Weekly Writing Prompt No. 85. Sandy looked at the flight of stairs with trepidation! It looked long and it looked hard but she’d promised Jack she would make the effort. With a sigh she lifted her right leg and pulled herself up, her gammy leg landing beside it. What was it Neil Armstrong said when he walked on the moon? One small step..!
Brad had worked for me for a few years. We worked well together, and he enjoyed the work we did. In time, like all lads. He needed more money than a labourer’s wage. I encouraged him to go out alone. I would always be there to lend a hand if he needed it. The first year I helped him with many jobs until he was fully confident. After a while the only phone call I got was when he had a kitchen to fit. They are the hardest thing to do. The rooms are almost never square, and they need to stand close inspection. In other words, you need to work to half millimetre accuracy. Everything is very expensive and if you make a mistake, you can throw away a £400 work top. The phone calls usually came when Brad had fitted all the cabinetry and there were only the worktops left to cut. This meant I got all the stress. Brads excuse was always that he didn’t have the jig to cut them with. I walked into the kitchen and put the jig on the table. I told him that I had shown him how to fit worktops so many times that this time I was going to watch him do it. I was going to be the labourer. His face dropped and his usual happy look was replaced by a look of sheer terror. He told me he didn’t know where to start. I said of course you do; you are just waiting for me to confirm it. So, get on and do the job. I said I would stop him if I saw anything wrong. I checked his measurements as he went along. I checked he set the tools up right. I watched him make the first cut. I watched everything. It was so frustrating. He was triple checking everything and taking so long before he made each cut. I was doing all the labouring jobs that he would normally have done while I did the cutting. Time was going on but he was getting more relaxed as each bit was cut and fitted. In the end we finished an hour or so later than usual, but the job was as good as anyone could wish for. All the joints were tight and invisible. I poured us both a cup of coffee. I hadn’t had to intervene at all. Brad said he would still ask me to come and help with the next kitchen to boost his confidence. I told him that he could do the job as well as me, but he was right he needed to have the confidence to do it. Next time I sent my present labourer, so he had back up, but had to rely on his own knowledge. Of course. I would still be on the phone in an emergency. I must have trained him well because I never did get a call.
I love this story Arthur clearly you subscribe to the view that love is often allowing someone to do something themselves, rather than having it done for them.
CONFIDENCE IS THE KEY.
Brad had worked for me for a few years. We worked well together, and he enjoyed the work we did. In time, like all lads. He needed more money than a labourer’s wage. I encouraged him to go out alone. I would always be there to lend a hand if he needed it. The first year I helped him with many jobs until he was fully confident. After a while the only phone call I got was when he had a kitchen to fit. They are the hardest thing to do. The rooms are almost never square, and they need to stand close inspection. In other words, you need to work to half millimetre accuracy. Everything is very expensive and if you make a mistake, you can throw away a £400 work top. The phone calls usually came when Brad had fitted all the cabinetry and there were only the worktops left to cut. This meant I got all the stress. Brads excuse was always that he didn’t have the jig to cut them with. I walked into the kitchen and put the jig on the table. I told him that I had shown him how to fit worktops so many times that this time I was going to watch him do it. I was going to be the labourer. His face dropped and his usual happy look was replaced by a look of sheer terror. He told me he didn’t know where to start. I said of course you do; you are just waiting for me to confirm it. So, get on and do the job. I said I would stop him if I saw anything wrong. I checked his measurements as he went along. I checked he set the tools up right. I watched him make the first cut. I watched everything. It was so frustrating. He was triple checking everything and taking so long before he made each cut. I was doing all the labouring jobs that he would normally have done while I did the cutting. Time was going on but he was getting more relaxed as each bit was cut and fitted. In the end we finished an hour or so later than usual, but the job was as good as anyone could wish for. All the joints were tight and invisible. I poured us both a cup of coffee. I hadn’t had to intervene at all. Brad said he would still ask me to come and help with the next kitchen to boost his confidence. I told him that he could do the job as well as me, but he was right he needed to have the confidence to do it. Next time I sent my present labourer, so he had back up, but had to rely on his own knowledge. Of course. I would still be on the phone in an emergency. I must have trained him well because I never did get a call.
I love this story Arthur clearly you subscribe to the view that love is often allowing someone to do something themselves, rather than having it done for them.