Being a business owner, I have seen and heard it all when it comes to employees and have had many characters work for me over the years. The following character may take the cake.
When I first started this business, I worked alone for over 8
years. I had no working capital, and had to pay as I went, so to speak. When I
could finally afford it, and simply could not keep up with demand, I hired my
first employee.
He was in his early 50’s with prior machining experience. I
liked him right off the bat.
His name was “Manny”, and he came to the US from the
Philippines some 25 years prior. He held a host of jobs, and I recall one that
he mentioned that was at a chicken egg farm. His job was driving a skinny cart
down the hatching aisles. You steered with your knees so that both hands
remained free to grab the eggs that were left and right.
Manny came from a very humble background and basically lived
in the jungle with his siblings. His sisters would walk into town to look for
husbands, and one of Manny’s jobs was to carry their nice shoes so they would
not get muddy on the trip. He would also hunt for food in the jungle with what
he described as a large dart. He said that the wild dogs that were everywhere
were very tasty, and a sought-after prize. I will confess that I have eaten dog
overseas, as the locals I was with served it, so I was not taken aback by his
comment.
Manny showed up to work on time and did a great job. When
not at work however, Manny would get into a lot of trouble. He had a worn
little book that was titled “California Penal Code” that he kept in his truck,
and he emphasized that it was very important to always have it handy. His run
ins with the law seemed almost weekly. He wasn’t a violent guy but always seemed
to wind up in hot water.
Manny didn’t like his daughter’s boyfriend, and there were
quite a few visits by the police to Manny’s apartment. One time, the police
showed up, and found Manny holding a knife, threatening the boyfriend. Manny
tells the police that the boyfriend pulled it on him, but just seconds before
the police arrived, Manny had snatched it from the boyfriend, and that is why
he was holding it. He also performed an incident identical to this a few months
later, but this time with a shotgun. The deputies weren’t convinced by either
tale.
Manny also got rolled up in a cock fighting bust on a ranch
up the coast. He had his own rooster, Rocky, that he fed power bars to because he thought power bars had steroids in them and this would make the rooster tougher. The secret ring was raided, and everyone scattered. Manny got
busted getting into his truck to flee.
Manny would always say that he loved America, but that there
was one major flaw with this country. He stated that it was that the police
could not be bribed. I said that is a good thing! He did not agree.
Manny was a gambler, and almost daily would get a scratcher
ticket before coming to work. He could make one ticket last the entire workday.
He would make little, tiny scratches, sometimes an hour apart, until finally
revealing what was underneath before it was time to go home. He would prolong
the anticipation.
Of course, he played the lottery and had his secret winning method,
which was to pray to win the lottery during the church’s choir practice, and
not during the service. The reasoning for this was that there would only be a
few people in the church during practice and God would be able to hear him
better. He told me that he always promised God that if he won, he would give his
entire fortune to the poor. I said, “God knows you’re lying, Manny”. He had no
answer for that one but was undeterred. I could go on for hours about his adventures
and misadventures.
Sadly, Manny passed away. I still have fond memories of my
first employee and keep him in my thoughts.