One cold February morning, Andy Taylor sat at his desk at the sheriff's office. Just a couple of minutes ago, Deputy Barney Fife had walked out of the sheriff's office to take the squad car out for patrol. The office phone had been quiet all morning. Andy remembered a recent conversation he had with the mayor at the beginning of the week but he knew he had to do what the mayor said or the mayor would get angry at him.
What the mayor wanted him to do was hire another deputy sheriff for the sheriff's office. Andy knew how Barney would feel if he had a second deputy around. Whom could he get for another deputy sheriff? Andy wondered. He knew that Barney did not know about the second deputy yet, but he will later on.
Several minutes later, Barney came back from doing patrol in town.
"Hi, Andy. Any calls when I was out?" Barney asked.
"Not a one, Barney."
"You haven't said much at all this morning, Ange. Anything wrong?" Barney asked.
"Nothing, Barney. I was just thinking about the conversation I had with the mayor earlier this week," Andy said.
"Is there anything I need to know about?" Barney asked.
"Yes, Barney, there is. I know how you are going to feel about this subject once I bring it up. It's something the mayor said."
"What did the mayor tell you?" Barney asked.
"Are you sure you want to hear about this now? I know it's going to upset you if I tell you now," Andy said.
"Why would it upset me? Try me," Barney said.
Therefore, Andy did.
"The mayor wants me to get another deputy."
"What are you saying, Ange? Does the mayor want to fire me?" Barney asked, starting to get a little upset.
"He said you'll still be a deputy, Barney, but the mayor wants a little change around the sheriff's office," Andy said.
"From the way the mayor says it, Ange, he wants me out of here. If the mayor wants me out of the sheriff's office, I'll show him what out means," Barney said.
"From tomorrow on, I, Deputy Fife, am going on a strike. I'm not coming here to work until I decide to come back," Barney said.
Andy could not believe his ears.
"What did you just say?" he asked.
"I said I'm going on a strike, Ange. I might be on that strike until the new deputy comes here for his first day," Barney said.
"I don't believe you," Andy said.
"You don't? In that case, I will be happy to start my strike now and show the mayor how much I feel about this," Barney said.
Before Barney could say a word, Andy kept his eyes on Barney. He watched as Barney walked right out of the sheriff's office. Afternoon arrived quickly and Barney still did not walk in. At 12:45, the sheriff's office got their first phone call of the day.
"He ain't here, but I'd be happy to do it," Andy told the caller.
He hung up and left the sheriff's office.
Andy went to the diner and arrested some strangers Juanita had called. She thanked Andy as he cuffed them and the three of them went to the squad car and drove off the to sheriff's office. There was still no sign of Barney when Andy led the three-cuffed men to the two cells. He found Otis Campbell in one of the cells after uncuffing and locking them up.
"You can't put them in my cell, Andy," Otis said.
"I'm afraid one of them has to share your cell," Andy said and locked Otis's cell again.
Andy sat at his desk again. He thought he would get started working on an advertisement for the paper for a new deputy sheriff. At home, Barney told Thelma Lou, his wife, about what happened at the sheriff's office.
"You know Andy knows as much as I do about this subject, Thelma Lou. I am showing the mayor that if he wants another deputy in my place, the new guy can have my job for all I care. I am showing the mayor what the word 'out' means," Barney said.
"Oh, Barney. Andy needs you, so you have to go to work," Thelma Lou said.
"Not when I'm on a strike."
Andy saw how much of the "Help Wanted" ad he had gotten finished when it was time to go home.
"I'll drop this off in the morning," he said to himself and locked the door.
"Thelma Lou, can you talk to Andy and have him not hire a deputy? I don't want three lawmen in the sheriff's office," Barney said.
"That's not my problem," Thelma Lou said.
A few weeks later, Andy got a few phone calls about the "Help Wanted" ad for the sheriff's office. He interviewed a few deputy sheriffs and at the end, he hired a red – haired woman named Karen McCarey.
"I think I remember meeting you before, Sheriff. Didn't you help my former boss, Sheriff Jeremy Cline solve a case? I was there at the end to help arrest the bad guys," Karen said.
Andy now remembered who Karen was since he remembered meeting her too.
"Yes, I remember," Andy said.
Barney had gotten word about the new deputy sheriff being hired, so he decided that the strike was now finally over. He came back to the sheriff's office the following day and found the new deputy was already at the office. He was surprised to find out that the new deputy was not a man.
"Morning, Barney. We are glad to have you back. I'd like you to meet our new deputy, Karen McCarey," Andy said.
"You hired a woman? That's a switch," Barney said, surprised.
"What do you say to Karen, Barney?" Andy asked.
"Nice to meet you," Barney said.
"Nice to meet you too," Karen said.
"Andy, may I speak with you in private?" Barney asked.
He knew that once Thelma Lou heard about his working with a woman, she would be jealous.
'Excuse us, Karen," Andy said as they disappeared.
"Andy, what were you thinking? I cannot work with a woman! I have a wife and children, you know. If Thelma Lou finds out about her, she'll be jealous," Karen heard Barney say.
"I hired Karen for a reason, Barney. She is a good policewoman. You will wait and see. I met her back in Milwaukee when I had that case," Andy said.
"You mean the deputy sheriff case? I remember it but not her."
"You didn't go to Milwaukee with me, Barney. Let's go back to Karen," Andy said.
"All right," Barney said.
"Welcome to the sheriff's office, Karen. We hope you like it here," Andy said.
"Thank you," Karen said.
"I hope I will like it here, too."