Mike was thirty-three, ruggedly handsome, happily married, the father or two, and trying to get his construction business up and running. He had worked construction since he was sixteen and had gotten his degree from college. About fifteen months ago Mike went out on his own, hoping to become a large, independent contractor. He worked long, hard hours but th...
The fucker across the hall would not stop playing Beethoven. Its pissing me off. It's three in the morning, I'm tired as hell, I have to get up at 6:00 AM, and the new neighbor doesn't understand the fucking building rules. I groan and pull my pillow over my head, trying to drone out the noise from across the hall. I have yet to see this damn new neighbor,...
They had been on the same tour of the Frank Lloyd Wright house and studio in Oak Park, Illinois, and then they'd passed each other or sighted each other from the distance while both were strolling through the area picking out and observing the other houses Wright had designed and that had been constructed in what was now just a far suburb of Chicago. They w...
(This story is inspired by the work of a good friend. I thank her for the inspiration, and hope she'll be inclined to share her work as well, which was, in my opinion, far superior to the present piece. Thanks.) * * * * * James paused outside the kitchen, closing his eyes. The wonderful smell of cooking food met him, his mouth beginning to water. He coul...
"I don't need no warrant to tell you to take off your shirt, Alfonse. And I don't really need for you to take off your shirt for both you and me to know that you have an all-color arm sleeve tattoo, do we?" The black pawnbroker stood there, behind the cash register in his junk-packed store and stared belligerently back at Phil. There was a touch of fear in...
It was summer and that meant that school was out and I needed a job to pay for the next bout of tuition in the fall. An advisor recommended that I work in construction as those sorts of gigs tended to pick up in the summer and would help me get a different perspective on my major. I thought why not? I sure would love to build some muscle and return fall seme...
The summer after I graduated from college, I needed a job, just until I started grad school in the fall. I didn't really have a lot of qualifications, and my short time frame ruled out a lot of options. So I applied for every job I could possibly do, and that's how I ended up at the offices of Mecham Construction. They had posted an ad for a Foreman's Assist...
Dear Readers, This is the second installment of this series. Sorry that it's taken so long. This installment is a bit lengthier. I've enjoyed going on this ride with the protagonist. I hope you come along. This is not a stand alone, so please read the first chapter. As always, comments are appreciated! ~M * Shock does not even begin to compute with wha...
Because the boy pushing the large cement-laden wheelbarrow was exceptionally attractive I'd been delightfully spending every day sitting in the sun. He'd nodded and smiled the first time we made eye contact; assuring me I'd be spending my Summer Break in the garden. Although he was very good looking, his magnificently sculpted and tanned body, glistening wi...
When the scheme first got started, it seemed to be no big deal, really. By then there wasn't anything to protect and after the first time as part of the boarding house service there wasn't that much to be embarrassed about either. My family came to Asheville when I was just ten. For me, it was an improvement over the dreary coal mining towns of western Penn...