And From the Depths I Rise...
It is hot. Not scorching hot but heat of any kind is not always friendly to a bigger man. The green beast of a truck rumbles along the loosely paved road. The windows are open and the radio sings AM songs of the early 90's and an hourly "quiz for cash" for a chance at a jackpot of $47. There are four of us in the beast, young men, usually jubilant, but quiet now as we have reached the end of the day. Wednesday's were always a long day. We travel in our beast from lawn to lawn, our mowers in tow, grooming the lawns of the summer homes of wealthy Albertan visitors, affectionately called "Gorbies" by all of the local town folk. Ask me what it means and I really do not know but it is a name I have been taught since I was young.
We are headed for the dump. The last stop, save the after work swim at the beach, for a tired crew driving a tired truck.
The truck itself was comic relief. We listen to AM radio, not out of choice, but because that is all this truck can offer us. It is two tone green, darker top and bottom with a lighter strip down the middle. The interior is badly beaten, grass everywhere, dust so think a finger can not lift all the layers. It is a bench in the front and in the back of the cab and clothes and jackets are everywhere. Water bottles, more like jugs, sit in each corner of the beast. The door on the passenger side, at times, would fall open during travel. Needless to say the truck was in a sorry state.
We roll into the dump around 5:30pm, a load of grass clippings in the back. We pass right through the main gates. There is no need to stop, we are there everyday doing the same thing. We twist our way up to the top shelf to dump our evidence of the days work. First we detach the trailer and then back the truck up to the edge of the pit. It is a pretty big pit, not sure how far across and wide, but at least 25 feet deep. Today it looks empty because a large tractor has pushed all the debris to the far end of the pit.
I step out of the cab and guide the driver back to the edge. He grabs a screwdriver, as I said the truck is in rough shape, in order to open the tailgate, making it easier to dump our daily pile. It is a two man job to pop the tailgate. One must pull back on the gate while the other uses to the screwdriver to activate the switch from the side of the truck. On most days, actually everyday before this one, I pull back on the gate and my co-worker, and trusted friend, inserts the screwdriver and lets me know he is ready to pop it open. At that point I get out of the way and with a swift click and open hand smack to the gate, it falls open and we pull out the clippings to deposit them in the pit below. But today was different. Today would be a day that I will never forget.
My friend inserts the screwdriver into the tailgate while I am pulling back and then BAM! The gate flies open. The big problem is that I am pulling on the gate and there is nothing behind me but 25 to 30 feet of open air. I scrambled quickly to hold on the the tailgate but my work gloves are slick with dried grass and overuse. I slip. I think that was the single most frightening moment of my life. It was like to opening scene from Cliffhanger when Stallone loses the grip on the girl and she falls from the mountain. From there on out it was the classic life flashing before your eyes. My brain reeled with thoughts. Thought number 1: Man this is going to....WHAM! Ok, at 30 feet you don't have a lot of time to think.
I hit and I hit hard. Luckily I landed feet first. I guess that only makes sense since I have the reflexes of a cat. Problem is I weigh more than a cat and the rest of my body came crashing down on top of it self. I am winded as I lay in the bottom of the gravel pit. My co-workers yelling down to me seeing if I was ok. I couldn't speak. I just laid there, my mind searching my body for any obvious injury. I think I was OK but I hadn't moved yet. The tractor at the end of the pit continued to move about.
I all of a sudden caught my breathe. I rose quickly from the ground. I was for that moment a magical creature. For those few seconds I had died and been reborn. At that moment I rose from the garbage pit like a Phoenix from the fire. I felt invincible. I ran from the pit to the sound of laughter as I came around the corner back up to the truck. I was OK and I was ready to conquer the rest of the summer. The daily swim was even more joyous that day as I washed the debris from my body. I had survived a great fall and rose from the depths. I realized then that I almost did the unthinkable. I almost died a virgin.
We are headed for the dump. The last stop, save the after work swim at the beach, for a tired crew driving a tired truck.
The truck itself was comic relief. We listen to AM radio, not out of choice, but because that is all this truck can offer us. It is two tone green, darker top and bottom with a lighter strip down the middle. The interior is badly beaten, grass everywhere, dust so think a finger can not lift all the layers. It is a bench in the front and in the back of the cab and clothes and jackets are everywhere. Water bottles, more like jugs, sit in each corner of the beast. The door on the passenger side, at times, would fall open during travel. Needless to say the truck was in a sorry state.
We roll into the dump around 5:30pm, a load of grass clippings in the back. We pass right through the main gates. There is no need to stop, we are there everyday doing the same thing. We twist our way up to the top shelf to dump our evidence of the days work. First we detach the trailer and then back the truck up to the edge of the pit. It is a pretty big pit, not sure how far across and wide, but at least 25 feet deep. Today it looks empty because a large tractor has pushed all the debris to the far end of the pit.
I step out of the cab and guide the driver back to the edge. He grabs a screwdriver, as I said the truck is in rough shape, in order to open the tailgate, making it easier to dump our daily pile. It is a two man job to pop the tailgate. One must pull back on the gate while the other uses to the screwdriver to activate the switch from the side of the truck. On most days, actually everyday before this one, I pull back on the gate and my co-worker, and trusted friend, inserts the screwdriver and lets me know he is ready to pop it open. At that point I get out of the way and with a swift click and open hand smack to the gate, it falls open and we pull out the clippings to deposit them in the pit below. But today was different. Today would be a day that I will never forget.
My friend inserts the screwdriver into the tailgate while I am pulling back and then BAM! The gate flies open. The big problem is that I am pulling on the gate and there is nothing behind me but 25 to 30 feet of open air. I scrambled quickly to hold on the the tailgate but my work gloves are slick with dried grass and overuse. I slip. I think that was the single most frightening moment of my life. It was like to opening scene from Cliffhanger when Stallone loses the grip on the girl and she falls from the mountain. From there on out it was the classic life flashing before your eyes. My brain reeled with thoughts. Thought number 1: Man this is going to....WHAM! Ok, at 30 feet you don't have a lot of time to think.
I hit and I hit hard. Luckily I landed feet first. I guess that only makes sense since I have the reflexes of a cat. Problem is I weigh more than a cat and the rest of my body came crashing down on top of it self. I am winded as I lay in the bottom of the gravel pit. My co-workers yelling down to me seeing if I was ok. I couldn't speak. I just laid there, my mind searching my body for any obvious injury. I think I was OK but I hadn't moved yet. The tractor at the end of the pit continued to move about.
I all of a sudden caught my breathe. I rose quickly from the ground. I was for that moment a magical creature. For those few seconds I had died and been reborn. At that moment I rose from the garbage pit like a Phoenix from the fire. I felt invincible. I ran from the pit to the sound of laughter as I came around the corner back up to the truck. I was OK and I was ready to conquer the rest of the summer. The daily swim was even more joyous that day as I washed the debris from my body. I had survived a great fall and rose from the depths. I realized then that I almost did the unthinkable. I almost died a virgin.
posted by Duncan McAllister at 1:57 a.m.
2 Comments:
You obviously landed on your head. Steve
You should tell everyone how you had problems digesting carbonated drinks afterwards...
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