It's Just a Screw

Jim had worked on the job for over five years. It was not a hard job, nor was it an exciting job. He stayed at the job & came to work every day for the same reasons most people who have been there do. It paid enough for Jim to do the things he wanted to after work & he could do the job almost without a thought. After all, his job was to make sure the screws for the visor on the driver's side in the cars & trucks were tight. It was three screws & he was supposed to follow the same pattern day after day. Check the torque on the front screw first & the others clockwise in the same triangle pattern before moving on to the next vehicle.

As with most people who have done any job that requires little thought, Jim typically daydreamed while doing his job. On most days he followed his standard work procedures. Check screw one, then two, then three - over & over, all day long, one, two, three, one, two, three. Today was no exception, daydream work wasn't so bad. One, two, three, one & then out of the corner of his eye he saw movement. Startled out of his reverie, he turned & saw a gigantic spider. Alright, maybe it was a little thing, no bigger than his pinky nail if you included the legs. Still it could be dangerous though Jim was not an arachnid expert. "Can't bite me through my steel-toes" Jim mumbled. A few gentle nudges with the boot & out the door it goes. Turning back to his work & realizing that he has to now make up time to keep the line moving he shaves some time by changing his pattern. One, three, three, two, two one. After a few minutes he resumes his normal work. Feeling a little guilty Jim thinks about it & rationalizes. What's the worst that can happen? The visor will not fall down the other two screws will hold it in, even if the screw comes out. Nothing to worry about, it's just a screw.

Tom was in a hurry. He was not an angry man by nature but he was an aggressive driver. After all, can't be late for the job he hated. His car was a few months old & handled his weaving in and out of traffic on a daily basis pretty well. The frustration of going to work & running late was coupled with the fact that the detours he had to take because of construction forced Tom to keep adjusting his visor. Up down, left right, the frustration was building to an all-consuming rage. Today we would have called it road rage. Almost to the light, going faster than he should, Tom adjusts the visor one more time. Something bounces off the dashboard & catches his eye. Quickly turning his head to see what it is, Tom spots it on the passenger side floor board. Tom chuckles, his frustration bleeding out of him and says "oh it's just a screw". And the light turns red.

Henry was an average looking guy. He blended in with the crowd even in school when everyone was trying to stand out. For most people this was enough to dash any of the teenage dreams of being someone special, forced to be mundane instead of a rock or a movie star. Not so with Henry, his average look was what made him special. After all he was supposed to notice other people, not be noticed himself. Henry was the young man who stood by the president's side, watching the crowd. Henry was willing to die to protect his president. This president was an even greater honor to serve; he was by far one of the most favored by the people in history. One of the few people that loved his job, Henry was on his way to work. He was not late nor was he in a hurry. Henry was always early for his job. A life could depend on him being on time. Driving in, Henry happened to be at the head of the pack at the next stoplight. The light turned green early enough for him not to have to slow down. So Henry proceeded into the intersection. Driving as we all do, thinking that a simple automated system of lights will keep us safe, Henry cruised into the intersection. As he crossed into the first lane, something catches his eye. Looking quickly to his left, Henry exclaims "Oh God! He's not stopping!"

The president was to ride in his motorcade with secret service men all around him forming a net of men willing to kill or be killed to keep him safe. The route today was challenging enough with the president exposed in a convertible & waving to adoring fans. As they prepared for the beginning of the journey, one man was missing, late. He was never late. Jones feared the worst but that was his job, to fear the worst & prepare for it. He called his men together. "We can't wait any longer, the president has to leave," Jones said. "Not sure where Henry is but we will have to proceed without him. Henry's position behind the president on the back of the car will now be vacant. You all know your positions & without Henry we will have to tighten up the mechanism. I need you all to be closer to cover that position as well. Let's get to work boys, we are missing a screw in the mechanism, but it's just a screw."

Years later, people would still debate the lone shooter that killed the president. Some theorized that he was shot by someone other than the lone shooter. What they didn't know was the angle that he was hit at was the exact spot where Henry should have been. Henry was never mentioned in the official reports. Tom was not connected to any fiendish plot to help kill the president. Jim recently retired from his job. Jim was home with his wife who now had many honey-do's on the list for him. The first on the list was the visor on his wife's car. It had a loose screw, Jim grumbled under his breath about the job he thought he would not have to ever do again & said, "I don't know why she's on me about this, it's just a screw."