Reliable Boy Wanted

This is another of my old stories, it comes from a country town many years ago (when I myself was just a boy), but it is just as relevant today.

Young George was excited, and he rushed to tell his Mother of the sign in the window of the local store that said, “Boy Wanted.” He told his mother he was going to apply! However, mother looked at George with a strange expression in her eye.  “Doesn’t the sign say Reliable Boy Wanted?

“Well I’m reliable enough aren’t I?” George reddened a little when he remembered the work around the house he was supposed to do and the garbage he had forgotten to put out, or the chooks he had failed to feed, or the wood that he hadn’t split yet.

“Well so long mum, I know I can be more reliable, anyway, when I’m on real job where there is lots of responsibility.” George clattered down the steps and raced towards Warton’s General Store.

By the time he arrived he was already planning what he would do with first pay-cheque. He wondered what Mr Warton would want him to do. He hoped it was a good responsible position because he could do with a large salary.

 “This way George,” Mr Warton beckoned. George followed him down a long narrow passage and into a small room at the back of the warehouse. In the small, cluttered room Mr Warton offered George a seat on a keg of nails.

“Wait here for me,” he said. “But you won’t touch anything will you? I’ll be back shortly.”

George sat and waited.  “It’s strange, why did he take me way back here for an interview, then just leave me here,” George mused as he looked around the room. The upside-down nail keg was not very comfortable. There were sacks of feed stacked high on one side. On the shelf were old meat cleavers, coffee grinders, cheese slicers, and many old things. Just in front of him was a crude desk overloaded with letter files on either side and a large, upturned porcelain bowl in the centre.

George wondered why the bowl was sitting there upside down. Perhaps Mt Warton had money under it. He felt like peeking. Certainly, George would not touch the money he expected to find under the bowl, but he surely would like to know if it really WAS money. Mr Warton seemed to be gone an awfully long time. The longer George looked, the more convinced he became that something valuable was under the bowl. Of course, he would not meddle, Mr Warton had told him to not touch things; but surely there was no harm in just taking a tiny peek.

George looked this way and that to make sure no one was watching, then he carefully began to lift one edge of the bowl. There was a sudden ZIP! The startled boy dropped the bowl because a little grey mouse had darted out from under the edge. In a flash it was on the floor, disappearing behind the nail kegs and the feed sacks. “Now you’ve done it!” George thought as he settled back down on the nail keg. His curiosity had been uncomfortably satisfied!

At long last Mr Warton returned he walked directly to the desk and lifted the bowl. Turning to George, “I’m sorry George” he spoke plainly, “but I can’t use you. A reliable boy can be trusted when asked not to touch anything. You may go now.”

A slightly wiser boy walked home with downcast eyes. Perhaps he had better see that the garbage was emptied. The chooks must be hungry by now, too. And he would split the wood he had been asked to do also. Before applying for another job George decided he would merit the meaning of the word reliable.

What about you? It is an old Story that is relevant to our current situation. Here’s how I applied it recently for my year 8 Core class. Are you reliable in your work can you be trusted to work alone, unsupervised? You might say this is just school, in the real world I will be different!

Consider any un-submitted work, or the quality of work submitted in time allowed. Do you ever Submit work with the minimum requirements done only? If so, you are setting lifetime patterns. Do you fail to meet deadlines, despite mountains of class time and long advance warning given for assessments?

Let me tell you employers don’t care about grades but comments by those who award them. You are setting patterns for your future now. Habits are things acquired when you are young. Learn the lesson of being reliable.