Timing is everything

In the Philadelphia pier office we had a fellow who drew our stowage plans for the ships. He went by Sam M. but his real name was Salvatore M. a native of South Philly - very volatile personality - we always thought he might be "connected". Sam had a large home on South Broad Street with an equally large front lawn - the kind you might see with a couple of flamingoes on it. It was a time when the city was building a new Food Center about seven blocks east of Broad St. and the excavation was causing the rodents to migrate west and some took up residence on Sam's lawn. He railed about this to all within earshot and someone suggested he call the Mayor. The mayor of Philadelphia at the time was Richardson C. Dilworth, a fiesty Wasp politician with a nasal voice who always wore double-breasted pinstripe suits custom made on Savile Row in London. But he had been a U.S. Marine officer in WWII and was no pushover. Sam - (thru his connections) obtained Dilworth's private phone number and with fellow pier workers egging him on he dialed the Mayor. Dilworth answered the phone and Sam gave him an earful.
When the caller paused for breath Dilworth said the following "Now you listen to me, I just got off the sinking of the ANDREA  DORIA, I lost all my baggage and wardrobe, this is my first day back in the office and you have to call me about rodents!!!" For the first time in his life our friend Sam was speechless.
Timing is everything!
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