This book, Volume I, contains true short stories from the real world as experienced and seen through the eyes of the author. Its purpose is to share many of this life's lessons which accentuate thinking and thought production of the reader. Within these contents, there are true stories with which readers can relate, i.e., there is something for nearly everyone. By the time most of us have reached the latter part of our lives, we have experienced and seen things which can be helpful to those whom have not reached our ages. This book is a learning tool. Between these covers, you will find stories which deal with politics, power, pettiness, ethics, morality, spirituality, legal and illegal behaviors and practices with which we are all faced on a frequent basis. It is the intention of this author for this work to be helpful to those who follow. Even before my teens, something drew me to older people. Somehow I knew that they were aware of things which could be helpful to me. Most of the time, when I paid attention to their advice and instruction, I was able to learn how to avoid making the mistakes they had experienced before me.

THOUGHT PROVOKING LESSONS OF LIFE

True Short Stories from the Real WorldBy Wendell V. Fountain

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2012 Wendell V. Fountain
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4685-4862-4

Contents

About the Book...............................xviiPreface......................................xix(MBA) Student................................1Young Possum.................................5Bird Feeder..................................11GOLF: Beginner or Not?.......................17Goodnight, Gracie............................24Unity of Command.............................30Life After Death.............................36Music and Trust..............................42Compromise Is a Bad Word.....................49Discrimination...............................54The Insane Society...........................59Surprise.....................................73The Regret...................................78Hobo.........................................85Mrs. Jackson.................................96The Tree.....................................104School Board.................................114Island.......................................127Union Matters................................131Robbed.......................................138Afterword....................................147

Chapter One

(MBA) student

* * *

At 7:00 o'clock on a Friday evening a 25 year old Master of Business Administration (MBA) student was listening intently to the words of his 55 year old, aging, business administration professor during a class in organizational behavior. The student was on a fast-track graduate degree which his employer felt he needed to better serve the company. The struggling student was attempting to balance his work and family life while pursuing a master's degree in business administration at the same time. It was certainly placing a great deal of stress on him and his family. The student had two young children and a working wife who missed him greatly when he took evening and weekend MBA courses. The student and his wife had two new cars, a new house, and the usual credit card balances and debts, so two paychecks were essential.

During the lecture the professor said, "I feel sorry for you people, because you have no choice but to be here doing something which is work. You and I are abnormal or we wouldn't be here. We would be like our friends out enjoying life as normal people do. Even though I consider myself to be working and abnormal, I'm having fun and actually enjoying this, but the bottom line is I don't have to be here, but you do, because you and your employer believe that an MBA degree will be mutually beneficial."

The professor later commented on the Career "lifecycle" of the MBA degree in the corporate world, which the student found disconcerting, because the student believed with the MBA degree he could climb the corporate ladder to the top and stay as long as he did his job. However, the professor said, "After about five years your MBA degree will have far less value then than it will now. In fact, after about 40, you will become obsolete. When your hair begins to gray like mine, it's essentially over for you. Think, folks, how many people in your organization are over 40?"

The student's mind left the classroom briefly, returning to his workplace and the CEO of the company, his boss, who was beginning to gray a little at 41 and was the only one he could think of over 40. The student wondered if the professor really knew what he was talking about. He thought, how could what he's saying be true? After all, it's common knowledge that those who teach do so because they can't do real work.

Monday morning right after he arrived at his desk at work, his boss, called him into his office. "How're you coming with the new pump gasket? You know we're running out of time on this project," he said solemnly.

The student replied heartily, "We ran our final tests on it Friday, and we're sure all is well for mass production."

"That's good news, but what do the tests indicate regarding its life cycle?"

"Our low range is about 15 years, and from projections, our high range goes up to about 20," the student replied with pride.

"I like what's happening, but we need to have a candid discussion, because there are some things you need to know," the CEO said.

The student-worker became anxious because of the CEO's comment. The CEO asked him to pull up a chair and sit down. "I think you know we've been struggling to make our numbers for quite awhile, and I firmly believe it's because of these terrible economic times, about which, I might add, we have no control. Despite that, the board of directors has decided to replace me with someone else, so I'll be leaving at the end of the month. Oh, uh, good luck with the gasket."

Young Possum

* * *

A young country boy, Travis, of about nine was out hunting one evening with his BB gun among the prickly and thorny blackberry brambles, bushes, palmettos, and trees near his house when he came upon a young possum. The little thing seemed lost. He looked around for the youthful possum's mother, but he couldn't find her. So, he carefully picked it up and carried it home with him. He didn't know whether or not it was a male or female at first, but it didn't matter to him. He thought that it would make a good pet, because he didn't know anyone at school or in the rural area where he lived who had a possum for a pet.

As soon as he got home, he found a cardboard box in which to put the little thing until he could build a proper cage for it. He'd only been home for a few minutes when his father arrived from work. Immediately, Travis proudly showed him his new pet, and he asked his father, "Daddy, this is a possum, ain't it?"

"Yeah, son, it is, where did you get it?"

"I found him lost in the woods without his mother."

"What do you plan to do with it?"

"I'm gonna keep it for a pet," Travis replied.

"Well, I don't know about a wild thing like that being a pet," his father said.

"Nobody has a possum for a pet. Can you tell if it's a girl or boy?" Travis asked.

"Give it to me for just a minute," his father said. His father, Haeseley, held it up above his head and looked for evidence of its sex. He handed the little possum back to his son. "It's a male possum-a boy," his father said.

"Now, I can give him a name. I wanted to make sure what to call him," Travis said.

Travis went outside and began looking for some wood and chicken wire so that he could build the cage. It didn't take him long to get what he needed, including a hand saw, hammer, and some nails. His father showed him how to go about constructing it, and suggested that he build it off the ground. It was getting late so his father said to start on it in the morning, because it was Saturday, and he didn't have to go to school.

Travis got up very early and worked nearly all day on building the cage. When he was finished, he was very proud of his work. He asked his father to take a look at what he had done. Haeseley went outside with Travis and was somewhat surprised at what Travis had accomplished.

"Not bad, Travis. Where did you get that leather for the door hinges?" "Remember those old shoes of mine we threw away a few months ago? I found them in the dump and cut the tongues out." Travis replied.

"Daddy, what do possums eat?"

"Oh, they'll eat just about anything. They tend to...