“The Problem with Responsibility”

Hey folks, I’ve got to tell y’all one on my cousin Sonny, (second removed on my mama’s side). We have a family joke that goes like this: Sonny’s grandmother’s middle name was Work and he promised never to lay a hand on her. It might be funny if it weren’t so true. Sonny’s parents quit laughing a long, long time ago. The boy is spoiled and downright lazy. He’s thirty years old now and still going from one job to another. Sonny’s had more jobs than Michael Jackson’s had nose surgeries and I’m not even kidding. Some people say his folks are to blame. Sonny is their only child. He was born years after they’d given up on being able to have a family of their own.

I guess they are responsible for him being spoiled and all but I can’t help feeling sorry for ‘em. They’re getting older all the time and more and more worried about what’s gonna become of their son once they’re gone. They have good reason. Sonny’s lack of ambition is one thing, but combine that with his lack of common sense and— well, let me give you a little example…

Last week Sonny went to yet another job interview. His poor mama is still hoping he’ll hear back from them, but I don’t think it’s gonna happen. The boss is a good friend of mine. He told me that when he interviewed Sonny he said, “Son, this isn’t an easy job. It requires a lot of dedication. We need someone who is responsible. Do you fit that description?”

“Yes sir,” Sonny said. “I’m your man. On my last job, every time anything went wrong, they always said that I was responsible.”