509. Uncle Joe's First Clue

 

Jack Leyendecker, talent scout for Loveless Motel's intern program, made a trip to Tuba City, Arizona on a tip he received from an old friend that there was a cluster of young men there who showed promise and he might be able to fill half his quota in one stop. These fellows were all enrolled at the local community college voc/tech school, all had been members of the same basket ball team in high school, and continued their gamesmanship in weekend get togethers at a local  desert ranch under the guiding hand of the auto mechanic instructor there.  The end of the term and their training completed, Jack conducted interviews and convinced eight of them to come to Loveless Motel as interns, with the opportunity to have practical experience in the Motor Pool, and learn a bit about the hospitality industry, to boot.

Naturally the men congregated together, and even stayed in one small dorm in the Bunkhouse where they interacted with some of the guests, attended classes, but kept largely to themselves.  Talk soon began among the other members of the class that the Arizona lads had some interesting, nay, weird fucking notions.  Uncle Joe, Loveless Motel's chief classroom facilitator and disciplinarian, had encountered them hunched around a beach ball one afternoon during a class break, and learned they had never seen one before except in Annette Funicello movies, since they'd all grown up in the desert. Seemingly amazed by the sight of it, they rolled, poked and prodded the ball around the pool deck, and Joe opened the conversation with them as he approached the group by saying "Have you ever seen the movie "The Dictator", where Hitler bounces a beach ball Earth off his ass?"  

And from out of nowhere, one of the beach ball gazers says "The Earth ain't round - it's flat".  The other guys laughed, and one chimed in "He's a nut job, don't mind him, Uncle Joe.  We all know the earth ain't flat."  and then out of the same mouth "same as we all know Ike was a commie, just like we learned in Automatic Transmission Class".  Uncle Joe replied "Looks like the John Birch Society is alive and well in Tuba City!" to which the kid says "How'd you know?"

Fuck fuck fuck. Joe thought to himself...and I have to take these guys camping.  "Okay guys, let's get showered and then it's back to class."