Freddie
Cox: I thank God for
Fred Cox. Every group needs a leader and Fred is ours. When I was running
around in high school, I was part of a foursome. We went everywhere together.
It was me, Ernie, Justin and James. Well, Fred is Ernie’s dad. While in
college, I roomed with Ernie for a while. Fred and his wife were nice enough to
take me in when I needed a place to stay. So when I came back to Reason’s seven
years ago, I was so happy to learn that Fred was working as the Assistant
Manager (or Second Man) in the Meat Department.
It was always a real bright spot in my
day when Fred would come down to the Produce Department to shoot the shit with
me. There was no doubt that Fred could have his own market if he wanted one
but, while they would never admit it, the company would never give Fred his own
store and reason because of his limited availability.
There have been times over these last
seven years where I would not see him for long stretches… Why you ask? Because
Fred had been deployed to Afghanistan three times. Fred was a member of the
National Guard until his age more or less forced him into retirement just this
last year.
At sixty years old, he is the oldest
member of our group. I thank God he was working during Zero Hour because there
is no doubt in my mind that he kept us all safe…
Given his military history and a
mentor for young men and women, I think you can begin to see why Fred naturally
gravitated to the role of leader for all of us. And this is the funniest thing.
To hear me talk about him, you might think Fred is seven feet tall. Truth be
told, he is a short guy, maybe 5’5”, but he does not suffer from “short man
syndrome.” A proudly self-proclaimed recovering alcoholic, Fred is a source of
endless wisdom for me. Before all of this went down, Fred and I shared a lot of
conversations and our time spent together now have increased tenfold. I cannot
be happier that he is with us.
If there was a person from film and
fantasy that I would model myself after if given the opportunity, it would be
Obi-Wan Kenobi. Well for all the geeks that are deciphering this blog fifty
years from now, cursing about the archaic nature of these archives, enjoy
researching this little nugget. If I am Obi-Wan Kenobi, Fred is my Mace Windu.
He is a warrior-poet that would give you the shirt off his back if you need it.
I don’t know where we would be without
him…
Sharon
Massey: If Fred is
the father figure for our motley crew, then Sharon is certainly the mother of
the group. Sharon has been the manager of the Bakery/Deli in Langley for a long
time. Their isolated covey in the store offers no windows and no outside views.
So Sharon had no clue what was going on when Zero Hour erupted. Her baker (the
lady that comes in at 5:00 a.m. to make the donuts) had just left for her lunch
break. She either has the best timing in the world or the worst.
Already in her time here, Sharon has
rather unassumingly taken on the role of house mom. I always said I was glad
that Sharon worked on the other side of the store. We have had more great
conversations than I can count but I always knew I didn’t want to work for her.
She is very nice but I kind of get the impression that when the whip needs to
be cracked, she does not spare the lash.
Still, when Zero Hour hit and it was
time to safeguard the store, that clear, concise voice of command was needed.
Necessary. And it seemed like everyone responded.
Sharon took control early and started
spearheading our food situation. She looted 5A of every canning supply on the
shelves and started canning everything she could out of the Produce Department.
As the manager of the Bakery, she knows how to cook. And she has been taking
care of all of us.
But here is the thing. Normally, if
you know how to do something that no one else can do, you keep that information
close to your chest. It guarantees you can never be fired. She has flung the
doors to the kitchen wide open and invited everyone in to learn how to do what
she does.
Using her experiences on her farm with
her husband Doug, Sharon is a real valuable member of the team. When it comes
to food preparation, I rank her even higher than Fred. Because when it comes to
boosting morale, nothing is better than a good meal. Sharon established her
presence clearly in the first week and has not looked back yet…
