Small Town Bigshot

Joe grew up in a small town in a rural part of Ireland. He moved away to attend college and studied law. He was accepted for the bar.

He decided to come back to the small town because he could be a big man in this small town -- a big fish in a small pond. He did everything he could to impress everyone. He opened his new law office in the nicest location in town, though he had little prospect for income at first.

One day, he saw a man coming up the footpath, and Joe was desperate to make a good impression on this new potential client. So, as the man came to the door, Joe picked up the phone. He motioned the man in, all the while talking, "No. Absolutely not. You tell those clowns in Dublin that I won't settle this case for less than one million. Yes. The Appeals Court has agreed to hear that case next week. I'll be handling the primary argument and the other members of my team will provide support. Okay. Tell the prosecutor that I'll meet him next week to discuss the details."

This sort of thing went on for almost five minutes. All the while the man sat patiently as Joe rattled instructions. Finally, Joe put down the phone and turned to the man. "I'm sorry for the delay, but as you can see, I'm very busy. What can I do for you?"

The man replied, " I'm from the phone company. I came to hook up your phone. "