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LUCK OR FATE?

I finally made it home after a ferry ride that reminded me of a scene from the TV show  Victory at Sea about “Halsey's Typhoon” - the usually placid Delaware was churning along with  my stomach after my day of wrong turns and really stupid decisions.

Dinner was waiting for me; I had been gone half the day.   I couldn't eat much.  My spouse was a trained counselor and she started to work on me.  By the time I had dried and put away our dishes, I felt a lot better - matter of fact, I had made up my mind not to be defeated by this.  I was going to call Mr. Bob Maull and honestly plead my case for another appointment; one more chance.  I tossed and turned all night as the rain  beat on our windows.

The next day after pacing around for an hour I picked up the phone..."Hello, Mr. Maull, this is Calvin Iszard and..."  "I thought you would be calling," he interrupted.  "This better be good!"  I knew that Bob Maull, Executive Director of the Tri-State Instructional Television Council (it's official name) was a former high school teacher; he had heard every excuse in the book.  So I didn't embellish (which was my usual tactic when in a tight spot) and went straight to the point.  "I blew it, mister Maull, I got lost in the rain and that's it... Sorry!"  "Mister Iszard," he replied sternly,  "A major part of this job, if I were to even consider - you would be to drive - and find! - and support school districts that fund our councils educational television programming?  "No sir, I don't know a lot  about the job, but I would like to learn more...if you will still see me, at your convenience,  I will find you come rain or shine...yesterday was a nor'easter they say...(sweat was pouring down the small of my back).

I heard him sigh..."I know I may regret this.  Can you be here by 9:00 AM tomorrow?  That'll give you a whole day to find me!"  (I would later learn that Bob was not only,  a very funny man with a bone dry sense of humor, but also a very intelligent former Navy officer.)

"Yessir, yessir"  But he had already hung up.  The next day I was in the Tri-State parking lot at 7:00 AM - waiting for a 9 o'clock meeting.  And by noon that fateful day,  I was in the new Admin Assistant for Tri-State.  I was in the television business - albeit as close to the "biz" as I could get after my first interview for my first job after college.

TO BE CONTINUE


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