"Yes sir, I am."

This story was written by my father Bruce Albert Buchanan:

In the spring of 1960 I was 16 years old, my dad was 50, and I had been given the opportunity to work for Curley Monroe at his fishing lodge along the Huntington River about 30 miles from my home town of Helper, Utah.  

I was to work 5 days a week, getting Tuesday and Wednesday off and would be paid about $30 a week.  

My job was to sell worms, 

clean cabins, 

and help fisherman in the store.  

A few weeks before I was to start, I had an opportunity to go to Montana, and work from Memorial day to Labor day, seven days a week, and make at least $75 a week.  

My job was to clean floors

 and wash dishes 

at a Café in West Yellowstone. 

This is what I wanted to do; the dilemma was having to tell Mr. Monroe I wasn’t going to work for him.  

My dad said, “just tell him the truth.”

"Daddy, I can’t do this."

“Bruce, I will go with you.”  

After dinner, my dad and I went to Mr. Monroe’s home, I rang the doorbell, and when he came to the door, I really thought I was going to die.  

I said, “Mr. Monroe, I have an opportunity to go to Montana and work for the summer.  I want to take the job, and this means I won’t be able to work for you this summer as I had promised”.  

There was silence, which seemed to go on forever.  Mr. Monroe looked at me right in the eye and said, “ Thank You Bruce, that was very nice of you to tell me, now you go and have a good summer.”  

My dad and I left to go home.  I thanked my Dad for being there, and we never talked about that night again.  But I knew, that he knew, it was the right thing to do, and I needed him to be there for me. I worked for Frosty Tornes that summer at the Totem Café and saved over $900.  

During my interview with Frosty, he asked me if I was honest, I said, “Yes sir I am”.