Measured Response

As I was saying goodbye, I heard a loud pop. Flame sprouted from the electrical panel on the wall of the shed. Roger sprayed the flames with the fire extinguisher he’d bought Trevor as a shed-warming present.

“Good thing you had the extinguisher,” Trevor said to Roger.

“I’m gonna pay for the rewiring,” Roger said, putting his arm around Trevor’s shoulders. “If you touch it, I’ll break your legs.” I knew Roger was kidding, but I hoped Trevor got the message.  

“You know what they say,” Sam chimed in, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

“I don’t see how that applies,” Trevor said, eyeing the electrical panel, now covered in a fine white powder.

Billie said, “The effort it took Roger to threaten you is the ounce of prevention.    He’s hoping it’s enough so he doesn’t have to make the larger effort of breaking your legs later, which would be the pound.”

Sam said to Trevor, “Put another way, if you touch that wiring again, we’re going to cure your DIY delusions by pounding on your thick head.”

“Oh,” Trevor said, stepping back from his friends gathered in front of him.

Today I’ll remember an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Dogged Determination ©2018 & 2019 by Ken Montrose

Dogged Determination is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and anyone you might know is purely coincidental.

Other works by Ken Montrose are available at: www.greenbriartraining.com https://www.pinterest.com/kenmontrose/mt-rose/