A guy came over to the house today to repair an ottoman we just bought. He works for a subcontractor that repairs furniture for several chains here in the Bay Area.
"How's business?" I asked him.
"Good for my bosses, not so much for me," he said. "I'm not paid enough. And there's no company vehicle... I have to use my own."
"Do they give you a mileage allowance for all the driving you do?"
"After 30 miles they do," he said. "Let's say I drive 35 miles from my house. I get an allowance for the last five miles -- but not the first 30."
"I'll bet they deliberately rig it so that you drive less than 30 miles a day."
"That's about the size of it, yeah," he said.
"Do you have another job besides this one?"
"I do carpentry. But I can't find any work these days. So I make do with this."
As he walked to the door, I noticed his stocking feet. He had left his dirty shoes outside.
"This isn't Japan," I teased. "You could have left your shoes on."
"Oh, that's all right," he said. "I do that at home, too."
I'll probably never see this guy again. So, here's wishing that he -- and all the humbly noble like him -- have a prosperous and satisfying 2010.
This story made me smile. A holiday treat. I have had similar encounters in New York City cabs and I will often sit at my stop and continue to talk to the gentleman who so impressed me. Thanks, Sam.
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This story made me smile. A holiday treat. I have had similar encounters in New York City cabs and I will often sit at my stop and continue to talk to the gentleman who so impressed me. Thanks, Sam.
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