Work Place Rivalries

I was talking with Kelsey on the phone and she was telling me about Mr. Daisy Dukes not allowing the weather to spoil his fashion sense, and how he still paraded around in his infamous shorts. This got me to missing the work place. Every job, no matter how petty, comes with its own mini-dramas, power struggles, rivalries, and plenty of funny/interesting stories to talk to your spouse about. I started to reminisce about how much I liked to work at the Harbor Bridge. I was remembering one of my own petty rivalries. It all started pretty innocently. During an inspection the blasters and vacuumers would take a little lunch break. I pulled out turkey sandwich; it was decked out with avocados, onions, lettuce, and such. I offered a one to Martinez, which is not his real name. We just call him that on account of his first name being Martin. Anyways he complimented my sandwich but with a look that I took for envy. Maybe its just me. The next day he brings his own version of a sandwich. He brings it in fresh deli bread with all the fixings. It wasn't just the sandwich though. It was in the way he casually pulled the foot long sandwich out of his lunch box. As is it was custom to bring in extravagant food to our work place. He had even pre- cut the damn thing! He offered two other people besides myself a piece. It was a damn good sandwich, but even as I swallowed I knew this was a silent war between me and Martinez. Everyone else munched on their sandwich oblivious to the challenge Martinez had just slapped me with. Damn that Martinez. Similar incidents occurred with other things such as knives, gloves, and other work related items. Each and every time Martinez would come back with something fancier, shinier, more expensive. I sadly came to the conclusion that I could not outspend Martinez, but must beat him by other means. One night in the bedroom, Kelsey and I were talking, when it hit me like a lightning bolt. A cantaloupe! That would trump him. Not only would I defeat him by bringing a cantaloupe to work, but cantaloupes taste well. Well Kelsey already knew about my rivalry with Martinez, but I think she pretty much thought it was silly. Anyways I ramble on. I told Kelsey of my flash of inspiration. She thought that was silly as well. She did not fully understand the nuances and subtleties of the warfare we engaged in. I was going to go to the store specifically for that cantaloupe to finally end this war. Call it bringing in the nukes. It was about time seeing as how Martinez had been on the war path for the two past weeks with things such as $40 gloves and fancy scrapers, not to mention breakfast tacos and coffee (that was just to rub it in). I did not go make the trip because I was exhausted from work, and though I knew Kelsey would make the trip for me if I pressed enough, I chose not to as I knew her sentiments on the whole thing. I went to work the next day waiting for Saturday to come. On Friday Kelsey was going to go shopping and I had put the special item on the list. Come break time, I wondered what Martinez would bring in this time. On seeing him pull out a cantaloupe out of his ice chest, my jaw hit the floor. He cooly and casually pulled it out. Then like something out the movies he pulls out his knife and flips it open, and starts to part it. I was speechless in utter defeat. I could not protest and tell him I had intended to bring in a cantaloupe of my own. I would have sounded like a liar and a sore loser. I had to suffer my defeat like a man. It only made it more bitter knowing I had the same idea; we could have ended this war on a stale-mate. We would have been equals, Martinez and I. Instead, I was crushed. Damn that Martinez. He was a worthy adversary. As I look back in retrospect, I see how silly it all was. I should not have accepted defeat but brought in a watermelon. Anyways, if you learn anything out of this, it's to not procrastinate, no matter how tired you are or you never what might have been.