King Bugle sat on his throne and waited for his loyal subjects to seek guidance from him. The great King would tell others that he was wise, generous and caring. This humble act of sharing his thoughts with others was part of that grand reputation.
A chef came into the hall and asked to talk to the king. The king gladly granted the request.
“I lost my job,” the Chef began.
“We actually need a chef,” King Bugle offered.
“With all due respect, your majesty, I hear that your family is incredibly hard to please from a culinary standpoint.”
“Really, from all standpoints,” King Bugle said glumly. Then he brightened as he asked the Chef to continue his story.
“I was unjustly removed from my position,” the Chef said. “Two other people worked behind the scenes towards my ouster. I am furious, but also embarrassed. I want to take over the restaurant and prove I can run it better than they can. How can I go about that?
“You know, I was not always king,” King Bugle said. “There was a king before me.”
“I assumed.”
“Well, this king humiliated me in the royal court. Everyone there was very cruel. I left the hall in disgrace and dared not show my face again. However, I knew the king was unjust, so I plotted my revenge.”
“What did you do?”
“I sought out allies in the other members of the royal court and waited. There are always crises that come up when you’re King.”
“They happen in restaurants too.”
“Well, in restaurant terms, one of the ovens blew up,” King Bugle said.
“I don’t follow you,” the Chef said.
“It doesn’t matter,” King Bugle said. “What matters is the king was weakened, so my allies and I rallied to oust the king, and I took over.”
“That sounds wonderful,” the Chef said.
“There was a problem, though,” King Bugle said. “I sought to hold my victory over the royal court, but all of these people fled the court in terror. Even the king escaped. So I basically had no one left to take out my revenge.”
“But still you were king,” the Chef said.
“It’s a hard job, though,” King Bugle said. “You have to keep everyone happy.”
“That sounds like a restaurant,” the Chef said.
“Do not seek revenge,” King Bugle said. “Go start your own thing. Then when you’re successful, you can enjoy it.”
“I still want to get back at them, though,” the Chef said.
“That I can help with,” King Bugle said. “What’s the name of this restaurant? I’m going to start taking my impossible-to-please family there.”