Meet Mr. New Jersey part II

Ten years before I retired, our secretary answered the phone and said with a nervous, hesitant voice, “I’m not sure that she’s here. I’ll need to put you on hold. Is that O.K?”

I looked up from sorting through the mail to see a frown on her freckled, worried face. Placing her hand over the mouthpiece, she whispered, in  her Boston accented voice, “There's a man asking for you. He sounds like a criminal from Law and Order. Should I tell him you aren’t here?

I shook my head. “Have him call my cell. I’m late for office hours.”

On the sixty some step climb to my third floor office the phone rang. I answered.

A voice said. “Bet ya don’t remember me!”

The game began as I mimicked him,” Bet ya don’t remember me?”

A pause. Then a gravelly laugh. “Guess ya do. Ya know, I miss ya a lot.”

He must need a recommend!- Former students always called when they were making a life change because I wrote great recommends! The conversations were always the same “Blah, blah, blah.” “Oh?” “And do you think you could blah blah blah.”

I reached my top floor office; still covered with the DOOR wallpaper.

His crude voice softened. “Sorry for not being in touch.”

I rolled my eyes as I entered my office. “What can I do for you?”

“Wanted you to know –––––I was thinkin bout ya.”

I opened my computer. “Sure ya did! That’s why I haven’t heard from you for, hmm, twenty years.” I hit ‘get mail’ and scanned the ten waiting messages and said. “I’ve got stuff to do before class so really do need to tell me what you want.”

“I joined the hotel industry.”

Stunned silence from my end. Why on earth would this tonally cold man ever take a job like that!

Lack of a response caused him to brag about his importance.

“My boss relies on me for everything. He doesn’t make a move without discussing it with

me first.

Eyebrows lifted, I responded thoughtfully, “Hotels don’t usually lend themselves to what I imagine is your management style. I looked at the picture of dad and remembered him whistling everywhere he went as a way of alerting his employees that “management was headed their way.” He understood human nature and knew people occasionally slacked off. He didn’t want to catch them idling. I asked, “How do you manage your co-workers?”

“It don’t matter cuz I don’t respect them. When I give an order they gotta obey.” His retort almost manipulated me into a teaching tirade. I wanted to call him in for a three hour meeting of chastisement and training. It was one of my flaws. I always thought I could make a difference. It was obvious to me that with this student, I had no effect on him when he was twenty and could not expect to when he was pushing forty and still had his ridiculous superior attitude.

I heard chatter and musical theatre songs outside.

"Sorry, but I have to get to class. You can hear the chaos. These kids are absolutely incredible triple threat performers. They're teaching me, which is always a good sign. If you get over this way, be sure and look me up. Bye."

Realizing that Mr. New Jersey wasn’t worth another thought, I hung up the phone and focused on the future.

SAD TO SAY, MR. NEW JERSEY ARRIVES IN THE NEXT BLOG-