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500 Words - Greasy Dave lived up to his name...


Greasy Dave lived up to his name...

Now you may be forgiven for thinking that he was probably a mechanic, or he worked in a café or a fish and chip shop or some such; but it was actually a far more palatable reason- he was a huge fan of the film Grease. In fact, he claimed to have watched it over 500 times.

Now this was a claim that was never seriously challenged; and why should it be. Why would you make something like that up? What possible advantage could you hope to get from such a claim? Unless of course you were angling to meet John Travolta or Olivia Newton John, then, maybe, just maybe, the claim may hold some sway. But, for an office worker in a small rural town, watching Grease on average once every 3 weeks was eccentric at the very worst.

Not that a little eccentricity is in anyway a bad thing. And especially in Dave’s case. It was fine. Yes, of course he was ‘a little different’ than most, but he was generally considered to be a nice guy. And okay, so he may break into an a capella rendition of “Summer Nights” at any point during the working day, but this was appreciated by his colleagues more than you might imagine.

You see, since the events of the previous year, anything to lighten the mood was always welcome. Even the (sometimes off-key) singing of “hopelessly devoted to you” by a 35-year old Accounts Clerk did just enough to take everyone’s minds of that fateful day in June.

Like a lot of June days now it seems, the weather had been nothing short of atrocious. It had rained heavily pretty much non-stop for 12 hours and the roads were treacherous in places. Nevertheless, the deliveries still had to be made. And the sad fact of the matter is, the journey never ended where, or how, it was supposed to.

Trevor had worked at the company for over 30 years, he was a cheerful sort and always had a joke to share. Carefully ensuring none of the ladies of the office were in earshot if ever the joke was slightly “blue,” or contained any “salty” language. He was always adamant about that. Like his father before him, he treated a lady like a lady, and couldn’t bare anyone who showed anything but the utmost respect to the “fairer sex.”

So, in spite of the weather, Trevor’s van was loaded up and off he went. He knew the route well, having driven it countless times before, but that day would be the last.

The police report had stated that Trevor was driving according to the conditions of the road, sensibly curtailing his speed and keeping a safe distance from the vehicles in front. Unfortunately for Trevor, the recently passed 18-year-old was not quite as adept or proficient.     

So, whenever the girls of the office looked a bit down, Greasy Dave lived up to his name…

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