7 / 88
Holiday 2017
7
boatingonthehudson.com
barrel could be seen strapped to the trunk between
jobs. The car didn’t run very well, and was always
getting flat tires. Neither the radio, or the heater
worked. I have no idea where he actually lived and
suppose he obtained lodging by way of the “Barter
System” The man was in his seventies, had no family
and no property he could call his own. I don’t know if
there was ever a Mrs. Graffner. If there was, he never
spoke of her. I probably should have asked.
I worked for Eddie as a laborer during the summer
months in high school. Looking back I really think he
wanted company more than production. He always
got both. There were times he would pick me up on a
Friday and travel to long Island for a project, returning
on Sunday night. For me, these trips were more play
than work, and I was being paid well. I’ll never forget
our trip to Coney Island Park. I rode the Steeple Chase
and the Parachute Jump; both of which are gone and
now part of history. He specifically wanted me to
see The original “NATHANS” He said, ”Watch the guy
on the grill making the hot dogs. See how organized
he is and how well he handles the one and only tool
to gather, grill, and serve the dogs”. This was Mr.
Nathan himself. There were many
people being serving so quickly, but
there were no lines. Eddie explained,
“It’s all in how you organize your work
that determines how much work gets
done” One day I had ten windows to
paint. Eddie had a wind up alarm
clock and put it on the floor next to me. He said,
”You should want to be good at whatever you do.
See how long the first window takes, and then beat
that time on the second and third. But don’t sacrifice
your quality of work.” Later in life I heard the phrase
somewhere, “Work smarter, not harder” I realized I
had already learned this lesson, from Eddie. Some
times when he had to leave a job he would say,
“ Dennis, you’re in charge.” I knew I really wasn’t,
but it made me feel good, and I just wanted to make
sure he found I had done a good job in his absence.
He always complimented me. Another lesson was
learned.
After I earned my driver license, Eddie would send
me for coffee at break time. He always allowed me
to buy jelly donuts… my favorite. He told me to
get whatever I needed in cash out of the glove
compartment. This wasn’t just loose change! I think
it was all the money he had. One day I asked him why
he was so trusting to leave all that money in easy
reach. He said, Dennis, a man that will steal a dime
will steal a dollar. And I know you would never steal
a dime”
One day he asked me to go to the car and bring back
his Yankee screwdriver. This was an expensive tool
that you don’t see around today. It was probably
replaced by today’s cordless screwdrivers. While
looking for it, I found a suitcase, buried and
covered with masonry tools, cement mix and sand
in the back of the car. It had two keyed locks on
it with a large black strap around the whole case.
I could tell it hadn’t been opened in quite some
time. I also found his tool and brought it to him
and of course, I asked about the suit case. “Some
day, when I think the time is right, we’ll sit down
and talk about my suit case,” he said In a stern
voice that I had never heard before.
Time passed, and now I was in the summer
months following High School Graduation. I was
still working for Eddie, mostly because I enjoyed
it, but I knew our time was drawing to a close.
One day, without being asked, Eddie said that it
was time for us to finally sit down and open his
suit case. He found a nice place by a lake and a
picnic table. To my surprise he took a couple beers
out of a brown bag as we sat by the water’s edge
with his treasure. All along, I thought it would
be filled with dirty laundry, and that would be
his final lesson. He reached into his
back pocket and pulled out a ring of
keys. Because there were so many
he fumbled for a long time. As I
sat there I wondered how this man
could have so many keys when he
really didn’t own anything, let alone
lock it up! He found this one very small key that fit
both locks. He removed the belt and twisted the
still closed case to face me. Well the anticipation
was just killing me. I was almost afraid to open
it. Would I find something valuable, or terrible?
One thing was for sure, It would be his final lesson.
Maybe this was his best lesson of all. Slowly I
opened the case. Now I don’t know if you’ve ever
been to a race track, but if you have, you’ll know
that when you place a bet on a horse and you lose,
the ticket stub is usually thrown on the ground.
Apparently Eddie had been to the track many
times before I ever met him. Neatly placed in the
case were bundles of ticket stubs held together
with heavy rubber bands. These were not two
dollar bets; they were mostly fifties and hundreds.
This was shocking to see, but it also answered a lot
of My unasked questions. All he said, with a tear
in his eye was” Dennis, let this be a lesson to you.
Make something out of your life, and don’t make
these mistakes like I did”.
I never saw my friend again, but I have always
wondered what happened to him. We all have a
little angel that sits on our shoulders telling us
what to do, or not to do…. Mine is named Eddie