I dropped the pile of wood at my foreman’s feet, then leant back, taking off my
hard hat and wiping my forehead in one smooth motion. He frowned at me over the top of his clipboard. ‘Is there a reason you almost took off my toe with those supplies?’
‘Yes,’ I nodded, hard hat re-affixed. ‘I need you to sign off on them.’
‘What? Why?’
‘I just ducked out and grabbed them,’ I explained. ‘Didn’t have the company card, so I had to swipe the personal plastic. Just need some reimbursement, that’s all.’
‘What the hell are you talking about?’ he growled, crossing his arms and turning his full body towards me. ‘Who told you to do that?’
‘Nobody,’ I grinned. ‘I noticed we were running low, so I took the initiative.’
‘We aren’t…’ he trailed off with a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. ‘What do you see behind me?’
I frowned, craning to look over his shoulder. ‘The site?’
‘Yes,’ he sighed. ‘The site. On which we are constructing the frame of this building.’
‘Right,’ I nodded. ‘So?’
‘Notice anything about that frame?’ he asked me.
I shook my head slowly.
‘Well,’ he said with another sigh. ‘Mostly the important thing is that it is complete.’
‘Ah,’ I said, it dawning on me. ‘So, we weren’t running out of the timber…’
‘We were finished with them, yes,’ the foreman nodded. ‘And you didn’t need to run off and buy building supplies near Cheltenham.’
‘I see,’ I nodded slowly.
‘Good,’ the foreman said. ‘I hope you like building birdhouses or something… that’s a lot of timber.’
‘So the company isn’t going to pay me for it?’ I frowned. ‘But, I—’
‘Bought it with your personal card, at no instruction from me,’ the foreman frowned. ‘I didn’t ask you to clean out the local Cheltenham hardware shop, did I?’
‘No, but—’
‘Then we agree,’ he nodded again. ‘Enjoy your wood, son.’
‘Okay,’ I sighed, glumly, bending down to begin collecting it up.
‘One more thing.’
‘Yes?’ I looked up, hopeful.
‘No more initiative,’ he shook his head. ‘It doesn’t suit you.’