The Lessons Life Teaches, A Collection of Short Stories.

An Inauspicious Beginning

In 1977, I had graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Science in Geology and had a year of post graduate studies. That summer I obtained my first full time geology job. It was a humble position in the remote part of northeastern Nevada. A far cry from the lights of the big city of Phoenix. I worked at a mine about 50 miles from the nearest town of Battle Mountain, Nevada. My office was in a World War II era Spartan Mansion trailer that had been gutted out. The interior replaced with a homemade plywood drafting table and some folding chairs. But it was my first step on the career ladder for which I was and am still grateful.

The geologist before me had been let go because he refused to work overseas in an area occupied by terrorists. I find no fault in him for doing that. It is just how it was. When I arrived at the job site there were two student part-time summer geologists working on exploration in the mine area. They lived in a small trailer at the mill site that was also humble. But they were great fun and company. I remain friends with them both even though I have not spoken to them in years.

As is probably the case with many young men the subject of young women came up. The youngest of the three of us made the critical faux pas of telling us that he had not been on a date with a girl and was uncomfortable asking a girl out on a date. Well, open the door and let the devil in. Behind his back we discussed how to remedy this situation. The problem was we were all new to the area and had no idea how to find dates ourselves. The one older summer geologist suggested that we get him a subscription to Playboy or Hustler. Recall there was no internet in the seventies. Being rather financially challenged, I said that I would not be able to do that. However, back then there were newspaper boxes in towns with advertisements for romance, Asian women looking to marry American men and the like. We thought that was the best way to go. Cheap and effective. Little did we realize that a geology degree from a university did not make us smart in the ways of the world.

We followed through with the plan and in a day or two we selected to respond to an add seeking romance and the Asian wife add. Of course, we did it in the name of the unsuspecting geologist. Not having a home address, we used the work address. Sure, enough in a week or so the younger geologist received mail from these inquiries. What we did not realize was the plan soon backfired on us. The Asian wife site must have sold his name to many, many other sites and the off-colored, even raunchy, mail soon began pouring into the company office manager's desk. The poor unsuspecting geologist was called into the office and told to cease and desist receiving this unsavory mail at work. He said, he did not do that, and suspicions loomed as to who the real culprits were. After the two summer geologists returned to their comfy lifestyle at the university, I still had to listen to the office manager complain about receiving inappropriate mail. From memory, even years later, every now and again, some adult mail would show up addressed to the summer geologist. It was a fun time that summer, one with many memories. But this one still causes me to sit back in my chair tonight and smirk. I suppose in these politically correct times the ax would have fallen on us. But back then life was more of a live and let live. I am grateful for that as my geology career would have been extremely shortened in time.