Side Splitter

Most of us really do like to sleep in the wee hours of the morning. Roger was one of those people whose body clock allowed him to stay up all night. Most of us can't do that.

Roger also had a crazy sense of humor. Karin got it. She keeps me laughing because her outlook on life just catches things that most of us would call the absurd. ... and we would miss it anyway. She never misses the absurd. 

I think her comment about the mystery numbers that continually called her phone in the wee hours went something like this  ... "there is not enough coffee in the world for this nonsense" --- she had more to say that was humorous to me, but likely not so much so to her.

This made me recall one of the craziest of Roger's stories. It had to do with an insurance salesman who hounded him constantly. It seems like he told me that the guy would show up at the fire house and call him at home and track him down on his off-days. He was a relentless salesman and Roger could not seem to lose him. Roger was always nice to these guys, but one day the guy made the mistake of giving Roger his card and saying "now you feel free to call me anytime you want to talk about insurance."  Innocent enough, right?

So one night when he was on shift in downtown Orlando -  either the main station or Parramore - they had a call and got in during those wee hours.  I would imagine that it is hard for a firefighter to decompress and go right back to sleep after a big call, so evidently the guys were sitting around drinking coffee and rambling on about stuff.  Somehow the insurance guy's name surfaced and so did his card - with the phone number on it.   Now this was back in the day - the 1960's when the phone was generally on a table in the front room of the house - not like a cell phone, next to the bed.   And Roger was still a kid in his 20's not like the mature man he was at 30 (40, 50, 60, 70.....um, not always!) 

So - 3:30 or so - Roger decides that he had time to talk about insurance, and after all 'the guy said anytime' ......  ah, you figured it out! Indeed, Roger made that call. And on the other end of the line, that phone was ringing on a table in the front room in a dark house, quite possibly with cold terrazzo floors, and possibly with babies sleeping down the hall -- and with a wife who needed her beauty sleep. ......

It gets better. 

Those of us who heard that story can still see him - shoulders shaking, big ole belly laugh, cracking up as he recalls it for us.  Laughing so hard as he tried his best to imitate the salesman - 'who is this?" "You want WHAT?" You want to talk about insurance...NOW?" 

Roger saying, "well, you said anytime and I just got in from a big call and I am thinking about life insurance right now, so I thought I would give you a call"  

Insurance guy, "Do you have any idea what time it is?!!!!"

By now Roger was almost in tears as he changed from irate voice to slow, serious voice...and cracking up, laughing, wiping tears from his eyes....

Roger, " Oh, I don't know, I'm at work and we just came in from a call....... but I was thinking about insurance and you said to give you a ring when I had time to talk, and I have time now...."

And then imitating the wife.....

Insurance guys' wife :  "Who is that, what is wrong, what do they want, is everything ok, why are you talking about insurance at 3 in the morning...yak yak yak....."

And Roger, cracking up but trying again to sound so very serious and ask insurance questions.

And then the guys says - DON'T CALL ME AGAIN!

And Roger did not. 
And the guy never came back in the daytime either.

Roger's Lesson:  Hey, some people take things literally - you better be careful what you say! He said "call me ANYTIME!" So I did!  And I was very polite too.  

I guess he got his point across in a very humorous way. 

Reading the story is not nearly as funny, but the memory - classic. 
Sometimes Roger would tell stories so many times that I would start thinking , oh no, again.....
But I always ended up laughing.....

You could not help but laugh when his shoulders started shaking.  
Boy....I'd love to hear any of those stories just one more time!  

So, I guess today's joy is that joy that I still get when I think of Roger telling stories! My sides are even starting to hurt - just like they do when I read some of Karin's posts. Yep, she is her daddy's daughter for sure! So........like him in so many wonderful ways!  Thanks, Karin!