The McFarland Boyz

   Sometime ago, perhaps three weeks ago I made a couple of calls to get an assist on cleaning up the back yard.  I had done my  share in the front.  One fellow seemed particularly interested and came out to provide an estimate.  His price was $60.00 per hour.  I told him I’d done the yard many times myself and if he had a crew of three, it would be two hours maximum and in NO case was he to go over three hours. He agreed, and said he’d get back to me as soon as he could fit it in.

   In the meantime, flyers were showing up in my mailbox, in my door etc.  You know how it is this time of year.  One of the flyers was smartly done, and it had written across the top - “The McFarland Brothers”.  As the days passed and I did not hear from my original man, I finally decided to call the number of the McFarland brothers.  A young lad talked to me and asked if it would be OK if he came by after school on Friday (this was Tuesday).  I said certainly, that would be OK.  Well, he called early Thursday and asked if he could come by a day early and again I said OK.

   Wouldn’t you know… Thursday is in progress… I am sitting by the front window when I see a hail of trucks approaching with mowers, blowers, hoes, – I mean, every tool one could think of pulling up in front of my house.  If you are ahead of me, you are correct, it was the original crew I had contacted, and they meant business.  Now, “I” am in a dilemma. I made an instant decision to allow them to proceed, but had to call the McFarland boyz and confess my sins.  Nobody answered there, but I left a message on their phone – this was 1:30 P.M. – I felt bad I could not officially call them off, but figured I’d done the best I could.

   The ‘crew’ took 1.5 hours to do the job; I paid them for two + a tip.  At 4 P.M. my doorbell rings and it is Mark McFarland with clipboard in hand, there to provide an estimate.  He was a young lad, perhaps fifteen… I said, you evidently did not get my phone message to which he said he had not – I again confessed what had happened, and as young as he was, and as big and mean as I am, he looked me squarely in the eye, shook my hand and said thank you Mr. Wilson.  I think my jaw may have dropped.  First of all he had walked to my house.  My heart went out to him as I noticed him trudge away, but I had a good feeling about him.  I wondered just how far he’d had to walk only to walk away empty handed. 

   Fast forward twenty four hours -  upon returning from dinner, on the last turn for home (one block from home), there were two boys skateboarding in the middle of the street.  Yup, the McFarland boyz lived one block away.  Mark (the one who had come to my door), even waved.  I felt better that he had not had to walk too far.  Further I again remembered just how the young lad had looked me square in the eye and it gave me abit of hope for this nations future.  The boy had spunk! I predict the McFarland boyz will go far in this ole world.