Somebody said something about a pecan pie over on facebook and I immediately remembered back to my days at the Red Carpet Restaurant and the boss's venture into the bakery on south main. The bakery was in trouble so Bob leased it at t very low price. Mother had a husband who had a grown son who needed a job (Dammit! I forgot his name, but maybe it will come to me. The son, not the husband. His name was George.) Seems like I had an in with Bob so George asked me if I could talk to Bob and get (I will just call him dipshot for short until I remember his name.) Dipshot hired . So I did. Course Bob let me know that I would be responsible if Dipshot screwed up.
I would close the resturant kitchen at 10 o'clock and head by the house to pick up Dipshot and take him with me and we would head to south main to bag the bread that had been baked earlier. First we had to slice it and then bag it and twist tie it shut. This usually only took a couple hours. Then Bob decided to add pies to the line. So cases of pies were delivered to the Restaurant. I baked these while I was working and returned them to the case which was then taken to south main and sent out to the stores.
Now Dipshot was not the brightest bulb in the box and honesty did not run deep through his soul! I was however, mildly surprised when I opened the refrigerator in my kitchen at home and found 6 freshly baked Pecan Pies. Upon closer investigation, I determined that they were from the stock in the walk-in at work. The fact that there was a piece gone out of one led me to believe that perhaps Dipshot had releived the boss of a case of pies. A conversation with him later in the day proved I was correct. I had a thief in my house! This did not set well with me.
He, of course, promised that this was a one time thing and he would never do that again. My mind, however, knew that "once a thief, always a thief". I explained to him that we were going to take the pies back and he could just explain to Bob what he had done. Of course, he swore he would never do something like this again if I just let this one slide. Confessing to the boss was not an option that interested him. However, being the purist I am, I could not let this go unpunished.
I loaded the pies in the car, retreived my house key from him and bade him a fond farewell. He had been a friend for a time, but honesty is paramount in my world. So I drove to the restaurant and explained to Bob what had transpired. I put the pies back in the walk in. My heart was heavy at the loss of what had happened, but Bob never brought it up again.
I do not know what ever became of Dipshot, but the last I knew he was living in Western Kansas with his sister. I lost my brother many years before and for a while I was happy that I had a replacement. But you know what? No one could ever replace Jake! Jake was one of a kind and all of us kids were raised to be honest and respectable people. And there was something else momma always said that rang true in this experience!
Don't let the fox guard the chicken house! That woman was always right on!
Peace.
