There was a lot of upset people when that Acetylene bomb went off and the boss and Plant Protection was snooping all over the
place to find out what had happened and who had done it.
I had been pretty careful and there were few that knew for sure so it blew over pretty quickly. I worried a bit because that
Idjit Robbie knew. I told the boy that I would set the next one off in his arse if he didn't keep his mouth shut and to my
surprise, he did.
If it was now days Homeland Security would shut the plant down and have the FBI in doing investigation but those days were
much different.
Robbie was a pretty good guy but different. He was a dummy but not ignert dummy. God did not make him that way but he was
just sorta self made like. He could read and write and do his cyphers but he just thought differently than a normal person.
Sorta like a man with PMS and just been hit with a stun gun at the same time.
I think now days you would call him a Nerd. This was before Computers were in vogue but he was the type that would just take
to them, natural like.
You talk to Robbie and you never know for sure if he is hearing you. You stand in front of him and he just would not look you
in the eye. If he didn't, you were never sure if it was getting through to him or not. I swear to god that there were times
that I just had to grab him by the ears and turn his head toward me, trying to make eye contact. I would say, "Robbie, Look
at me" he would look and hold his head still, I had him by the ears but his eyes would twitch from side to side like the just
could not lock on for some reason, I would get to laughing and then he would look at me and say, "Wuts rong?" Then I could
be sure he would listen for a bit. It was not that he was retarded or anything but he just had a tough time paying attention
some times.
Robbie liked to have heroes. I don't mean a hero that wore a cape and mask but just someone to look up to. Robbie was a great
guy and I don't want to give the impression that he was not intelligent but he was different for sure.
The bosses scared the crap out of him for some reason and I always stuck up for him. If I knew a boss or someone else was
screwing with Robbie I would get on their case and Robbie respected that. It did not stop me from teasing the boy but he
never seemed to resent it at all. I guess he thought of it as acceptance in some way.
My Superintendent came up to me one day and asked if I had any idea who set up that bomb. I lied like heck and told him now.
He didn't believe a word of it because I was smiling and he just knew I had something to do with it. I usually did back then.
He told me that he hoped not because it weren't funny. At least to him is wasn't. Everyone else thought it was it seems.
That goofy arsed Robbie was always after me as to how I made it. I just kept my mouth shut for months and the boy just nagged
me to death. Break times and in the locker room and even in the parking lot. I always told him that he was gonna get in
trouble if he did it again. He swore he would not but I was not sure if he would or not.
Months later we had a job in the old press room. It had a very high roof. It had to be 60 or 80 ft to the top, maybe more. It
was in an old part of the plant and had the big tilting glass windows that were opened remotely. Heck those things had not
been opened in many years. Some were broken and pigeons flew in and out at will. There was Pigeon crap all over the place
up there and it was filthy.
There were metal stairs to get up to the catwalks which ran all over the high bay for access to the windows and all the
electrical and plumbing that ran near the ceiling. The huge presses used to be in there too but they had been removed long
ago. Part of it was used for the Tool and Die department.
That Robbie was always trying to endear himself to me. He just liked me and would do the goofiest things to be one of the
boys. I would never ever take any crap from a forman or any supervision actually. I never went out of my way to cause trouble
but I just never figured their position made them any better than I was. they made more money but they were no better and I
didn't fear the in the least. Many did. I always just did my job but raised hell when I felt I was not being respected.
Now Robbie came up to me one day and was tickled as a person in his right mind. Hey Royal, know what I did? I said, No
Robbie, what did you do now. He would tell me of some stupid stunt he pulled on a forman and giggle like a fool. I would ask
him why he did it and he just would say, Because it was fun. I asked the boy if the forman had done anything to him first and
he said, "No"
That ticked me off. I told him he was an ignert sucker and what he done was wrong, I can not remember what the heck it was.
He looked at me and said, "You have dun far worse!" I told the idjit that I never screwed with a boss unless I was screwed
with first and walked off. It sorta ticked me off.
Robbie kept pestering me about how I set up the Acetylene thing. I finally told the boy but told him not to ever do it in the plant because the are still trying to figure out who set up the other one, months before. He swore he would never do a thing like that! So I told him. Like I said, he was goofy, not stupid. I thought no more about it...
Part Two Later
place to find out what had happened and who had done it.
I had been pretty careful and there were few that knew for sure so it blew over pretty quickly. I worried a bit because that
Idjit Robbie knew. I told the boy that I would set the next one off in his arse if he didn't keep his mouth shut and to my
surprise, he did.
If it was now days Homeland Security would shut the plant down and have the FBI in doing investigation but those days were
much different.
Robbie was a pretty good guy but different. He was a dummy but not ignert dummy. God did not make him that way but he was
just sorta self made like. He could read and write and do his cyphers but he just thought differently than a normal person.
Sorta like a man with PMS and just been hit with a stun gun at the same time.
I think now days you would call him a Nerd. This was before Computers were in vogue but he was the type that would just take
to them, natural like.
You talk to Robbie and you never know for sure if he is hearing you. You stand in front of him and he just would not look you
in the eye. If he didn't, you were never sure if it was getting through to him or not. I swear to god that there were times
that I just had to grab him by the ears and turn his head toward me, trying to make eye contact. I would say, "Robbie, Look
at me" he would look and hold his head still, I had him by the ears but his eyes would twitch from side to side like the just
could not lock on for some reason, I would get to laughing and then he would look at me and say, "Wuts rong?" Then I could
be sure he would listen for a bit. It was not that he was retarded or anything but he just had a tough time paying attention
some times.
Robbie liked to have heroes. I don't mean a hero that wore a cape and mask but just someone to look up to. Robbie was a great
guy and I don't want to give the impression that he was not intelligent but he was different for sure.
The bosses scared the crap out of him for some reason and I always stuck up for him. If I knew a boss or someone else was
screwing with Robbie I would get on their case and Robbie respected that. It did not stop me from teasing the boy but he
never seemed to resent it at all. I guess he thought of it as acceptance in some way.
My Superintendent came up to me one day and asked if I had any idea who set up that bomb. I lied like heck and told him now.
He didn't believe a word of it because I was smiling and he just knew I had something to do with it. I usually did back then.
He told me that he hoped not because it weren't funny. At least to him is wasn't. Everyone else thought it was it seems.
That goofy arsed Robbie was always after me as to how I made it. I just kept my mouth shut for months and the boy just nagged
me to death. Break times and in the locker room and even in the parking lot. I always told him that he was gonna get in
trouble if he did it again. He swore he would not but I was not sure if he would or not.
Months later we had a job in the old press room. It had a very high roof. It had to be 60 or 80 ft to the top, maybe more. It
was in an old part of the plant and had the big tilting glass windows that were opened remotely. Heck those things had not
been opened in many years. Some were broken and pigeons flew in and out at will. There was Pigeon crap all over the place
up there and it was filthy.
There were metal stairs to get up to the catwalks which ran all over the high bay for access to the windows and all the
electrical and plumbing that ran near the ceiling. The huge presses used to be in there too but they had been removed long
ago. Part of it was used for the Tool and Die department.
That Robbie was always trying to endear himself to me. He just liked me and would do the goofiest things to be one of the
boys. I would never ever take any crap from a forman or any supervision actually. I never went out of my way to cause trouble
but I just never figured their position made them any better than I was. they made more money but they were no better and I
didn't fear the in the least. Many did. I always just did my job but raised hell when I felt I was not being respected.
Now Robbie came up to me one day and was tickled as a person in his right mind. Hey Royal, know what I did? I said, No
Robbie, what did you do now. He would tell me of some stupid stunt he pulled on a forman and giggle like a fool. I would ask
him why he did it and he just would say, Because it was fun. I asked the boy if the forman had done anything to him first and
he said, "No"
That ticked me off. I told him he was an ignert sucker and what he done was wrong, I can not remember what the heck it was.
He looked at me and said, "You have dun far worse!" I told the idjit that I never screwed with a boss unless I was screwed
with first and walked off. It sorta ticked me off.
Robbie kept pestering me about how I set up the Acetylene thing. I finally told the boy but told him not to ever do it in the plant because the are still trying to figure out who set up the other one, months before. He swore he would never do a thing like that! So I told him. Like I said, he was goofy, not stupid. I thought no more about it...
Part Two Later
