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‘It probably mentioned forklift trucks, too, but there’s no way you’re helping yourself to one of those either. If health and safety had turned up and seen you, they’d have shut us down so fast, we wouldn’t even have had time to turn the machinery off.’
‘I didn’t do it for fun,’ I retort. ‘John sent someone to fetch me, and he told me he needed to show me something. I thought I was doing the right thing!’
‘Yeah, well, you weren’t. And as for John, I’m going to talk to him now.’ He turns away from me and practically runs up the ladder. After a moment or two, feeling everyone’s eyes still on me, I beat a hasty retreat to the office, angry tears of humiliation already burning my cheeks.
18
‘Right, I think we can safely assume John knows he did the wrong thing,’ Noah informs me as he stomps into the site office, banging the door behind him. ‘Are you OK?’
‘Of course I’m not OK!’ I exclaim. ‘You made me feel like a complete idiot in front of pretty much everyone. How was I supposed to know I needed to be ladder trained? I don’t even like bloody ladders, but I knew John would never respect me if I didn’t go up there, and then you arrived and started bellowing at me like I was a naughty toddler, as if I wasn’t scared enough already.’
‘I’m sorry. I knew John would try something like this to see what you were made of, and it was obvious, watching you climb, that you weren’t comfortable. It was the only way I could think of to save you from having to go all the way to the top without the lads thinking I was giving you special treatment.’
‘If that’s you saving my bacon, I can do without it, thanks.’
‘Look, I know it doesn’t feel like it now, but it’s actually worked out for the best. The lads all saw you climbing, and they respect you for that. For all they know, you would have gone all the way to the top if I hadn’t come over all heavy-handed with the health and safety stuff. You’ve gone up a great deal in their estimation, honestly. Having said that, please don’t do it again until you’re properly trained.’ He smiles.
‘I’d happily never go up a ladder again in my life.’
‘It kind of comes with the territory, being on a building site, so I can’t guarantee you’ll never have to do it. It does get easier with practice, though, but there is an online course you must do to keep the health and safety people off our backs. If it’s any consolation, the lad who came to fetch you was terrified of heights when he first started, but you’d never know it now.’
He can obviously see the scepticism on my face because he laughs. ‘We’ll build you up slowly,’ he assures me, before turning on his heel and disappearing back outside.
I’m reflecting on what he said as I dig out the order for the roof trusses and compare it to the delivery note. I’m surprised to see that they both match, which is bad news because it means I’m going to have to find John again and get him to explain to me what the differences are between the order and what actually arrived. Reluctantly, I grab my hard hat and head back towards the scene of my earlier humiliation.
‘Can I help you, love?’ one of the workmen asks as I approach the house.
‘I’m looking for John. Is he still here?’ I’d love to tell him that I’m not his ‘love’, but I don’t have the energy for another fight today.
‘We’ve got a few Johns on site. Which one are you after?’
‘Bearded John, the guy in charge of the chippies,’ I tell him, pleased to have used the correct terminology at least.
‘Ah. He’s gone up to the show home. Apparently, there’s a problem with the skirting boards.’
Thanking him, I head up towards the show home, my relief that skirting boards won’t need me to do anything with ladders tempered by the fact that Noah has obviously bawled John out on my behalf, which will probably make him hate me even more.
‘John, can I borrow you for five minutes when you’re free?’ I ask when I locate him in the living room of the show home. This is the first time I’ve been in here, and it really does look pretty much complete.
To be fair to him, he does look a little wary as he gives his final instructions to the team fitting the skirting boards and follows me into the kitchen.
‘Look, it was just a bit of fun, OK? A little initiation, to see what you were made of,’ he begins defensively as soon as we’re out of earshot.
‘It’s not about that,’ I tell him. ‘I need you to explain the roof truss problem to me before I contact the suppliers. I’ve cross-checked the order against the delivery note and they match.’ I spread the two documents out on the counter for him to examine.
‘I’ll show you. Come with me.’
‘There aren’t going to be any ladders involved, are there? I’ve been shouted at enough for one day,’ I tell him as we set off down towards the other end of the site.
‘No ladders, I promise.’ I’m surprised to see the faintest glimpse of a smile play across his lips.
After a couple of minutes, we come to the offending stack of roof supports, which look completely normal to me. They’re triangular, with supporting beams inside them in a kind of W shape.
‘These are supposed to be for the Eton,’ John tells me. ‘You’ll need to look at the plans to see the full picture, but I can point out enough to get you started. The top floor of the Eton has two bedrooms and a toilet in the roof space, with dormer windows, like the show home. OK?’
‘Right.’
‘Good, now look at these trusses here. These are what we call standard fink trusses. If we put these on, four hundred millimetres apart like we’re supposed to, the supports would completely fill the space where the bedrooms would be. Do you see?’
