Teach Me Humor

It might be surprising to see me write in the editorial section of Saturday Chronicles instead of the humor one. I am Jefford Tinslay. Many of you might know me as the creator of the comic series "Bulldozer." Today is the 25th Anniversary of my comic series and the death anniversary of a man close to my heart who was also the reason for many nightmares at one point in my life. Many of you have often asked me the inspiration behind the comic series; to be honest, it was not the result of a fine intriguing mind but rather an unusual mishap.

Let's get to the point directly.

I was twenty-five and a struggling comedian, and even after trying on several multimedia channels, nothing turned in my favor.

Until one fine morning, I got a call from an automobile company, and a meeting was set between me and the CEO of the company, who happened to be a billionaire at that time. 

I wore my usual tapered and cuffed jeans with a denim jacket and flannel shirt and started for the meeting. Finally, I reached the office and waited eagerly, and he arrived just on time. He was a short man, almost bald and a little plump; he seemed to be a narcissistic and self-obsessed man. Yet, he put his demands in front of me in a much-uncomplicated way.

He asked me to teach him HUMOR! Not that he was grumpy or sorrowful, but he said he wanted to participate in one of the famous comedy shows running and was counting on me for that. I would be receiving handsome pay in return.

Billionaires and whims and fancies! At the peak of my struggling days, I readily agreed to the proposal and entered into a contract. Trust me, and empty pockets liberate you always to accept challenges! Moreover, I had 2 options: jumping off the cliff and jumping off the cliff, so I chose the first one.

 This may sound strange as how could one ever teach humor to someone, but this is the only thing I did better than others. We both worked extremely hard, rehearsed for days and nights, and for hours, we would be in another world, tapping into things that were beyond ego and status.

But in vain! Finally, the date of the comedy show was approaching, and he was still utterly bad. Hence, I collapsed to the pressure, and we agreed that I would prepare the scripts for him, and he would perform on the show, and no one would know about this.

 The show continued for a while and gained a lot of popularity. I always said what I wanted to and not what people wanted to hear, but now everyone listened as if it was from a Billionaire's mouth!

And then one day, My Billionaire man, out of excitement, said the big truth about the scripts, in an interview! I felt like being ripped off my skin, as the world seemed to focus on only that news.

The show was put off, and I was not contacted further. Many say you become a better comedian when you can make fun of yourself, and for me, it was. The news slowly faded out after several sleepless nights, trauma, cross-questions in interviews by the media, and several legal matters. By a very natural human mind process, people also forget about the incident after some time.

 I was seeking then striving, but I was set free in the process.

But now, I did not have any money left. People say when all doors close, God opens a new one, and I took it so seriously that I persuaded myself to do a job as a salesman. Though I left after a few days, the good thing about it was that it paid, unlike mine.

A year passed by, and then again, on a not so fine morning, I got a call from the Billionaire's office and was asked to meet him. To many, it might seem like walking into a predator's mouth at will, but I still agreed.

I met him, and he seemed to be a different man this time, calm and complacent. He dolefully informed me that he was suffering from a deadly disease and wished he could be a comedian like me! He also apologized deeply for his deeds and the misfortune that followed.

After hearing this, I was expecting him to hand over a huge part of his prized possessions to me; however, he handed out a small piece of paper instead, which had the editor's contact details of Saturday Chronicles, and asked me to contact them for a job!

Three months later, he passed away on the same day I published my comedy series 'Bulldozer,' which revolves around a man who is short, almost bald, and a little plump.