The clutter on my desk at work was as I had left it on the previous day; nobody had dared clean up my mess. It was my mess and I knew where things I needed were. I continued with my projects where I had left off. I’d written a test letter specifying tests to be run on a power system, so at about mid-morning I went to the test laboratory to check on the progress. Tests were going well with no bad results.

There was a bulletin board located along the main aisle in the lab where anybody could post notices or most anything of interest. I stopped to see what I might learn from the array of notes. Presently one caught my attention. It was a letter-sized copy of evidently an opinion piece. I began to read it but before I learned the subject of the piece a hand appeared in front of my face, grabbed the paper and removed it as a crumpled wad. I looked around to see what ass had ripped the paper away. Elton Hammond said, “You don’t want to read that.” 

My first impulse was to turn and bury my fist in his gut. At the last moment my better judgment prevailed and I said in my most sarcastic voice, “Thanks pal,” and walked away, thinking that having the manners of a hog at a slop trough was his problem, not mine. Nevertheless this was an incident that I’d not soon forget. It happened more than forty years ago.

Who did this guy think he was? “You don’t want to read that.” Was I some juvenile under his watch? Rather, I believe he was one of those Liberals who believe in free speech, as long as the speaker agrees with him. I suspect that he had read the posted piece and that it was something he didn’t agree with and he didn’t wanted my mind polluted with such “trash”. 

Elton had never been one of my favorite people but he’d never before been at the bottom of my list. I had seen him butt into people’s conversations to offer his comments, but I’d never seen outright rudeness before.

I wondered why Elton was so different from most people. I even wondered if his wife had something to do with the difference. I was only casually acquainted with her. She taught English at a college. I had no idea how she thought of herself but she gave me the impression that she considered herself a notch above the average schnook. Maybe he was merely trying to keep up with her expectations. But who knows?

I let such thoughts run through my mind for a few days and finally realized that there was probably nothing I could do about it. I forgave him in my heart for being so ill mannered that day. Afterward when I met him in the hall I gave him a friendly hello and went about my business. Elton would always be Elton.