Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 82747 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 414(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82747 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 414(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
So the uncertainty in his voice isn't a surprise, but it's like a scab being picked at over and over that won't heal.
"He taught me everything I know," I assure him with an easy smile.
This is my third time meeting with someone in the McGee family about renovating this property, but it seems whatever the two sons have gone back and told their old man isn't sitting right with him, hence the meeting today.
"He was a wonderful man. A man of integrity. He always gave me the best price," Mr. Mc Gee says as he fumbles with a ring full of keys.
He almost drove Hammertime Construction into the ground because of it.
My father's legacy was a mess when I took over, and there are still things that pop up now and then from more than ten-year-old mistakes that I'm paying for. But I promised the man on his deathbed that I'd see this through, so I keep plugging away at it.
"Framers, Inc. came in thirty thousand under your bid," he says when he finally gets the door unlocked, and we step inside.
"Did they give you a pricing sheet?"
"I didn't bring any of their paperwork with me. I signed something saying I wouldn't share it with anyone. Legal stuff, you know?"
"Oh, I know," I tell him as I walk deeper into the building.
This place is fantastic. It was an old theater, and it doesn't take much more than me closing my eyes to remember coming here with my old man when I was younger. I swear a deep enough breath in the right area of this front room, and I can still get a hint of butter from the popcorn he'd always buy me for the show.
"I imagine they'll use the cheapest materials they can find, which would work," I begin as I walk toward some of the walls and flick a finger at the peeling paint. The heat from Texas summers combined with the lack of circulating air has created so many problems here. "For a while anyway. Did they mention their plans for the asbestos removal?"
His mouth opens and closes like a fish when it has been pulled from the water.
"You know about the asbestos?"
"This building has been here forever. It was a saloon at the turn of the century, and it was renovated in the nineteen fifties. There's no way it doesn't have asbestos," I explain, telling him not only have I done my research on the building, but I also know what I'm talking about as far as the resources that will be needed in order to bring it back up to code. "Did they mention the removal?"
"They said so long as construction doesn't interrupt it, it'll be fine," he says as he looks away.
Is this old man seriously considering letting that company come in and do work the improper way?
When he brushes a hand over his forehead, unable to make eye contact with me, I know for a fact that he had every intention of doing that just to save some money.
Disappointment lashes at my chest. I understand not being able to do something because money is tight, but putting others in danger because you want to cut a few corners is insane. And the older folks of this community are concerned about my generation?
"Your oldest son said you wanted to knock out the wall between there," I say, pointing to the back of the room where the two theater rooms are, "and the front. That would disrupt the asbestos in the wall."
"I had this building renovated in ninety-five," he says as if he just remembered. "In fact, your father did the work for me."
"I know," I tell him. "He tied into that main wall, separating the one theater into two."
"Right," he says proudly. "Did a damn fine job."
"And disrupted the asbestos without doing proper removal."
His face falls, his eyes narrowing in my direction, but he doesn't speak.
"My dad was a good man," I begin. "He liked to help his customers out. If they were okay with cutting corners to save some money, he did that for them. It's how you got such a great price. I'm not my father. I won't break the law and put people at risk to save you a few bucks. If that's the expectation, then you might want to go with that other company. Just know, improper removal of the asbestos in this building will bring you more trouble than it's worth."
"That somehow sounds like a threat," the old-timer says.
"It's my understanding that you want to revamp this place, but keep the nostalgia. I'm all for that. People I love in town would trip over their own feet for a place like that. I won't let people I love get hurt. Have a good day, Mr. McGee."
I stand between the two sets of doors as a car pulls up outside of the building, but the woman behind the wheel is too busy dabbing tears from her eyes to bother looking up to see if anyone is witnessing her sadness.