Another story from my past

You ever do something trying to do what your supposed to do but, funny crap happened anyway?

When I was 18 years old and working my first job there was a 50ish guy who was un-showered but really a nice guy. We talked a lot and we got along together real good. His name was Mike but everybody called him Waldo. The only problem I had was the Foreman Dennis Knill an ex-Marine and Viet Nam vet was always hollerin at us for talking. He was of an old school that said "if your talkin you ain't workin". Well Mike and I would often work side by side tearing off roofs and stuff, or clean ups. Problem is I would be a workin, and Mike would be a talkin, me a listenin. And as God apparently would have it, crap happens.

The first time I remember something happening was we were up a 3 story house tearing off roofing which we had completed in a timely manner and were in the process of cleaning up the little nails that are used on cedar shake shingles. Mike was leaning hand in valley a yakkin(14/12 pitch roof,very steep), I took a swing with my hammer, I missed and whack! Hit the back of his hand with the claw of my hammer. Of course Mike says Ow! I apologized profusely. Luckily it drew no blood. I still get a little queasy when I think about it. Of course being of a perfectionist nature I had mastered the art of complete sensory observation by then. I felt it in my bones you might say. He forgave me but moved a little further away thankfully.

The next time, we were again up on a tall house and I got him in the leg with a potato fork. For the uninitiated if you don't know what a potato fork is, it is like a shovel only it has four very heavy duty prongs like a big fork on it designed initially for digging up potatoes. I hit him hard....scratched him. Ow! He forgave me.

The next time I was on the roof shingling.... I looked down and yelled and threw a piece of 90 pound rolled roofing off, Mike was cleaning up.......You can't imagine the horror I felt as the shingle I aimed to land 15 feet away flew like a guided missile only the target became his head.......

The next time.... Then after the next time. My God!!!! 2nd to last time he threw his hat on the ground. By now the whole crew was roaring. They new that there was no way this could be real. It was all coincidence wasn't it? The last time.....He was coming up the ladder after me. Everyone was laughing the foreman on the roof was meeting him at the top and the ground foreman was following him up the ladder. We were all laughing but to tell you the truth I was trapped. No jumping off of 20 foot high buildings. We finally got him calmed down.

From then on I would specifically scream and I do mean scream "Mike!", and he would answer "yeah", I'd say; "where you at''?, he'd say, ""I'm over here!, I'd say; "I'm throwing a piece down!"; and he'd duck and cover.

We got over it. At the Christmas party that year. I was surprised at how well he cleans up.