Yesterday afternoon, Bill Meck sat down for what he hoped would be his traditional, quiet pre-storm lunch at his favorite restaurant – Cheddar’s.  Meck, the LEX 18 weatherman,  always enjoys a hearty lunch whenever a big storm is on the horizon.  And, like an athlete before a marathon, Meck knew it was time to start carb loading for the long night ahead. Meck explained to the hostess, on the way to his favorite booth, that he knows when thunder is coming because he gets a rumblin’ in his tummy.

Jeff Yates, Meck’s usual waiter, brought him a Mountain Dew and asked if he was ready to order. “ Thanks Jeff, you know you can always COUNT on me to order the Monte Cristo,” the weatherman began his order while the waiter pretended to loosen a tie he wasn’t wearing. Meck took a sip, still waiting for a laugh that wouldn’t come, when he continued “hahaha, oh yeah and extra cheddar cheese on that because that’s what ya’ll are known for, the cheddar cheese hashedbrag (sic), am I right?”

Before that Count of Monte Cristo joke landed (never) and before the sandwich came, Meck was approached by what other diners believed to be a young, eager fan, but was actually WKYT meteorologist Micah Harris. As Harris approached Meck’s table, without looking up from his plate of onion rings, Meck waved him off and said, “Sorry kid, no autographs today.” Harris, a tad thrown, responded by telling Meck, “No, Mr. Meck, I work at WKYT. We met at the weather conference last year.” Meck quickly responded, “Oh right. You must be Jim Caldwell. Pretty sure I already signed a bunch of stuff for you all at that conference last year. Love your work.” A somewhat defeated Harris thanked the legendary weatherman and returned to his table to continue eating his kale salad.

After finishing his Monte Cristo, Meck stood up and headed for the exit, waving to friends he wouldn’t see until the next threat of a major storm. Before he reached the door, Meck’s waiter seemed to call him on his actions. “That was kind of rough back there,” Yates said. “I think that guy was just trying to be nice.” Meck then made direct eye contact with Yates and, with a tear in his eye said, “I know exactly who that was. I always know a good weatherman when I see one. He’s been on my radar for a long time.” Meck continued, “I see a lot of myself in that kid. He just needs to stay hungry but also stay humble. The worst thing that can happen to a weatherman is to get a big head. If he stays on the right track, someday we’ll all know the name Mitchell Harris.”