This clown working beside him never kept his mouth shut

he couldnt say the number of times he stopped  leaned on his shovel  and looked him 

straight in the face

imagining   he bludgeoned him with it

the sweet arc of that long woodhandled spade coming around and cracking him on the

back of his skull

putting one of them out of their misery

the imagining refreshed him

turned on a vivid white noise in his head

drowning out the clowns Whites right White Race RushLimbo-inspired gobbling in his

ears

saying he was snarky would be a compliment

he was a young man

and still

he couldnt imagine how hed gotten this far

working with small crews would help

 

as he did  so he wouldnt have to listen the horseshit bigger businesses plied

small businesses needed someone they could count on to show work their hours and

pickup their paychecks Friday night

if you could conscientiously oblige them day in day out week in week out

didnt cheat them

or they cheat you

it usually worked out nicely

it worked out nice  inevitably

until you asked for a raise

--   You really want to go ahead and ruin this deal

--   No  I really want a larger portion of what youre making off my labor

Or you can show me your billings or estimates and prove me wrong

--   When I worked for a man I never asked for a raise  And I appreciated my raise when

I earned it

--   See many raises

--

--   No  You didnt  And thats you  I simply want more of the money you make on me

Lets not be greedy you dont have a man in the field that outworks me

You have me work alone because no one else you have can keep up with me

You toss me an occasion lackey and in a couple of weeks hes gone too

Still works for you

But with someone else  on another crew

These men talk worse than senile old ladies

Your men

and the next Friday

he would ask his worth on a Friday

hed have his raise

and disregarding their sneer  hed thank them as if the raise had been their idea all 

along

some of them even came away from the raise saying it was their idea

theyd coopt it

 

but the following year

--   You really want to ruin this deal

he often wondered if they had bad short-term or long-term memory

he remembered no matter which they conferred the end of their spectrum

--   Yup  Ey knows wha eym talkin bout

--   I wished you worked as hard as you talked

If that spade youre holding would throw half as much dirt as your mouth this trench 

would have been cut a day ago

--   Ey talks becuz ya nevar does

--   No  I aint paid to talk

--   Then ya can listens

--   I aint paid to listen either

--   Eys sayin true things  How can ya not listens to true things

--   Your true things smack of lies  as I understand the truth of your things

--   Ma true things are true  Honest-to-Goddess

he put the back of his dirty hand to his mouth to muffle a snort

--   Honest-to-Goddess

--   Fuckin A

--   Because a feminine god a womanly god  would attest to your lies

Or  theyre lies  and you wouldnt have an Honest-to-God support them

And I dont think youd jeopardise your White Faith

Youre too weak to stand alone Honest-to-God

--   Wha

--   You understand me

Im done working with you 

Ill finish the trench on my own faster than with you

So roll back into town Stop at Weeds Likely hell put you on another crew tomorrow

And if he asks what transpired out here

and you lie

Honest-to-Your-God  Ill hear about it and well have our own Day of Reckoning

 

Mothwings and all

he went back to his spade

his back to the clown

and watched his shadow on the dirt  late in the day  long shadows

he was pretty sure he had the cut of his cloth but sometimes people  as people do   

surprise you

he almost dug his way beyond his the shadow before it moved silently away towards

his truck parked under the trees

so silent  he could hear fallen leaves break under his boots

 

Silence  was probably the best partner hed ever have

the raucous old shakin half-ton marred it

but give it a minute and itd be back

                                                             

Honest-to-Goddess

what a clown

 

0051,  Friday,  24  10. 14