Better A Diesel Dan Than A Hypocritical Henry

Some years ago, a guy I worked with was a vanpool driver, and the vans from that agency were all diesel for fuel efficiency and durability.

This driver went out to lunch and drove a load full of people in the van; this is accepted practice. On the way back, he decided to stop for fuel, rather than do it on the way home… only he goofed and filled it with gasoline! It died just as they got back to the plant, and he realized what he’d done basically immediately.

Everybody else went back to work while he dealt with getting a loaner from the agency and getting the dead van towed in for repair. He wound up being referred to as “Diesel Dan” for quite a while.

One time, he was ranting about someone else’s mistake — quite unfairly — and after a bit, I observed:

Me: “If you never make mistakes, you’re not doing anything.” 

When that didn’t get the point across, I added:

Me: “Everybody makes mistakes… right, Diesel Dan?”

He shut up so fast I swear I heard the “clop” as he closed his mouth.