“McDonald!” the foreman yelled and she nearly jumped out of
her skin. It was as though Mr. Bond had read her thoughts and called the name
she had been thinking, but then she realized it wasn’t that at all, he wanted
McDonald to come over to them. She was beside herself, she hadn’t really
prepared for this. She just wanted to come to the site, give the foreman the
changes, and let Mr. McDonald admire her from afar. That was all, but here he
came at the foreman’s call.
As he approached, she noted he gave her an appreciative, appraising look, and drawled, “Morning, ma’am.”
She wasn’t sure, but she could have sworn he dragged out that “ma’am” just a second or two longer than necessary and she felt her blood begin to boil.
The foreman turned toward McDonald, held out the change order and said, “Mr. Clark wants these changes. Can you handle them with what we have or will we need to reconfigure?”
McDonald took the paper and glanced at it deftly, as she looked on with a disinterested look. In a few seconds, he said, “Oh heck, 007 this is a piece of cake. All we need are the extra windows. I’ll cut them out and we’ll stick ‘em in.”
She saw the foreman wince just a little and thought she had her opening, “Why do you call him that? His name is Walter Bond, not James Bond. Can’t you see it upsets him? Why are you so boorish? Are you learning impaired or what? There’s no need to put other people down just because you feel inferior. Why don’t you grow up!”
They weren’t standing that far from the site and it just so happened that for once in the day there hadn’t been any saws or air compressors running. She was sure that everyone had heard her sharp words. They seemed to hang over the worksite like a rain cloud. She sensed that all the workers were waiting to hear McDonald’s response.
He hesitated a few long seconds, handed the paper back to the foreman and said, “No problem at all, Mr. Bond, sir. All I have to do is cut out the openings, reinforce them, and slip the new windows in, where noted. We will need some windows and one door, but that’s all. Is that all, sir?”
“Yes, Mike.”
He turned without another word, without even so much as a glance at her, and walked back to the site.
She thought she had accomplished what she had set out to do last night after her father’s comments. She was sure this upstart of a man now knew there was a line he couldn’t cross and exactly where that line was. She was content as she climbed back into her car, but as she turned it around, out of the corner of her eye, she saw every person on the site laughing hysterically with Mike McDonald in the middle of them, genuflecting again.
As he approached, she noted he gave her an appreciative, appraising look, and drawled, “Morning, ma’am.”
She wasn’t sure, but she could have sworn he dragged out that “ma’am” just a second or two longer than necessary and she felt her blood begin to boil.
The foreman turned toward McDonald, held out the change order and said, “Mr. Clark wants these changes. Can you handle them with what we have or will we need to reconfigure?”
McDonald took the paper and glanced at it deftly, as she looked on with a disinterested look. In a few seconds, he said, “Oh heck, 007 this is a piece of cake. All we need are the extra windows. I’ll cut them out and we’ll stick ‘em in.”
She saw the foreman wince just a little and thought she had her opening, “Why do you call him that? His name is Walter Bond, not James Bond. Can’t you see it upsets him? Why are you so boorish? Are you learning impaired or what? There’s no need to put other people down just because you feel inferior. Why don’t you grow up!”
They weren’t standing that far from the site and it just so happened that for once in the day there hadn’t been any saws or air compressors running. She was sure that everyone had heard her sharp words. They seemed to hang over the worksite like a rain cloud. She sensed that all the workers were waiting to hear McDonald’s response.
He hesitated a few long seconds, handed the paper back to the foreman and said, “No problem at all, Mr. Bond, sir. All I have to do is cut out the openings, reinforce them, and slip the new windows in, where noted. We will need some windows and one door, but that’s all. Is that all, sir?”
“Yes, Mike.”
He turned without another word, without even so much as a glance at her, and walked back to the site.
She thought she had accomplished what she had set out to do last night after her father’s comments. She was sure this upstart of a man now knew there was a line he couldn’t cross and exactly where that line was. She was content as she climbed back into her car, but as she turned it around, out of the corner of her eye, she saw every person on the site laughing hysterically with Mike McDonald in the middle of them, genuflecting again.