Here`s a true story that will gladden the heart of anyone who`s been cut dead because of the WTBTS unsriptural and barbaric shunning policy.
Some time ago I was contacted by my old friend Fred. He lives in Portsmouth, my old stomping ground and the scene of my DFing. (I was DFd for not accepting DFing.)
Fred wanted me to do some consultancy work connected to a kitchen re-modelling firm. Fred was a partner in the company.
We haggled a bit and eventually it was agreed that I would do 22 days work for a fee of £2000- that`s about $3100. Nice easy money too!
Come the Monday I set off on the 2 hour drive from Weston to Portsmouth. I met Fred outside the premises and went inside to meet the other directors.
After all the hand shakes I was taken to meet Albert,
the company accountant. Now this guy was something else!
Fred said: "Albert, I`d like you to meet Mike H, he`ll be working with us this month."
Now at this point the dialogue between myself and Albert descended into farce. I`m blessed with an excellent memory so I`m happy to relate the coversation between us pretty well vebatim. After Fred had introduced me this is what was said:
Albert: "Not the Mike H who used to be a Jehovahs witness and who was disfellowshipped from the Leigh Park congregation?"
Fred: "Dis- what?"
Me: "I decided that I didn`t want to be a JW. That was 20 years ago. Who are you and what has this got to do with you?"
Albert: "I`ll tell you who I am. I am a servant of the most high God Jehovah! I wont have anything to do with a disfellowshipped person!"
Me: "I`ve never met you before in my life. Nor have you even seen me before. You know nothing about me. I`ve not lived in Portsmouth for over 20 years. Why, I bet you dont even know why I was DFd!"
Albert: "The society know. Thats good enough for me."
Fred: "Hold on a bit Albert. You wont speak to Mike and you don`t know why you wont speak to him?"
Albert: "The reason was never announced, but brothers told me. There was a whole bunch of `em that was thrown out- Norman A., Michael P., Laurie S., Pamela P., Sandy H., Sally I., Gordon S.,- lots and lots of them! They were all at it! Like rabbits!"
Me: "At what?"
Albert "You were all wife swappers!"
Me: "Rubbish!"
Albert: "And you`ve been to prison!"
Me: "WHAT?"
Albert: "Yes! I know that you seduced under age girls. And you burgled houses. And you see fortune tellers!"
Me: "You lying little sod. I`m going to punch you on your bloody nose!"
Fred: "Stop stop stop!"
And so it went on. Albert was not to be mollified and I just wanted to wring his sanctimonious little neck.
Eventually it was decided that it was either me or Albert.
Oddly enough, Albert came up with a solution that suited everyone.
"Would I leave the company immediately if he (Albert)re- imbursed me personally the £2000 that I would have earned if I had completed my consultancy?"
As you may imagine I was holding myself back from performing somersaults! I managed to look suitably grave however and aquiesced.
The upshot of all this was that Albert did indeed pay me- 4 cheques for £500 pounds each,each cheque dated a week apart thank you very much.
I heard later that the company eventually went broke. However the only other people who left with their wages untouched were the part time JWs brought in later, and of course, Albert.
I love a win!
Englishman.
PS: I posted this on H20 last year. I thought that some of the new posters might enjoy this refined account.