Democratics

I found myself asleep one day

Because I felt a pain

Maybe I just dreamed it all

And I’m the one to blame

I could not rest or let it be

Perhaps it really was all me

If it’s true, I feel so small

Will I rise above it all

~ Gemini Joe ~

e had a good run with the Republican Club, but everything started to change when Jimmy Carter was elected President. The Democrats were now on top and our people had a lot of pressure. They had to worry about losing their jobs and didn’t have the power to control things. Those who had profited from the conservative revolution were now running against liberalism. The GOP went on a cleansing mission, eliminating the obvious abuses and wasteful spending in the county. Even the chairmen of the party faced removal and if he went down, like dominoes, everyone would go down with him. Republicans claimed the Democrats’ efforts were nothing but a witch-hunt. It got very bad for me, and I guess I turned to drinking more. I still had my county truck, but I had to be careful where I went. I stopped going to the Republican Party meetings and avoided my old friends. Instead, I spent more time at the Village Pub. The bartender was very nice and listened to me complain about my life, but I guess that’s what bartenders do.

One day, I went home for lunch and had a drink, because it helped me to deal with everything. There was a knock on the door and I went to answer it.

“Vito! Bobby! What are you guys doing here?”

“Joe, I’m sorry. We have to take the truck,” Vito said.

“Does Angelo know about this?”

“Yes. He wants to see you in his office.”

“Hold on,” I said, and went to get the keys. “There must be a mistake. I’ll talk to Angelo.”

“I’m sure you’ll get it all squared away,” Bobby said.

When they left, I took one more drink then drove to the office. Angelo was sitting behind his desk puffing on a cigar. He looked very stressed out.

“Joe, I have a problem,” he said, stubbing the stogie into an ashtray, but it continued to smoke. “I heard you’ve been drinking on the job. I also hear you’ve been driving the county truck for personal use.”

“Sometimes I go home for lunch.”

“You’ve been spotted at the bar.”

“You’re not going to fire me, are you?” The smoke from his cigar was getting in my eyes and I began to tear up. “I have four kids at home.”

“Joe, you’re my friend. I don’t want to fire you, but I have kids, too. Things are changing. We’re all in danger of losing our jobs.”

“They would never fire you, Angelo. You’re the best thing that has ever happened to this county.”

“You put me in a delicate position,” he said. “Maybe I can reassign you to another department. There’s a position at the County Municipal Building in Mineola as a maintenance manager. You won’t have a vehicle, but you’ll keep your County job. Report to the building supervisor tomorrow. His name is Mr. Santoriello. I’ll tell him you’re coming.”

“Thank you, Angelo. You’re a good friend.”

“Don’t let me down.”

That was that. I no longer worked for the Parks Department. I went to the Municipal building to see my new boss. From the minute I got there, I knew I was in trouble. The receptionist just handed me a clipboard and said, “Take a seat over there and fill this out.”

Boy, this is new, I thought. I had never been required to go through the formalities of an application. A handshake had always been enough. But I filled out the form and returned it to the girl at the front desk.

After forty-five minutes, Mr. Santoriello came out. He had an expensive suit and looked very formal.

“I’m John Santoriello,” he said and shook my hand.

“Angelo from Oyster Bay sent me,” I said.

“Come into my office so we can talk.”

I told him that I was very involved in the Republican Club, but he wasn’t listening or didn’t seem impressed.

He looked over my application. “It seems you’re well qualified, Joe. You would be in charge of maintenance in the boiler room. Can you start Monday?”

“Sure, I’ll be here first thing.”

Mr. Santoriello got up and shook my hand again.

“Welcome aboard,” he said. “If you have any problems, come and see me.”

Things sure have changed, I thought. I reported for my first day at work in the boiler room. It was hot down there and there was no air. I couldn’t breathe. The only light was from the fluorescent bulbs, no windows. The supervisor explained everything I had to do three times.

“Make sure the boiler pressure does not rise above the optimal level,” he said.

When he left, I felt so down. I was truly in hell and thought it was my punishment for drinking, but I couldn’t stop. How did I come to this? I took a few swigs from my silver flask. I couldn’t stop thinking about my problems and didn’t pay attention to the boiler. The pressure was rising. I didn’t even notice the temperature until beads of sweat poured down my face. Then, I heard a loud explosion. It propelled me out of my chair and hurled me backward onto the floor. I must have lost consciousness because when I opened my eyes, crowds of people were all around me.

“Hold on,” someone said. “An ambulance is on the way.” They took me to the hospital.

My ears were ringing, but I escaped with a few bruises and a mild concussion. They did an investigation and found a faulty switch in the boiler had caused the explosion. I got lucky because they didn’t blame me, but Angelo said I was a liability and offered me early retirement. I was tired of all the politics, so I took it.