Chapter 18

By noon, John had exceeded his expectations on the number of roots he’d have in. Jose was looking ragged when he inspected the latest root.

John looked at him and said, “Help should be here tomorrow; you going to make it?”

Jose replied “Yes, I’ll make it, but I think Alex is ready to beat down Dot. You should probably drop back and talk to her before anything else.”

John asked “What’s the problem?”

“Dot is insisting on the standard union break schedule. Alex looked ready to choke her after Dot turned off her welder to force her out of ditch.”

“Shit” John said as he started rolling up his gear.

Twenty minutes later, John rolled up next to Pixy’s rig to the sight of her and Dot in each others faces.

John jumped out walking up to the pair “What in the Sam Hell is going on here?”

Neither one spoke so John said “Come with me Dot.”

Riding up two segments, where he thought Pixy should have been, he asked again “What was that back there?”

Dot replied “That hard headed girl won’t listen, she has to abide by union rules like the rest of us, including breaks.”

John stopped, looking Dot in the eyes, “That stubborn ‘girl’ is my wife in case you forgot. She doesn’t ‘have’ to do jack shit. She hit the casino for five million last weekend, so she definitely doesn’t need the money. She is working for personal pride, which you’re apparently stepping on. The cold truth is, the gas company was out yesterday looking for a breach of contract based on the schedule, if you hold her up any more, you’ll give them one. I’ll gauruntee, that spur to Reno from here will be all non-union if that happens, so leave her the fuck alone Dot, or nobody in your hall will be working.”

Dot replied with some heat “How can you gauruntee such a thing, asshole!”

“Because if you don’t leave her alone, I’ll put on my red ass-dragging shirt and *drag up off this motherfucker. When they call me asking why, I’ll tell them union interference. Don’t fuck with me on this one, Dot.”

Dot looked at him shocked, “Damn, you actually do love her, don’t you?”

John just nodded, “First and last warning Dot. Leave her be.”

Dot then said, “I’ll stick with you until Carl comes back then.”

“That would be best” he replied.

By this time Pixy and Mary were done with the last weld with Pixy just starring holes in Dot as if to say “What now bitch?”

John looked at her and said, “I’m going to start filling, we need these done so Ben and crew can get moving.”.

Pixy rolled up to the next one as John hopped in the ditch set up to weld. By the time the light show had started, everyone had calmed down.

It didn’t take long. Pixy claimed the last weld, while Jose and Mary ran their exams on a John’s weld.

John was rolling up his gear when another gas company truck pulled up. A tall Hispanic woman got out with what was obviously a photographer and walked over to John and Dot. Extending her hand, she said “My name is Petra Rodriguez. I’m the Comptroller for the company as well as the owner’s daughter. This morning during our plan of the day meeting, Zane told me about a young woman who was going to be responsible for keeping this on schedule. I want some photos of her at work for our diversity records along with an interview.”

John pointed at the ditch and said “He must have been talking about Pixy there. Now is a good time, as she’s just started that weld. He walked over to Pixy’s rig and pulled out a spare welding helmet handing it to Petra. He looked at the woman photographer who was changing lenses and said “Sorry, there is only one spare.”

The photographer said “Name’s Billie. No worries, this lens is rated as a number ten welding lens. I’ll be watching through the view finder.”

John just nodded at that.

Dot just looked sick. She was imagining what would have happened if Pixy had *drug up. Her days as steward would have been over. Knowing Pixy would be talking to her alone, she got really nervous.

John said “Hold up Pixy, somebody wants to talk to you.”

Petra nimbly jumped in the ditch with her and introduced herself.

He couldn’t hear the conversation, but the smiles all around between Mary, Petra, and Pixy, were reassuring.

Raising his voice to be heard, he told Pixy he was moving upstream.

He got a thumbs up in response, so he moved up to the next weld taking Dot with him.

Dot said, “Doesn’t that make you nervous?”

John replied “Not at all, I trust her, and you are sorely underestimating her. She’ll have made a new best friend before she gets done. For now, the best thing to do is get after it.” At that John jumped in, then set up to weld.

After buzzing the root with a wire wheel to clean up any rust, he started welding. When he finished the cap, he stood and looked back. They were still talking.

‘Shit! We need that weld done for Ben to get moving.’ John thought to himself.

He walked down the pipe, until he was in audible range and ask “Pixy, you want me to finish that one? It’s all we lack for Ben to get moving.”

Petra nodded to her, at which she said “Yes, please.”

John hopped out of the ditch and looked for her settings. 128 amps, 27 volts. A bit on the hot side of the WPS, but in range, he jumped back down, then took her #stinger from her, setting up to start.

After the pair moved out, he lost himself again, entering his zen zone as the miniature arc sun crawled slowly up the pipe wall. It didn’t take him long before he was done. Jose and Mary had already returned from his other welds, Mary checked her calibration while Jose did the final visual.

After the weld area cooled enough, Mary got busy. John saw a small area of slag inclusion on the screen, and started to put a cutting wheel on his grinder. John heard Pixy say “Shit, sorry John, I felt it, but tried to burn it out, I thought I did.”

Interesting, she knows how to read an S scan as well, he thought to himself, Mary must be teaching her on the side.

John piped up, “No problem, it’s small, so it shouldn’t take long. Just remember not to try burning it out next time.”

Mary raised her head, “It’s borderline acceptable.”

John said, “Mark it up anyway.” So, she did.

He looked over at Jose, “What’s our budget on repairs?”