Wednesday, January 26, 2005

 

ARCHIE

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Archie was in his mid-eighties when I met him. He was a veteran of World War I, a Scot who'd marched to battle with kilt and dirk. He had been kept on at the bank, nearly two decades after traditional retirement age, because of his Scottish heritage and the Scottish culture that permeated the bank.

"The owner's a Stuart, after all," I once heard someone say.

Or maybe he said Stewart, I couldn't know. What's more, I didn't know if Stuart/Stewart was a name, a clan, or something else entirely. I didn't even know that people could own banks; I thought it was just faceless corporations.

Archie was almost decrepit, but not entirely. He had the energy to cadge enough help from the mailroomers and messengers to get by. A lot of people helped him out and covered for him. He was still employed there when I departed some years later.

cameo appearance






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