The Wall

23

“Luvoyo, the ladder. Peter, grab the materials. Mcebisi, the tools. Fezile, additional supplies. Eddie, you’re on watch. Let’s go, chaps.” Rob van der Merwe clapped his hands. “Hi, Mr. Bartlett,” he said more softly. He held his hand out to a fat man wearing a white button-down shirt and light blue shorts. Spots of sweat on his chest and under his arms.

“Hi,” Mr. Bartlett said. “How long will it take?”

“Less than two hours. We have to make sure it’s tight. That’ll take longer than the actual work.”

“Friggin’ monkeys. I have to go back to work, but for you, this is good business.”

“It’s okay. It’ll take some extra effort on your part, but I always recommend not setting the trash right out at the door. It belongs on the other side of the gate, outside.”

“Coffee?”

“Too hot.”

“Water? Laziness. Where the trash is concerned.”

“That would be great. I know. But that’s how you’re attracting the monkeys. And if they jump around your roof long enough, you’ll need my help. Thank you.” Van der Merwe grinned as he took the glass and drained the cold water in a single gulp. “I better go back out and make sure everything’s going okay out there. You know how it is. Better to be overly careful.”

“Nothing’s more important than control. You don’t need to tell me that.”

Van der Merwe picked a spot where he could keep an eye on his workers. A small thing, really. Just needed to trade out a few shingles. Actually, the entire roof needed to be replaced. But people pushed off stuff like that, preferring to take care of the small repairs while clinging to the hope of being able to postpone the larger investment. Who could blame them in these hard times?

“Don’t daydream, Mcebisi!” he shouted. “Get to work. We’re getting paid for the work we do, not the time we waste. And don’t forget we have to be in Amalinda around 3:30. So…”

He was going to have to have a chat with Mcebisi about coming to work without his overalls. That was the only thing he demanded of them. Never without overalls. And the idiot had also lost the cloth he used to protect his head from the sun. Without it, he’d get sunstroke up there on the roof.

Of course, he also demanded punctuality. And thoroughness. Sometimes it was enough to drive you crazy.