My hubby is one of the good guys.

He's just a good man, all the way through. I could tell you stories about the kind of husband he's been for nearly (gulp) 28 years. The kind of father he's been for 21 of those years. The empathy he has for people.

I'd be here for a long time, though.

I can, however, give you the latest example of the kind of person he is.

He's been working for the same landscaping company for a long time. One of the things they promised him to get him to sign on was a cash bonus every December based on a certain percentage of the company earnings. Even in really tough times, they have honored that. They also give a bit to all the guys who work there.

Last year, they told Eric that the profits were fairly small, and that he'd be getting his bonus, but that there was not enough money for the workers to also receive a bonus.

He thought it over and called them back.

Said, "I just don't feel right accepting a bonus this year if the guys don't get one. Keep the money."

Now part of me wanted to go "WHAT??!?!?"
But it's his job, his money, and his decision. We're not missing any payments or meals. I was once again reminded of the core of integrity that this man has and proud that he has such principles.

What ended up happening was that they cut his bonus in half and gave a bit of it to each guy who works there. Everyone got a bonus, which is as it should be. They work hard.

Most of the guys who work there are Hispanic. I have lost count of the number of times local and national businesses (car lots, banks, rent-to-own centers, sweepstakes) have tried to take advantage of the fact that most of them do not speak English as their first language and grew up South of the border.

We have had guys stop by with a stack of paperwork that needs to be filled out before they're able to rent an apartment or get a car. Eric never shows anything but a calm and patient demeanor as he explains, sometimes three times, about interest rates, deposits, credits etc.

He once raised hell with an unscrupulous car dealer about a lemon he sold to one of his guys and got the guy to give the money back.

I know of at least two occasions that he has stopped one of his guys from sending money to claim a major sweepstakes award. He kept another one from getting scammed, but I'll be darned if I can remember the occasion. If I call and ask him, I'd have to confess that he's on my blog today, and he'd be embarrassed. So shhhhh.

Eric takes care of his men.

A few months ago, one of his guys injured his knee on the job.

Eric took the rest of the day to drive the guy to the immediate care and the pharmacy and home.

He spent the next two weeks on the phone trying to obtain treatment for the guy. Oregon's worker's comp SUCKS, and the SAIF corporation (dipshits abound!!) just kept giving him a runaround. He was handling it because the employee in question does not speak English well, and could not do it himself.

Now understand, he didn't have to do this. He could have just let it go and let the paperwork take its time going through. He just doesn't operate that way.

After spending hours and hours on the phone, sometimes talking to the same people every day, he finally got some results and the guy got the treatment he needed and got back to work.

He is still waiting for a check to cover the time he was off work, though.

He came to Eric a month ago and asked if Eric would call the boss and ask for an advance on his salary. His family (wife, two children) was in danger of being evicted because he had not paid his rent. Of course he hadn't paid it because SAIF was screwing him, not because he was trying to get away with something.

Well, with the stuff going on in our economy, the company isn't exactly rolling in cash, and Eric knew that the request probably wouldn't be honored.

So he called me and asked how our budget was. Well, it's the same as anyone else's, I guess. Usually too much month at the end of the money.

But we got a home improvement loan a couple years ago, and banked it. We've used some to re-do the roof, build a shed and do some other things to the house. There is still quite a chunk of change left to do the windows and the wiring. We're hoping there will be enough for floors, too, but don't hold your breath.

Oh crap. I digressed.

He knew that an advance or loan to the guy wouldn't really help, because he'd have to pay it back eventually. And that when you're a month behind, it can take three months to catch up. Add to that the fact that his guy makes about ten bucks an hour and you can see how a loan or advance would just compound the problem.

So he made a deal with the guy. He would give him a certain amount of money, and he'd have to come to our house for a few Saturdays to work it off.

We have lots of things that need to be done, and Eric can't do them all alone. He really needs help.

We had discussed hiring some of 'his' guys before, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity.

Eric has loaned money to several of the men who work with him in the past. I've lost count, but it's probably close to 10 times.

We have never been stiffed. It's always been paid back as promised. We've refused interest. Now we're not talking huge amounts here. Until this time, I think the most we've ever loaned was $400.00. But it has made a huge difference for the people he's helped. We always figure the worst that can happen is that we don't get it back, and never lend enough that we'd be screwed if we didn't.

But Eric's a good judge of character, and it's been okay so far.

So we gave the guy money a month ago, and tomorrow is the first day he's scheduled to be over here working. Eric will, of course, work side by side with him.

We went to the grocery store last night, and Eric stocked up on Gatorade. He bought extra to share, and when I asked if I should bake something, was quite enthusiastic.

So this is the kind of guy I have.

Is it a wonder I appreciate him?

And his guys... well, they'd do anything in the world for him.