You want fries with that?

At the age of 42 I started a new career. In December 2006 I went to work for a radio company. The station I work for is a great training ground for me. A talk station with a lot of sports programing. I would love to do something a little more creative in radio eventually, but for now this suits me fine.
The people I work with are great. Lots of different personalities and egos. Keeps things interesting.
Recently, I was producing a show and one of my co-workers was doing some work on the computer in my studio. We were chatting as we were working and I looked over at the screen he was working on. Corey had finished whatever he was doing and had gotten on the Internet. It was a real estate web site. No big deal about that, but a picture of one of the agents caught my attention. It was a picture of a woman in her mid to late 50s. Her dress was an awful blue color with sequins, and her hair was bleach blond and spiked. The makeup really set me off though. Dark rouge on her cheeks, bright red lipstick, drawn on eyebrows, and thick blue eye shadow that matched her dress. I started to laugh.

" Let me guess. She's a real estate agent and part time hooker", I said. "Or a whore that sells real estate on the side." I laughed some more. I really crack myself up.
Corey just looked at me. He wasn't getting the joke. I pushed on.
" I mean look at her. If that's not a hooker.... don't you just love the dress?"
Corey had now started to laugh. My comedy magic was working.
" The makeup is what gives her away. No self respecting woman wears makeup like that. That face has seen some hard times."
I was on a roll. I had Corey doubled over. He was trying to speak. "Oh, man, you're killing me!" he said. "You have no idea!"
"Idea about what?" I asked. "The whore? She is a whore, isn't she?"
Breathing was becoming a problem for Corey. He was laughing so hard his face had turned bright red. He managed to get a few words out.
"Dude, it's so sad..... I can't tell you....."
"Let me guess", I said. "She's a one legged hooker, right? That's what's so sad. A one legged old fucking hooker."
"I can't tell you. You'll feel bad. But, oh God, that's funny", he said.
"Just tell me, Corey..... what's the story on the skank?"

Her wouldn't tell me. He just laughed and laughed. I finally wore him down.

"Okay, I'll tell you. But you're going to feel bad."
"What? She's dying of AIDS."
"No, no, no" he said, still laughing. "That picture..... that's my mother."

You know the feeling when the blood drains from your face?

I spent the next several hours telling Corey how sorry I was. For days after, people in the halls at work would ask me how Corey's mom was.

Well, some time has passed. Life moves on. And Corey was just promoted today. He's now my boss. I'm sure his mother is very proud.

I wonder if they're hiring at McDonalds....