My Mistake

Jack died a few years ago. Maybe it was quite a few years ago. I can't remember exactly because when he died we both worked for different companies. I only found out about his death through a mutual friend. "Oh by the way did you know that Jack died last year?" No, no I didn't . I would have liked to of known. I would have liked to have paid my last respect. Sometimes when you journey forward you lose touch with minor members of your past. To bad because I liked Jack. Jack always got up every morning and tried his best. Unfortunately for Jack his best was never good enough. Unfortunately for Jack most of what he did was very forgettable. I only remembered him recently because he suddenly popped into a dream I was having. In the dream he was having a heart attack and died. I looked at him saw that he was dead and decided that it wasn't worth the time to call 911. Sad as that sounds that pretty much sums up Jacks life. He lived with the saying: If it wasn't for bad luck I wouldn't have any luck at all. Too bad. He really was a very nice man. He just had that big red target on his back. Being a salesman at the same company I worked at I got to see much of this first hand. While most of our salesman would sleep in late or go on extended vacations, Jack would hit the streets early every day. Every single day. Most of the time the customers told him they didn't have time for him. He would smile say he would come back another day then log it all down in his little computer. He would never miss a return trip. If the same thing happened again he would smile and say he would come back again. And he always did. His persistence paid off once with a large distribution company. They asked him what he sold and he showed him his line of samples. The man said You know what we could use those. And promptly bought two truckloads worth. Next month they did the same thing. They soon became one of our biggest customers. So big in fact that the company said it was too big an account for one salesman and took it away from Jack making it what they call a company account. What that meant for Jack was no more commissions on their sales and a quick demand that he get out there and find new bussiness for the drop in his numbers. This finally led to his dismissal for poor performance. Jack didn't let that get to him and called a friend of a friend who sold boats out by the seashore. Got the job by telling the manager of sales that he had a lot of good leads. Now I'm not talking about little fishing boats or jet skis, I'm talking about 20' long motor cruisers. Perfect for that trip to the club on Catalina Island. Or a fancy cocktail party at the marina with all your Harvard buddy's. Who were his good leads? All his former co-workers. His Chevy driving , tract home mortgage paying co-workers. Tell you what Jack as soon as I pay off my kids braces I'll look into buying a boat that's worth more than my house. This job did not last. Nor did my contact with Jack. Oh he called once in awhile to give us updates. "No, no job yet but I've got a good feeling about my last interview. I think I really impressed them." "Well yes my wife left me but I really think we can work it out. I don't think her moving back east is gonna stop us from getting back together." Last I heard about Jack was just after the Northridge earthquake. His house had received the most damage on his street. His insurance didn't cover all the damages and I don't think he was ever able to replace the chimney or fireplace. I'm sorry Jack. Sorry that I never made the effort to stay in contact with you. Sorry that I never called and said hey let's go get a beer and play some darts. Or let's meet for lunch. Sorry that I acted like bad luck was contagious. Sorry that I didn't see you for you. A good man that always had a smile on his face and always felt with a little work, tomorrow will always be a little better. I truly do hope that you are in heaven and that God likes his new cabin cruiser.