Brain Tumor in Lions Club

Here's a life situation that's a real toughy: A guy who had been making your life miserable is diagnosed with a brain tumor.


Guy has surgery to remove the tumor. Guy isn't the same after the surgery (and who would be?). Guy is no longer capable of being a jerk.


I don't know if it's sad or funny. As a writer I recognize irony at it's best. This man that I'd been hoping would step in front of a tour bus takes a hit of a different sort. Guilt and relief are intermingled, but being raised up a good girl, guilt prevails. My mother would be proud of me.


Guy is known to me as a member of our local Lions Club. Like AA meetings in this county seat town, Lions Club here is top-heavy with men. And like AA, most of them are nice men. But ya know by now there's one in every group; some jerk of a man or Type-A woman who runs roughshod over all others.


Talking to other Lions Club members and all they could say was "Oh, Guy is like that."
Hey, Guy is a fucking jerk, okay? Can't one of you stand up to him and say "Behave yourself." ? Do I have to call my mother?


I know they're hard up for members, but I'd take a chance on Guy leaving the club. Besides, he's known as a jerk to other people in this small community. Maybe having him out of Lions Club would be an incentive for others to join.
Others, preferably under 40. Folks, don't wait until you're 60-something to join a local service club. Do it when you're younger so someone can actually work at the fund-raisers.


This Lions Club is full of men who are old enough to be my father...and in one case, my grandfather. They've quit doing some of the fund-raising activities becuz they're too physically feeble to do those things. But the feebs are the majority; while they cannot do the work of some of the past fundraisers, they will not try anything new.


Perhaps the feebs don't need to do any fund-raising. Given the advanced age of most of the members, we could just wait for them to die and leave Lions Club a bequest in their wills.
That should work for about 8 years.


With Guy-the-jerk out of the running, maybe I'll stick around to see.