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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