If the safety of other people depended upon me, a pretty frightening thought since I can't even protect myself, I would be an insecurity guard, stationed at the front desk of a building that anybody could enter but nobody would want to because, of course, I'd be guarding the place.
That is not the case with Herbert "Doc" Koenig, a security guard in the building where I work. He don't need no stinking badge (he has an ID card with a photo of his goateed visage and the word "Doc" under it) and he doesn't carry a pistol, mainly because he is one. But he does have a rapier wit that could disarm the most suspicious intruder.
That, on most days, would be me.
"I'm not a real doctor," Doc confessed during a midday break, "but I used to be an EMT in New York City and I delivered two of my kids, so people began calling me Doc."
Then he began recalling some of his EMT adventures. The most memorable was the time he had to rescue an obese woman who got stuck in a bathtub.
"This lady was quite large," Doc said. "The tub was drained and she couldn't budge. There was this sucking sound as we pulled her out. I tried not to laugh. She was embarrassed, but she had a good sense of humor. She said, 'At least I'm clean.' "
Then there was the time a young woman took her pants off on a busy Brooklyn street.
"She got hit by a car and her tibia was shattered," Doc recalled, "so we put her on a stretcher. She was wearing designer jeans. I was going to cut them off, which was protocol. She said, 'You're not going to cut these. They're Jordache jeans.' She hopped up on one leg in the middle of Flatbush Avenue and took her pants off. She said, 'I can wash out the blood, but I can't sew my jeans back up.' "
The people who didn't have a leg to stand on were some of the knuckleheads Doc met in New York Supreme Court in Manhattan, where he worked for 30 years, 23 as an arraignment sergeant.
"It's the busiest criminal court in the world," Doc said, "so you see some pretty crazy things."
Like the drug defendant who showed up in a T-shirt emblazoned with the words "Wacky Weedies" and a picture of a stoner smoking a blunt, which is a cigar filled with marijuana.
"You can't fix stupid," Doc noted.
Judges didn't always show good judgment, either.
"One of them berated a defendant," Doc remembered. "The guy didn't like what the judge said, so he threw a punch. The judge said, 'Aren't you going to protect me?' I said, 'If he hits you, it's assault, right?' Another time, a pro basketball player didn't like what a judge said. A fight broke out and I ended up with a size 17 footprint on my leg."
But for Doc's money, the topper was the billionaire he was hired to protect.
"He was rich and nasty," Doc said. "And he was working on his fourth wife. I can't tell you who he is, but he's a real piece of work. If I had his money, I'd be rich but not nasty."
At 56, he'd also be retired, spending time with his wife, four children and two grandchildren.
"When the kids were growing up, I was the cool dad," Doc said. "All their friends would come over because we always had a lot of fun at our house. We still do. Now I'm the cool granddad, too."
Since Doc isn't a billionaire, he's working as a security guard, one of the friendly, dedicated people who protect the building where I work.
"You have to be nice," Doc said when I asked what it takes to do his job, "but you also have to be vigilant. And you have to watch out for suspicious characters."
"Sometimes," Doc said, "I'll let anybody in."
Stamford Advocate humor columnist Jerry Zezima is the author of "Leave It to Boomer" and "The Empty Nest Chronicles." Visit his blog at www.jerryzezima.blogspot.com. Email: JerryZ111@optonline.net
Copyright 2015 by Jerry Zezima
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.