Things sure looked promising as I loaded up and left Naillon Logging in Winlock on Friday morning armed with a full thermos of coffee at my side and a couple of ham sandwiches Lorraine had made me the night before. I only had a quick stopover in Longview before droppin' in for another visit to my favorite town this side of the Columbia River. I'd been talkin' a few days back with some of the head-office boys at my company about upgradin' from my current truck to a real nice Pacific P16. No sooner than the boys heard that, they told me that they'd kick in a tidy $5000 to help-out with payin' for such a high-grade haulin' machine -- what with the extra work and money it would mean for them -- just so long as I had the startup costs and the rest of the balance covered myself, and that I would put it to work for them pronto. Well, they didn't have to twist my arm and as soon as I heard 'em say that, Lorraine & I made it our mission to get all of the money-gatherin' done. We got quite a few outside loans & contributions from our friends & families who sure didn't have to be told twice that a new P16 would make a helluva difference in all of the heavy-haulin' prospects I'd be able to take-on. So on Wednesday, with all of the money raised, I figured I'd be pickin' up my new P16 sometime next week, just as excited as a kid on Christmas mornin'. In Longview, the loadin' foreman was his usual crappy-self sayin' somethin' about how I "would never get a P16 and no company in it's right mind would help me get one neither." Boy, I hate that guy. As usual, he got me hoppin' mad and this time he got me to start doubtin' the head-office boys' promise and after crossin' the river at Rainier, I called the head-office to check in with 'em to see about the status of their $5000 toward my new P16. I should have known it: all's they had was a bunch of excuses for why they couldn't do it right-off: money this and thats and that I must have "misunderstood them" and whatnot. And then they had the nerve to tell me to try and raise the $5000 that I was short myself. Mind you, they still wanted me to put it to work for them just as soon as I got it. I really couldn't believe what I was hearin', so I just hung up on 'em. I rolled into town toward Boise and before unloadin', I stopped for minute to blow-off some steam down by the river at the new amphitheater. I noticed that it still looks as unfinished as it did last week. Somebody passin' by told me that, "it might not get finished at all, what with the city backin' out on it's pledge to help out with their end of the money." What's happening with people keeping their word these days? Do we actually have to remind people what they had promised in the first place? I ain't too good about keepin' my cool when this kinda stuff happens, that's for sure. Well, I'll be keepin my eye on things in my own yard, be sure an keep an eye on things here in this nice little town y'all got, ya hear?
-Tom
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