
I saw this irresistible headline this week:
"Italian hospital employee accused of skipping work for 15 years"
Some may read it and feel outrage, some feel admiration, but I went straight to thinking about what this guy did every day. It's one thing to pull one over on your employer, but what do you do with your ill-gotten gains?
I'm guessing it's a little like being super rich because there are few people who can match your lifestyle, but the hospital probably didn't pay giant wages. So maybe it's a little more like being retired. As long as he was in his 50's when it started, he may have a lot in common with his neighborhood retirees. But what if he was in his 20's?
What did he tell his family? Did he pretend to go to work? Did he get a second job? Did he indulge in his hobbies? Did he start a revolution? Did he become the lovable village drunk?
15 years is a long time. In 2005 I was wearing a suit with a bank lapel pin, tromping through marble floored hallways with high ceilings. My youngest was 6 years old, just starting school. I was a year away from running my first, last marathon. Many things have happened since then.
I can't stop thinking about it.
Update: The chicken was delicious.

|