Never Again – 17

 

Joseph tried not to laugh at the look on Cal's face the next morning. He'd arrived on time, and dressed to work, both of which quite obviously surprised the man. "Did you expect me to show up in designer coveralls instead of used ones?" he asked.

Cal barely nodded. "Truth? Yeah, I think I did. You ready?"

"I'm here and not just to stand around. Are we taking both cars?"

"Mine's a truck and you can follow me. That way when you're ready to fall on your face, I won't have to drive you back here."

"You don't think much of my dedication, do you, Cal?"

Cal turned to look at him, eyeing him from head to toe. "Well, you dressed the part but time will tell if it's all for show." He walked to a large, well-used 4x4 parked in the drive next to the house. "We're going about a mile from here, so keep up."

"Ass," Joseph muttered under his breath as he got into his car.

* * * *

"Is it safe to presume the house has been cleared of any toxic materials?" Joseph asked when he donned the gloves and cap Cal handed him. He was already wearing the disposable suit with its elasticized cuffs Cal had given him to put on over his own clothes. "And where is everyone else?"

Cal smiled a trifle maliciously. "We're 'everyone'. The house has been gutted and decontaminated, the old furniture's been removed, and now we're to the point of doing one last surface cleaning prior to putting up new Sheetrock. I figure between the two of us we should be able to do it, which frees up the rest of my crew to start on the next place."

Joseph nodded. "Does Rebuild NOLA own these properties?"

"Yep." Cal handed him a stiff-bristled broom. "Start in there"—he thumbed toward one of the rooms—"work from the ceiling down to get rid of all the residual bits of insulation, drywall, and mold. If you find any nails still in the framing pull them out or bend them in. And for God's sake, go get a damned respirator."

It took Joseph a moment to find one in the safety area outside the house. Returning, he started to work. By the time two hours went by, his arms ached, he was covered with dust and dirt, and was sweating profusely. He took a quick glance into the next room where Cal was working and vowed if the man could keep on with what he was doing then he for damned sure wasn't going to quit either.

Noon had passed and then some when Cal finally came in to inspect what Joseph had managed to complete. Leaning against the doorjamb, he slowly scanned the area. Finally, grudgingly Joseph thought from his tone of voice, Cal lifted his respirator to say, "I'm impressed. Let's take a break."

Joseph smiled slightly, setting his tools down in one corner of the smaller room he'd moved to once he'd finished the larger one. "Sounds good to me. I'll admit I'm starving. Besides which"—he rubbed one shoulder—"I think I've found muscles I didn't even know I had." The latter statement was pretty much an act. Yes, he ached, but being what he was, it wasn't nearly as bad as he was pretending.

"Come on then. I'll even buy your lunch, rich boy," Cal told him with what almost passed as a grin.

"Boy?" Joseph shook his head as he followed Cal to the cleanup area. Stripping off the suit, he tossed it in the covered bin Cal pointed to. The gloves and shoe covers went on a low table next to a row of hooks, one of which held the coveralls he'd arrived in. "You could have warned me all I needed was a pair of shorts and a tank," he grumbled, wishing he'd worn them under his coveralls, not jeans and a tee.

"Now where would the fun have been in that? Besides, you're supposed to be smart enough to know what the heat is like at this time of year. Now wash up thoroughly and let's get moving."