Karli
Freund by Nigel A JAMES
The Dark Clouds of Hope!
It
was a day just like any other. Karli kissed his wife and son goodbye
and set off for work. He was happy; he loved his job and was one of
the best carpenters in Vienna! And, with Christmas showing on the
horizon he was busy. And that was good so. Christmas always costs
money, and Karli needed every cent he could get, and the overtime he
had been promised would surely be useful!
But,
as it turned out, there was to be no overtime. Within just two very
short hours Karli was home once again. He had been put out on the
street. His boss had found somebody younger and cheaper. The dark
clouds were gathering and Karli was standing right there in the eye
of the storm! Would he be able to afford the new train-set he had
promised his son? And, what about food? Would Christmas dinner be
only stale bread and water?
And
then came the searching. Looking for a job wasn't easy. The days
went by. The weeks went by, and Christmas was getting closer and
closer and closer. And then Karli sat down to think. If he could do
it for somebody else, then he could do it for himself. And that was
all that was needed.
From
that moment on he started being himself once again and things started
happening. He found an adequate workshop, and finished and delivered
his first complete job just three days before Christmas. He was
back, his pride was back, and there was food on his table and a model
train for his son! And from that day on, there was only one way to
go, and that was forward at speed!
And
now? Many years have passed and Karli is getting ready to retire.
His son Markus – the little boy of those long ago years – is
getting ready to take over the family firm, and Karli's grandson,
Markus's son, will surely grow up and carry the flame on. A
flourishing family firm that grew out of despair. But, was it really
so bad? Looking back, Karli now firmly believes that it was the best
Christmas present ever. The day his boss found somebody cheaper! And
now, when saying and kissing goodbye to his wife every morning, he
knows he will still have a living at the end of each day.
