Easy Going Janitor

  Fall weather is already making itself known around here in Tennessee. It was pretty cool this morning when I rolled the mower out of the little building and set my sights on the day ahead. There was a thick fog that lingered all morning as I started mowing the big hill where the empty trailers are parked. The grass was still fairly wet from the morning dew and it didn't look like it was going to dry anytime soon.
  At first break Johnny M. put me on the spot in front of everyone sitting there. You see, last week the rumor got started that one of the supervisor's was in jail for pulling a gun on his wife. While I didn't start the rumor, I heard it. Two people came up to me and asked me what I had heard about the situation and I told them that I had heard he pulled a gun on his wife. Well, the supervisor came to work this morning and apparently it was all a lie. He had been on vacation. I didn't start the lie. I only told the two people what I had heard when they asked me. Johnny M. asked me in front of everyone if I was the one that started the lie about Roper (The supervisor). I said no but I'm sure they thought I was lying about it.
  When I went back to mowing I couldn't stop thinking about it. I was mad that word would get out that I had started the lie. The more I thought about it the madder I got. I decided that I wasn't going to say anything bad about anyone else no matter what. If someone comes up to me and starts talking crap about someone else I'm just going to listen and not say a thing. If someone else says that I've said something bad about someone, everyone will know it's a lie because, I'm going to tell everyone, I'm not talking shit about anybody.
  In less than an hour I was tested. At lunch Bobby H. asked me if Steve (the bathroom janitor) was giving me orders. I told him no. He said, "He likes to boss everyone around, don't he?" I just said, "Aww, he's alright." He looked at me funny and went on, ha ha.
  I don't like Steve. He's a pushy bully. Even though, I didn't go along with Bobby H. This is a social experiment I guess. How will people react to someone that won't join in on the putting down of someone else? I've been around a long time and I know it's human nature to pile on other people. People talk about other people, even their friends. I'm going to try and see what happens when I don't.