So awhile back, during our last Circuit Overseer visit, Vic and I decided to bite the bullet.... there seemed to be very little support for the mid-week lunch plans for the CO and his wife, so we signed up to host. We definitely didnt want it to be awkward, so we invited a few others along, as a nice little group affair. They were excited, and offered to do the cooking, so I said I would play along.
Just some background.... this particular CO is kind of a tool (big surprise right?), and hasnt even given me the time of day in his last 3 visits. I don't even know if he knows my name. And all along, at every visit, during the first meeting, he has made it abundantly clear that him and his wife are gluten free, so DONT EVEN think about putting anything in front of us that doesnt meet OUR STANDARDS. Anyways, I digress...back to our program...
Friends arrive early, bring food, we get it all set up, nice little array of soups, breads, salads, drinks, the works. Some gluten free, some not (not everyone is anti-gluten). CO arrives with another brother from the group, wife is sickly, and so wont be joining us. They saunter in... I come from the kitchen with Vic, he greets her (she was out midweek, I was not as I actually have a company to run and all)... and I dont even get so much as a hello. Whatever, no worries. He wanders to the buffet of food at the table..... and literally GASPS !! "You know I cant have breads and such, right!?"
(facepalm).... "Yes brother, I know... which is why we all have taken the opportunity to provide several choices, both gluten free and "regular" food." "Oh, I see, well, that's good then." (at this point, my temperature is rising, but not enough to be noticed, except by Vic)
So we all sit down and go through the motions of lunch, and I have to say that this is the most BORING lunchtime affair I have had in a long while. Mr. SuperDuper CO doesnt give a rats ass about anyone else at the table... he spends the ENTIRE time talking about himself.
This goes on for about 20 minutes.
Turns out he is a lifer, born in, raised in, straight to Bethel, met his wife (same story), eventually straight into Circuit Work. No extracurricular job, No kids, no other life at all. Late-50's.
So at this point, I am bored to death, as any conversation other than about himself, is when either Vic or I or someone else at the table ask him a direct question. So I ask him, directly..."Brother C.O., since you and the Ms. have no kids, what kind of jobs have you held in the last 30 years that will be of use to you when you eventually have to "retire" from Circuit Work?"
He gives us all this blank stare, and then jumps right into the usual tyrade of "Jehovah provides for us".... he NEVER has held a job outside of "pioneering". Oh, the "odd" job, washing windows, digging ditches, packing lumber for any brother who needs a little extra help. "I'm a REAL hard worker, ya know!!" But REAL WORLD experience? None, Nada, Zippo. No skills, no education, nothing.
I say "so how are you going to provide for yourselves when you can no longer travel as C.O.'s ?"
Again... blank stare, kind of incredulously, as if I should even dare ask such a foolish question... "Well, I am sure that Jehovah will provide for us, and it wont be too long until we can collect SSI, and the brothers in the congregations are always giving us money and stuff too... its such a Blessing!"
oh brother.....
The friends at the table all kind of looked at each other with disgust. All of them are hardworking families, just barely getting by, and struggle even to keep food on the table, literally, sometimes.
As he pushed his chair back, belly full of someone elses Gluten Free food, wiping the dribbles from his fatty chin..he looked around at our home, our teen-age kids (whom he never once even acknowledged or noticed they were there), our property, our vehicles in the driveway, shop in the background, cattle grazing in the front pasture..... and said this:
"Wow, you guys sure have alot to distract you. Ya'know, that's exactly why the Ms and I do what we do. So we can serve Jehovah with FULL hearts, and not be divided in our attentions. You all need to be careful not to get so distracted by the world, there is nothing here for you, its all unimportant and will be gone soon."
OK, lunch over.
We took note of the time, assured him that he need to "hurry along now" so that he could make the afternoon FS meeting, and promptly swept him out the door.
Besides, if he stayed any longer, he may very well get backed into a corner and receive a sound beating from Vic....As he was exiting, he never thanked us, never even shook my hand.
I took some dishes to the kitchen, turned around, and he was pulling out of the driveway, in his leather-bound Buick. What a tool.
The remainder of his visit was just as fun... never said another word to us.
And the lady of the house was PISSED !!! Vic was boiling mad, how dare a man that is supposed to be a "shepherd" of the flock come to her home and disrespect her, her husband, her house, her hospitality, and then have the odacity to call our lives a "distraction"!!!?
It took her a few days to calm down, I just giggled and went about my merry way.... after all, I had to make sure I was keeping our company's payroll up.... as soon there will be another MOOCHER on SSI for us all to carry.
...OUTLAW
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