He was a pine tree in a forest of many trees, and we hung from the low branch.
“I never noticed him, did you?
Who, Bob?
Right, didn’t you hear?
About Bob? Which one? Maintenance Bob or married to Barb Bob.
Neither.
So which Bob?
The guy who dropped off the mail.”
He was the bedrock in an ancient fertile riverbed, and we cast a puny line.
“Him? Was his name Bob? I thought it was Cliff. No?
No. Cliff’s still here. In accounting. Used to be Contact Center.
No shit. That guy? Are you sure his name was Bob?
Yes, one hundred percent. Did you know he was an Army Ranger? Fought in the tail-end of World War 2, then Korea. His son was killed in Afghanistan. His wife died in a car accident a couple of years back. He's a deacon in the church, the big one on Forrest, whatchamacallit, you know which one I mean. Shit, he was even an underwater welder in the gulf for a bit; he drove a big rig. He met Jimmy Hoffa. The guy sold bibles doo-to-door for a while. He did some crazy stuff before he got here.”
He was a deep lake in a place of lasting lakes, and we fed our toes sand.
“Now that you mention it, I haven't seen him in weeks. So how do you know all that stuff?
Saw it in the paper. He hit the lottery. 50 million bucks. They did an extensive write-up in the Gazette.
No shit, 50 million.
The kicker is he’s giving each of us $1,000—everyone who works here. HR is sending an email later today. All staff, so you know it's a big deal.
I thought we couldn't do all staff emails.
It depends on who you are, I guess. Anyway, Candi called me to let me know. I need to snap a few pics for the newsletter.”
He was a cheerful, benevolent breeze, an affirming gust, and we pulled our collars to our ears.
Wow, that’s crazy. I never talked to him.
Candi said he’s just that kind of guy. Appreciated working here. Never had a bad word to say about anyone. They’re going to throw him a little party Friday.
This Friday?
Yep, at Noon.
I think I’m busy. But, hey…how's Bob going to send that money?
You need to be there to collect it. That was his only stipulation.
Oh.”
The gray man cometh and walked among us, and he was gone.