Wednesday, 24 April 2024

1039 - ROVER

BrothER Cedric is now a pious monk. He is a skilled creator of leaded glass decorations that the Abbey sells. Today he is hard at work getting a small piece of glass to just the right shape using a honer.

Before becoming a monk he had been made to work in a factory where his father had worked. Because he was a deep thinker with little interest in manufacturing, he had been assigned the role of a gofer. His favourite response when being given an errand to carry out was to respond "roger and out" before setting off on the errand, gaining him a nickname of Roger! Whilst awaiting his next errand he would often be quite still gazing in the distance somewhat as he pondered life. So, often the foreman would call out "Hey Roger. Stop being a dozer and...". At break time when the drinks trolley arrived the workers would all gather just outside the foreman's office and start talking loudly about the latest boxer, or the next football or rugby match, etc. None of this would interest Cedric who would be found in the corner trying to cover his ears so he could think more clearly.

After a few months, the workshop manager was attending a factory board meeting during which he proposed "I think we should make Roger - I mean Cedric - a redundancy offer (even though there's nothing wrong with his work and his job is still needed), as he's clearly not at home here. A generous redundancy package would soften the blow and help him in his next job". The meeting secretary noted that the manager was the mover of the proposal. The board voted in favour of the proposal. Cedric was very relieved at being made redundant and headed to the monastery. He hung around the abbot's office. Before long he was noticed by one of the monks, Brother Peter. "What makes you hover here?", Brother Peter asked. On learning of Cedric's longing to become a monk, Peter said "The abbot is out at the moment. Do you see that parking space marked Ab? Make yourself at home here and keep an eye on it. When you see a grey Rover pull up, that will be the abbot, so go out and meet him and explain what you want. I'll get you a cup of tea and some cake whilst you wait."

The board meeting deciding Cedric's future
The board meeting deciding Cedric's future

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