Henry crashed noisily through the door and into the office of Mr. John Bergstrum, his wife's supervisor. The seated man glanced up to see Henry standing in front of his desk with a gun in his shaking hands. It was obvious that the man was emotionally distraught.
The supervisor sat, trying to anticipate what the next action might be as Henry began his tirade.
"You have been harassing my wife!", Henry accused .
John Berstrum was not one to be easily intimidated. "And who is your wife, sir?" he asked calmly.
"You know who she is!" Henry fairly screamed. "She is in your secretarial pool.....her name is Laura Cummings!"
Berstrum drew a slow breath. "I'm sorry, sir, but I do not know the names of all the girls in my secretarial pool. I have spoken to some of them - but only in greeting."
"She said that you........!" the irate man began.
"May I stand?" Bergstrum interrupted.
Henry hesitated as he struggled to gather his thoughts. "Yeah....sure....he said, distracted. "But don't you try nothing!"
A slight smile traced the big man's lips as he rose to his feet. "Obviously," he began, "there has been some sort of misunderstanding. I assure you, sir, I do not know your wife.....and I have never even flirted with any of the girls in my office. I am a happily married man."
"But she said !" Henry blurted out.
"Just a misunderstanding, son," Bergstrum said with a Sympathetic tone in his voice. "To my knowledge, I have never spoken to your wife."
Henry could hardly control his emotions. "My wife said that you were coming on to her.... and you touched her several times!"
Bergstrum screwed up his face in a frown. ""It couldn't have been me, son. Now.....please give me the gun before you get into serious trouble."
Henry hesitated as the supervisor held out his hand.
"Please, just give me the gun and you can go on your way. I will say nothing about this. And I will find out who has been bothering your wife and I will fire them. You have my word."
Bergstrum waited calmly as Henry pondered his predicament. After the angry husband considered the request for a long moment, he reluctantly placed the weapon in the big man's hand. "What are you going to do?" he asked humbly, feeling a bit dizzy from the experience.
John Bergstrum laughed. "Well, you idiot, I am going to kill you, of course!"
"What.....?" Henry gasped.
The big man was near ecstatic at his prospects. "Yes, I harassed your poor wife.....mercilessly, just so you would be stupid enough to walk in here with a gun in your hand!"
"But....why?" Henry was confused.
"Because....idiot, a big promotion is coming up and I need to look good to the company. I can just see the headlines; 'HERO BOSS SHOOTS ATTACKER WITH HIS OWN GUN."
The supervisor sat, trying to anticipate what the next action might be as Henry began his tirade.
"You have been harassing my wife!", Henry accused .
John Berstrum was not one to be easily intimidated. "And who is your wife, sir?" he asked calmly.
"You know who she is!" Henry fairly screamed. "She is in your secretarial pool.....her name is Laura Cummings!"
Berstrum drew a slow breath. "I'm sorry, sir, but I do not know the names of all the girls in my secretarial pool. I have spoken to some of them - but only in greeting."
"She said that you........!" the irate man began.
"May I stand?" Bergstrum interrupted.
Henry hesitated as he struggled to gather his thoughts. "Yeah....sure....he said, distracted. "But don't you try nothing!"
A slight smile traced the big man's lips as he rose to his feet. "Obviously," he began, "there has been some sort of misunderstanding. I assure you, sir, I do not know your wife.....and I have never even flirted with any of the girls in my office. I am a happily married man."
"But she said !" Henry blurted out.
"Just a misunderstanding, son," Bergstrum said with a Sympathetic tone in his voice. "To my knowledge, I have never spoken to your wife."
Henry could hardly control his emotions. "My wife said that you were coming on to her.... and you touched her several times!"
Bergstrum screwed up his face in a frown. ""It couldn't have been me, son. Now.....please give me the gun before you get into serious trouble."
Henry hesitated as the supervisor held out his hand.
"Please, just give me the gun and you can go on your way. I will say nothing about this. And I will find out who has been bothering your wife and I will fire them. You have my word."
Bergstrum waited calmly as Henry pondered his predicament. After the angry husband considered the request for a long moment, he reluctantly placed the weapon in the big man's hand. "What are you going to do?" he asked humbly, feeling a bit dizzy from the experience.
John Bergstrum laughed. "Well, you idiot, I am going to kill you, of course!"
"What.....?" Henry gasped.
The big man was near ecstatic at his prospects. "Yes, I harassed your poor wife.....mercilessly, just so you would be stupid enough to walk in here with a gun in your hand!"
"But....why?" Henry was confused.
"Because....idiot, a big promotion is coming up and I need to look good to the company. I can just see the headlines; 'HERO BOSS SHOOTS ATTACKER WITH HIS OWN GUN."
