The Incident

They just stood there staring at each other. I’m not sure if everyone was simply at a loss for words or afraid to be the first to say something. True, an incident like this does take time to process, but someone had to be the first to speak. Since he was the oldest of the group and the owner of the small manufacturing plant, Peter knew that the responsibility to start a conversation about the incident fell directly on him. He squared his shoulders, took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and began.

“First let me start by saying that I’m very happy to see everyone survived with only minor scrapes and bruises. It’s not every day you get to experience a tragedy like this, but if I had to go through it, I’m glad I had all of you to lend me your support.”

A loud cheer and a chant of Peter, Peter rose throughout the group. Apparently everyone was of the same mind.

Peter continued. “Just in case any of you were wondering, I do plan on rebuilding and your jobs will be waiting for you as soon as possible. I hope the insurance company will be understanding and not try and pull the old, Act of God, just because this mess was caused by a lightning strike on our power plant. In the meantime, you will have quite a story to tell your family and friends. It’s not everyone that can say they survived the great ice cream melt down at Peter’s Ice Cream Factory.