, my young college packer here didn't double bag your groceries, looks like this fell out of the torn bag. I'm so sorry, please take this ham and I'll have him bring you out another fresh one as well for your trouble."
She welled up a bit, took the ham, said to Leonard that she was so sorry for the scene and thanked him. She told him to make sure he got a double helping of her candied ham after services on Sunday.
That was it.
I always laugh so hard after the part where she yells at them all, like she's admonishing a class of misbehaved ruffians.
I asked my friend if Jim told him other stories and he said he had a ton. I've heard a few others. All I can say is that I hope I can do something like that for someone else, or when I'm in need, however it is, I'll have a Leonard around to give with a grateful heart, forgive me and mean it. I wish the same to each of you!
Lots of love to each of you, hope you're well!
-Lil'sis
You have just started my day with a bang! Classic, great story!
I love that Grandma. She reminds me a lot of Granny J!
You tell ahem...Jim...I said hi.
That's a great story. It's too easy to think that as 'just' a store manager you're not doing enough in the world, but that guy really made the most of it.
I love that she thought fast and yelled at everyone, and that Leonard was quick-witted enough to play it off.
What a great story. So funny and sweet.