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game! Big game! Wings played Toronto! Really big game! Helluva big rivalry, y’know! Wings and Maple Leafs! I was as dumb… as anyone else! Dumber than most! But, you’d be surprised! Eric’s a big-time fan! Big time! Really big time!”

“Big-time? That’s a funny expression.”

“You know what I mean! Eric was really in to the game! Still is!”

“In to the game? Jason? Jason, there are so many times . . . when you talk so funny. So absolutely peculiar!”

He was trying his best—to simply ignore her two most-recent comments! “Anyway,” he expounded, “Eric explained the rules, to me! Pretty thorough… my education was, that night! There’s not all that much to learn, anyway. Basically, you just want to put the puck in the other guy’s net. Not much to learn… outside of that. Just, maybe, what offside is. And how you ice the puck, is all. I was just trying to explain two or three, of the finer points, to you… is all.”

He endeavored to change the subject! Quickly! And to another subject, altogether!

“I start my new job… on Monday!”

“Your new job? I thought you were going to stay, with Eric!”

“I am! It’s just that, this job… the one we’ve been working on… it wraps up tomorrow. We start the new one… Herman Gardens . . . on Monday! Big job! Much bigger… than the one we’ve been working on. The one on West Chicago. As I understand it, we’re just one… one of a whole bunch of companies, who’ll be out there. I think that the project kicked off… last Monday! Supposed to be two or three companies… out there now! Already working on it.”

“Sounds like a really complicated thing!”

“It is! I don’t pretend to know all that much about it. But… according to Eric… it’s supposed to be a combination county/state thing. City of Detroit is supposed to have its finger in there, too… somewhere. Don’t know exactly where . . . or how much. I doubt Eric knows, But, the Feds are also in there… again, somewhere. Probably primarily! They usually are. Eric figures that the housing situation, in Detroit, is second most important… to manufacturing all kinds of war stuff. If you can’t house the workers… you won’t have enough workers! Not enough… to turn out all the war stuff, they need! And there’s already a pretty stiff housing shortage, here. And it only figures, I guess… to get worse! So the federal government, I guess… they’ve got more than a passing interest, in the housing situation here! Like you say… it’s complicated! Complicated as hell!”

Hopefully. throwing his employment picture in—would lead to Valerie throwing her concern for his “strange, unusual” vernacular out! Hopefully!

Oh yes! The Red Wings defeated the Rangers—by a score of 5-2!

TWENTY TWO

Monday morning—on the new job! Hoo boy—was this proving to be different! The immense—almost unimaginable—size, and scope, of the Herman Gardens project, had simply dwarfed Eric’s company’s previous endeavors! All of them! Most especially, the one which had introduced Jason—to “The Wonderful (Physical) World of Construction”.

There were so many other attendant entities! Fellow construction forces! Many other companies involved! Ranging from large corporations, to various smaller, mostly-privately-owned, businesses! This vast, complex—this complicated, far-reaching, construction, of more than 2000 family dwellings—depended, by necessity, upon a whole different “hybrid breed”, within the industry.

Whereas the single-floor, industrial, plant—on West Chicago—had been comprised, of mostly brick and mortar (almost 100%—except for the roof), these, many-and-varied, two-story, four-family, entities were to be made up, of an almost-unimaginable, complex, series of mixtures! Most of them would, surely, be constructed of brick/mortar—and various amounts of wood. Other units would require shingles—of varying colors and patterns.

There would be an unfathomable number of different floor plans! Who could, possibly, have come up with such a master plan—such as this?

Therefore, when Our Hero was given, by some government entity, the “golden opportunity” to seek to qualify—as a bona fide carpenter—he “discovered”, anew, that he’d had no more natural talent for carpentry, than for any other mechanical (or electrical) undertaking! Actually, as indicated, this was not really a discovery! It was merely a resounding reaffirmation!

So, he was back to being a common laborer! No bargain—at best! The fact turned out to be—that this time, on this project—the laborer’s “position” encompassed a good deal more than “what he was used to”! Much more, to this job—than “merely” lugging around untold numbers of bricks! In truth, his final three “softie” days, on West Chicago, had kind of “spoiled” him. Virtually all of the brickwork had been completed, by then—which allowed Our Boy a good deal, of welcomed “simply sitting around” time!

In this strange, new, undreamed-of, venue—his “lugging around” role wound up being greatly expanded! Vastly, expanded! Vastly!

Not only were there the expected, endless number, of bricks to be distributed—but a copious amount of lumber, to be toted! Everything—bricks, mortar, and all things else—seemed to be built of (and around) scads of two-by-fours! Heavy two-by-fours! Very heavy two-by-fours! Lots of them! A person just about had to be Paul Bunyan—to survive!

Then, there were a bountiful number, of varied other, (mostly-very-heavy, many-times-unwieldy) items! A vast variety—such as commodes and sinks! And, of course, there were miles, of heavy, lead, pipes—necessary to connect all those ultra-modern plumbing “wonders” together! This is not to even mention the mind-boggling array of such things—as medicine cabinets! Bathtubs! Faucets! Showerheads!

There were, also, tons of electric wire! Some thin! Some thick! Some more than thick! All heavy! All manner of electrical stuff! Things—which Jason would never understand their use! Any of their usage! Ever! Presumably, in the mix, would’ve been such necessary items—as connection boxes! And fuse boxes!

Of course, there was an amazing variety, of light fixtures! Chandeliers—some fancier than others! Those made Our Hero wonder—who would be fortunate enough, to snag one of the ornate ones! What would be required—to secure such a “priority”!

And there was more! Fortunately, stuff that was not all that weighty, thank goodness! Bulky box, upon bulky box, upon bulky box, upon bulky box—of light bulbs—for instance! Light-in-weight, electrical, bulbs! One took one’s little

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