Humor

The New Apprentice Gets Pranked

The Daily Word #45: Gaudy (372 word count)

Nano Banaba -generated image for the author Jim Parsons

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Sixteen-year-old Pete Gaudron had been told that, as a new apprentice on the building site, he would have to bear a long sequence of practical jokes to win the team’s acceptance. He was keen to belong, understood this was standard practice –nothing personal — and felt he already was accepted when they automatically shortened his name,

“Hey, Gaudy!” one of the old hands had yelled on his first day on the job. “Can you go to the foreman’s site office and tell him to give you six inches of population rod?”

He dutifully did and came back red-faced to hoots and thigh-slapping.

He was still unwary when the foreman himself, Trevor, called him over to do a task.

“This spirit level is buggered; the bubble has disappeared,” Trevor said. “Will you slip down to the hardware store and buy a new bubble for the level. Put it on the account.”

He earned smirks from the guys at the hardware store — they had heard this one every year. “You the new apprentice, mate?”

He nevertheless was enjoying the work and learning new skills. Trevor seemed happy with his environment.

“We start the concrete pour for the raft foundation next week. Do you have gumboots at home. You need calf-length boots for safety; no sneakers or work boots.”

Pete admitted that he didn’t own such a thing.

“OK, you better get some before we start the pour. Make sure you get the regulation red ones. It is an O H and S factor.”

With some difficulty he located a pair and brought them to work the following week. When the first concrete truck pulled in, he pulled them on. It did not take long to realize that everyone was wearing white or grey boots.

Soon the comments started flying: “Ooh, nice boots, Gaudy!” “Did ya steal anything else from Little Red Riding Hood?”

Pete spun on them and shouted, “Are you pushing me to suicide?”

They all laughed.

That evening, he made sure he was last man off the site. He pushed the tops of the boots deep into the freshly-poured concrete and left them sticking out from the ankles down. Then he took the next day off work.

[embed]The Daily Word #45 Thursday, July 9thmedium.com

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