Mad Jack

For Kevin’s No Theme Thursday 10.17.2024

Jack was mad!

He balled his fists in fury and marched away, practically bowling over a foreman twice his size.

“How dare they fire me! I’ve done everything they asked, and then some!” His head throbbed painfully the entire ride up the elevator. He felt like it would ignite before he reached the surface.

It wasn’t until the sunlight and fresh air hit him when he realized the gravity of the situation. His furious walking slowed.

“What happens now?”

At 12, he was the breadwinner of the family. Dad wasn’t around. Ma made a pittance doing odd sewing jobs. His four younger siblings were still too young. Matt would be eight in a few months and could technically get mine work, but he was always sickly. He wouldn’t last a day, Jack thought ruefully.

Then there was George, the oldest… Well, he drew a paycheck, but most of it came home in a bottle, or not at all. A chip off the old block.

He thought seriously about not going home. What was he going to tell Ma? He could only repeat to her what his former boss told him:

“You are too smart for the mines. I’m firing you. Go back to school.”

---

Carl watched, equal parts sad and amused, as Jack spun on his heels and bolted off. He liked the kid. That’s why he had to let him go. He was meant for bigger and better things.

During his first week, Jack fixed the relay switch on the control panel of the conveyor. They had just installed it in the mine and no one really knew how it worked. Jack was a natural at fixing things, and especially liked anything to do with electricity. Later, he wired up a few extra bulbs over the breaker boys’ area. The extra light helped them sort the shale from the coal quicker.

A shadow passed over Carl’s face, thinking about how much Jack reminded him of his own son. Both towheaded boys – tall for their age, smart, capable. Paul would be 16 now. He was Jack’s age when the cave-in…

Something caught in Carl’s throat, making him cough violently.

He looked up to see Jack’s shadow fading into the distance. He knew he had done the right thing.

---

When Jack got home, his mom was sitting at the kitchen table, a knowing, pensive look on her face.

“Mom…” Jack started, but a sob caught in his throat.

“It’s OK. I know all about it. I ran into Carl at the hardware store last week. We had a long talk.”

“You knew??“

“He said you are better than what the mines offer. He wants you to go back to school.” She paused.

“I couldn’t agree more.”

Jack protested, “What do we do for money?”

“Well…” she said. Her face relaxed into a slight smile, something Jack hadn’t seen in a very long time.

“When I was at the hardware store, Mr. Avery said that his boy had gone off to college and that he was in need of a helper. You can work at the store part-time and go back to school. You will need to work hard. However, you can enjoy playing around with all those wires, switches, and things you like so much.”

“I won’t be making nearly as much as at the mine.”

“You let me worry about that. Let’s get you ready to go back to school. The first order of business is…”

She leaned in and wrinkled her nose, “A bath!”

“Oh, Mom!!”

---

Note: The story is inspired by my maternal grandfather who passed before I was born. My mom liked to tell the story about her dad’s experience in the mines. She said he was fired when he was twelve. Yep! You guessed it. The boss said he was too smart. And yes, he was very mad when it happened!  It wouldn’t be until years later that he realized that the guy undoubtedly saved his life.

My grandfather finished high school and got a masters in teaching. He would eventually teach electrical engineering at Cass Tech High School in Detroit. He got married and raised two children who would also become teachers.

It’s funny. The ripple effects one action can make.