Chapter 3

When John pulled up to the job trailer, he saw everyone standing around joking and smoking. What the fuck is going on now he thought. Stepping out of his rig he repeated his thoughts in a loud voice “What the fuck is going on, why is everyone just standing around?”

Bobby, a little weasel looking man shouted “we’re waiting to see the stripper.”

John looks at him and said, “no, you’re waiting to hand me your brass, you’re out of here Bobby, effective immediately.”

Bobby looked at him with an angry face and said “I’ll be filing a grievance on you ya prick. You can’t talk to me that way!”

John just shook his head, and said “you apparently missed your sexual harassment training. I suggest you call your steward and ask ‘her’ what she thinks about it, and before you go to lying, do remember I wear this body cam on this site, for just this kind of reason at that. I seriously doubt Dorothy is going to agree with you.”

John pulls out his cell phone and looks up a number then hits dial and immediately the speaker phone. After it picks up he said “Dorothy, John here, I’ve got you on speaker, remember Alex that your hall sent out yesterday?

“Yes, a good welder that one is” came the reply. “She called in and let me know what all happened yesterday. Thanks for standing up for one of my people.”

Everyone standing around got a puzzled look on their faces, especially Bobby.

Dorothy then continued, “is there something else you’re calling about?”

“Unfortunately, yes there is, I have another one of your hands here that took offense for my telling him he was fired after he’d informed me he was standing around the Job trailer waiting to see the ‘stripper’ in reference to Alex.

Dorothy then ask “is he listening in?”

“Yes” John replied.

She then said, “Bobby, you better be back at the hall soon” then hung up.

Bobby shot a hateful look at John “you fucking scab bastard, this shit wouldn’t happen on a real union job!”

John replied, “so you’re saying on a ‘real union job,’ it’s OK to harass and talk trash to your sisters? Good to know that” as he fingered his body cam.

One of the other hands pulled him away before he could sink himself any futher. After Bobby took off in his rig, the rest of them went out towards the line, at least, all but the trencher operator.

“What can I do for you?” John asked the man.

“We got some problems on the trench.”

“Shit, what kind of problems?” At which he was handed a thumb drive.

“That’s the data feed from the trencher. I’m assuming you have the means to read it.”

John nodded his head, looking around he noticed Pixy’s rig by the trailer along with Jose’s.

“Come on inside,” he said as he waved the operator to follow him.

When he opened the door, he saw Pixy and Jose waiting on him. He said “wait one guys, I need to look at this now.” They both nodded as he went into his office.

John powered up his laptop and got a cup of coffee from his thermos while he waited. He looked at the operator and said “want one?” At the nod, John reached into his desk and pulled out a stack of Styrofoam cups, then handed both the thermos and the cups to the man.

His laptop pinged letting him know it was ready, he brought up the survey software then loaded the thumbdrive.

He turned to the man and said, “Sorry, but I don’t see you enough to remember your name, what is it again?”

The man replied, “name’s Ben.”

“Well Ben, this here machine is all dressed up for the party, so how about telling me what I’m looking for?”

Ben replied, “that looks like my machines interface, mind if I drive for a moment?” He said as he pointed at the laptop.

John picked up his coffee and vacated his seat.

After Ben sat, he brought up the ground penetrating radar and magnetic earth resistance probe data. He then overlaid the GPS data. Looking on John immediately saw the problem. The resistance readings had peaked to a density of hard rock, and the GPR, was confirming it.

John looked at Ben and ask “how wide is it?”

Ben replied, “we took manual scans to the limit of the permit track, it looks like a subterranean rock shelf. The only way we are getting through that is blasting.”

“Well shit, the surveyors fucked us again. They show the track clear to the pumping station down to fifty feet.”

Looking Ben in the eye, John ask, “I’m guessing your crews are now at a standstill?” to which Ben nodded in the affirmative. John said, “I need a core drilled into the rock to confirm this, so take the drill rig out with you and give me a core, at least three feet of rock for the geogeeks to play with. When you get done with that, give me a manual scan to the limit of the permit, and at least twenty yards past the lip of the shelf or it ends one. Then go ahead and knock everyone off for the day. As per the contract, tomorrow and until further notice, it will be show up pay, then going home.” Ben nods then heads out the door.

John knows this is a VP level call so he loads the data up in an email, then types out a synopsis and sends it on.

He then synchs his phone with the company email and shuts everything down.

John then walks out of his office, Jose notes the glint in his eyes and stays silent.

John ask, “Jose, how long we been running together?”

Jose replied “ever since that cluster fuck in Peru, so just better than twenty years I’d say.”

John ask another question “was there ever a project we didn’t get fucked by the eggheads or the suits?”

“Nope, it’s like clockwork, at least one time per project, as a matter of fact, this one has been making me nervous for that reason” Jose replied.

John said, “well you can relax on that count. I just got informed who boned us and how” then followed up by describing what had happened.

Jose just shook his head and said “fuck me running, every damn time.”

John then looked at Pixy and said, “I can’t turn you loose around the crews after this morning, so you will be my helper while I test, then we will tandem welds on the line after my test results come in. You OK with that?”

I’m OK fetching coffee as long as I get my normal pay” she replied.

John liked her attitude. Let’s get moving then. Walking outside he moved his rig over by the testing area, then began setting up. Pixy was a good welder, but she sucked at being a helper, constantly being underfoot. So he finally said “I know you didn’t have much sleep, so crawl up in your rig and catch a nap while I weld this out. At least one of us needs to be awake when we get to the firing line.” She nods and crawls into the back of her rigs crewcab. John then hears a small engine start up somewhere in the back of her rig. What the hell is that he thought?

Soon it passes, he looks over the WPS even though he has it memorized by now. Getting up in his rig, he sets the parameters on his machine then fires it up. Jose comes back carrying his coupon and rod oven. John sets them on his pipe stand, then plugs in his grinder to the drop cord. He sets the pipe halves on the stand then clamps them together with a pipe vice of his own making, then gage checked for proper gap. All is set.