While Mitch was occasionally a pimple on the butt of humanity, he was occasionally sweet, too. He bought everyone doughnuts on pay day. He brought biscuits once a week for everyone below management level. He gave up his chair for ladies in the break room. He always offered to buy my drink during morning break.

Mitch also had a knack of saying things to you that would jolt you out of any funk that you might be in. When my husband and I were having problems, I went to Mitch to talk. He listened so intently, his eyebrows scrunched up in concern, his face stern and contemplative. At one point in the conversation I started crying and had to stop talking. Mitch reached over, took my hands in his and said ever so quietly, “You’ve got a purty mouth.” Squeals of laughter escaped me. I was not expecting that at all.

Mitch’s first wife, Donna, was an elementary school teacher. They were married for fifteen years and had a son and daughter, three years and one year older than I was at the point that I met him. They talked occasionally and civilly. He had always taken pumpkins to her class on Halloween, their anniversary, for the kids to make jack-o-lanterns. He did this every year of their marriage. He did this every year after their marriage, too. He was still very much in love with Donna, though things didn’t work out for reasons he wouldn’t tell me until much later.

Mitch took up a collection for me from all of the guys at work when I got married and sent me off on my honeymoon with over $200. I secretly knew they were doing this and that over fifty of it was his own money. This was an especially sweet gesture since he had met my future husband and believed him to be the scum of the Earth that he would morph into later.

On Saturday mornings when the two of us had nothing to work on but were still required to stay our full 12 hour shift, we would go into the office area and play hide and go seek, or Marco Polo. We found a computer with an internet connection and I taught him how to surf online. We cruised South Park sites and took turns being on the outlook for the supervisor.

to be continued …

See the whole story so far here.