My former boss was issued a 20-count indictment yesterday.
Well, ok, she was very far up the chain of command. In fact, I only ever had one direct encounter with her. One morning she, along with a couple of her handlers, boarded a crowded elevator on an upper floor. Everyone inhaled, and the elevator grew completely silent. “No need to be afraid”, she quipped. “But if anyone pushes any one of these other buttons”, referring to floors 2 through 13, “I’ll see to it you are fired.” The silence intensified. Several interminable seconds passed. Finally: “Doesn’t anyone recognize a joke when they hear one?” The elevator burst into half-smiles.
Jack Silbert, curator