Roy Orbison - "Leah"

A bricklayer shows up for work on time to find his supplies, finally, arrived. The skid of dark bricks sit in a neat pile like a present, or a meal. Probably dropped off by some young forklift driver just before dawn. He works hard into the morning, the sun like an annoying but warm friend, the dew making the work wet and bright. He sits on a stool stuck in the mud, his back no longer able to handle the crouching. The work is slower, but so it goes. Three windows, two holes for piping, trim on the windows, and irregular inlays. Between post-sanding the bricks and waiting for more mortar, only so much can get done in a day. A couple of text messages, a bagel and an orange, two coffees and almost a litre of water, a busted trowel and not a single cigarette. A few pages of Fahrenheit 451, a sexy look from one of the neighbours, a terrible joke from the foreman with a lengthy pretend laugh, and still all the trim and the inlays done. Slower, my foot. Getting better and better. [Buy]