Back in ’06 I was unhappy for most of the year. It was my first time being laid off. I didn’t take it well. My brother made it better for a while with a fun job.
Fortunately, upon agreement for time off to go to interviews, my brother hired me to work his fruit stand for the season. My brother hand-picks all of his fruit, and he can’t sell it and pick it all at once. While working on the stand, two other men in my life took pity on me as well. This handsome fellow is one of those men.
A friend of my brother’s dropped off his cat for my brother to care for. We’ve no idea how old he was, but he as a kind old gent. He kept me company while working the stand, especially when there were no customers. Too many customers at once, and he felt his attention was no not needed for long whiles.
My brother’s dog also sat with me now and again, but he liked to split his time 50/50 between the orchard with my brother or me in the stand. Juniper had no compunction to be in the orchard. He only desired a comfortable spot to sit and some one-on-one attention. He liked the petting now and then, and he demanded a solid scratching behind the ears multiple times daily, but he mostly liked to chat with me. We had conversations that went on for hours on most every topic either of us could think up. In this, he helped give me the energy to fill the fruit baskets over and over while my brother picked all he could to keep the stand full for his many customers.
This gent wasn’t with us long, but he left pleasant memories behind. And many conversations that kept my spirits up.
Moral of the Story: Friends come in many shapes, sizes, and species. Enjoy them while they are with you. Remember them with love when they’ve passed on.
Humor Happens 