HOM: Patchwork 2

When Taff's chores were caught up, Bill put us to work patching potholes, which the city streets were peppered with. We'd pull the truck over to the batch plant, a load of hot mix would be dumped in, and the double trio of Stooges and Idiot Sticks would head for whatever area Bill deemed the Holiest. If there were a lot of holes, we'd all pitch in, shoveling the holes full of asphalt and raking them down so there was just a slight hump. If there was a line of holes, I'd drive slowly while Dale & Clint shoveled and raked. If there was a single hole, one of us would hop out and work it over. Clint. He had a friend at the City Airport, & arranged a discount for a flight for Lyn & I over the valley. It was a lovely, breezeless summer day and circling the valley was exhilarating. I even got to take the controls, but was too chicken to do much more than hold it on course. I learned that I felt safer in small planes than big ones, but ain't sure why. We worked fairly well together, but I always suspected Clint of popping Speed -- first thing in the morning he was a working fool, by noon he was slow, by afternoon, he was burned out and nodding off with the shovel as a prop. We had a few incidents ... once he told me he'd laced my coffee with speed. I told that was fine with me, I'd use the extra adrenaline to pulverize him. I guess he was joking. The last time we clashed, it was towards the end of summer and late in the day and he was burned out. There was a single pothole in the street and he was by the door so I asked him if he'd hop out and repair it. He said "Make me!" That was kinda the final straw for me. I hopped out, went around, and opened his door. When I reached for him, he looked at me, said "You don't know how to take a joke, do you?" and proceeded to get out and do the shovel/rake thing. I was kinda glad when that job ended. TBC (Me) (Blacktail Books)