Wondering what my former coworkers are up to these days

I had an encounter with a new arrival to the High Plains the other day, someone who moved here from the Washington, D.C., area.

The meeting jogged loose memories from when I lived in a rural part of that area, about 40 years ago.

I remembered a radio station where I used to work, tucked away in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

I wondered what some of my co-workers were up to here in the 21st century.

I looked up Filomena (name’s changed).

There she was, here in the future, chief executive officer of a li’l ol’ DC area company.

I remember this CEO from her hell-raising days, a co-worker selling advertising for the radio station.

Our overseer was a fella I’ll call “Manager Tom.” 

To be real, Manager Tom was a jerk with no sense of humor. 

I don’t think anybody on staff really liked the guy.

So I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised one night, long ago, when some co-workers showed up at my door.

*KNOCK*KNOCK*KNOCK*

“Grant, open up, it’s Filomena, Jules and Marky.” It was Filomena’s voice.

I opened the door.

There were the three station salespeople.

All three had big grins.

“Y’all’ve been drinking, haven’t you,” I said.

They all chuckled, looked at each other then came on in.

Jules plopped on my couch. Marky sat down beside her. Filomena kept standing.

“What brings you three to my humble abode?”

“We’re going to egg the station,” said Filomena.

Jules laughed out loud and fell against Marky.

“You in or not?” asked Filomena.

“I’m on the spot here, guys. I mean, I am tempted,” I said.

“We’d like you to drive. You’re a guy,” Marky said.

I just stood there.

“You’re not going to help us, are you? If you were you’d already’ve said so,” Filomena said.

“Nope, I’d like to but I gotta keep my nose clean.  I need this job,” I said.

Filomena and I stared at each other.

“It’s that new sign. Tom complains about costs and stuff but they can go out and buy a new brick and metal sign for the station driveway, but no raises for us,” Filomena said, standing with her arms crossed.

“We have a LOT of eggs,” said Jules laughing. She fell into Marky’s lap giggling.

I liked Filomena, but the longer she stood in my apartment the more I realized we were from really different tribes.

“Come on, ladies, we have work to do,” Filomena said.

Once she was out the door she turned and looked me in the eyes.

“I know I can count on your confidence in this matter,” she said.

“But of course,” I said smiling.

I closed the door.

Her words echoed in my head. “I know I can count on your confidence in this matter.”

Who talks like that? Some dad? A lawyer? People of her tribe I reckoned.

Next morning I walked to work like I always did. It was just two miles.

Soon, I could see the station’s new brick and metal sign up ahead.

Getting closer I saw the broken eggs all over the sign.

I chuckled a bit.

I turned and walked down the station drive where I saw all the usual cars, along with a new one -- a county sheriff’s department cruiser. 

Smashed eggs were all over the front door of the station.

“They DID have a lot of eggs,” I muttered to myself.

And then my mind was back in the present.

I wondered if Filomena even remembered that night long ago.

Grant McGee writes for The Eastern New Mexico News. Contact him:

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