The Lunch Pail

My grandfather Ray worked maintenance at a school outside Dover for almost thirty years.

He carried the same metal lunch pail until the handle finally broke and my grandmother made him buy another one. He fixed boilers, replaced ceiling tiles, shoveled snow before sunrise, and knew which classroom doors stuck when the weather turned damp.

Kids called him Mr. Ray. Teachers called him when something was broken. At home he was quiet, tired, and usually asleep in his chair by eight.

He never thought his life was anything special. But a lot of people got through their day because he showed up before they did.