It Does Not Rain in My World!


by Mike Marino, Jr. - Date: 2007-04-08 - Word Count: 759 Share This!

I was blessed to own and manage a rather large bicycle and lawnmower shop for twenty eight years. I hired quiet a few high school and college students over the years. Some of my students were from a local community college. A division of that school was a rehabilitation college. Some of the students had physical or mental limitations.

My lawnmower mechanic was Mr. Blake. He was raised in a black orphanage until he was eighteen years of age. The lady in charge of the orphanage called him into her office and said, "You are too old to still be here. We did our best, since you were a small baby to get a couple to adopt you. You are now old enough to go out into the world and make your own living. We have a job for you at a local bakery. We have found a one bed room apartment for you also."

She went on to say, "You have been taught to managed money and live on your own." Mr. Blake told me that everyday he would line up with all the other kids and couples would come by to choose a child for adoption. He said he would go and comb his hair neat, hoping to be adopted. It never did happen!

Now he was on his own. He met his future wife and married. He raised five children. Four graduated from college. Mr. Blake owned three rental properties. Years later the lady that raised Mr. Lionel Blake in the orphanage came to live with Mr. Blake and his wife until she passed away.

After working twenty five years in the bakery, he wanted to try something new. He enrolled at the community college and studied small engine repair. Mr. Blake worked at another lawnmower shop for five years. One day he answered my add in the classified for a lawnmower mechanic.

Mr. Blake was born a business person. I was a sales person and a customer service person. I felt that I was blessed to have Mr. Blake help me to become more of a business person. Mr. Blake was tough love.

One day, the placement officer from the community college brought over a student that was always in trouble with the law. He asked me if I would give the young student a job repairing bicycles to keep him out of trouble. I hire the young man. The young man was wearing a ankle bracelet because he was on probation. He was very smart and a good worker. I could not understand how this student could get into trouble so many times with the law.

Mr. Blake would tell me, "Mike watch that new student you just hired, I think that kid is up to no good." I could not believe what Mr. Blake was telling me. Mr. Blake said that every word out of that kid's mouth is a lie.

One day Mr. Blake was coming into the shop with his tool box. The young student was mouthing off to the other young bicycle mechanics. Mr. Blake put down his tool box, grab the student with both of his hands by the collar of his shirt and pushed him up against the wall. The student was in shock. Mr. Blake begins telling him, "I want to know what is your problem? This man is giving you a chance to make something of yourself and keep out of jail and you stand here with all of your lies."

The young student frightened said, "I was adopted!" To that Mr. Blake replied, "I was not adopted!" He then let go of the student and told him to follow him to the back of the shop through the service door.

Total silence fell in the area where the other students were. Two hours later Mr. Blake and the student came back up front. You would have thought that young man had been dipped into holy water. He was not the same person.

His parents came to the shop one day when the young man was in school to thank me for what I had done. I told them that I had nothing to do with this. I directed them to the lawnmower service department to speak with Mr. Lionel Blake.

When they came back up front, Mr. Blake and the parents were smiling. Mr. Blake said, "He is going to be alright, he just had to have his head screwed on right."

After the parents left, I told Mr. Blake that he should open a clinic. He said, "Mike, you know it does not rain in my world!"


Related Tags: mental, college, rehabilitation, rain, adopted, limitations, orphanage

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