I am an estimator for a commercial construction sub-contractor in north central Louisiana. Exciting, no? Anyway, this morning I took a phone call from a school official in regard to an estimate that I submitted several months ago. Here’s an approximate transcript of the conversation

Me - “Hello, Commercial Construction Sub-Contractor, this is Catfunk.”

School official -“Hi Catfunk, this is Ms. So & So from the Delhi Charter School. I’m calling in reference to a bid you guys submitted to us in April. You’re the low bidder and we’re writing purchase orders, and wanted to know when you could start the work you bid on.

Me - ”I’m sorry where are you calling from?”

School official - “Delhi Charter School. We’re wondering when you could…”

Me - “The Delhi Charter School?”

School official - “Yes. Delhi Charter School. We want to write you a purchase order for the work you bid on. Also we’d like to know when you can start work on our project. A specific date, if possible.”

Me - “Um, Ms. So & So…well…we’re pretty busy, so, um…”

School official - “An approximate date is fine, Mr. Funk. Something for the paperwork.”

Me - “Ma’am, considering our back log of work, I think it’s safe to say that we can start as soon as you stop violating your students’ 4th amendment rights, or we can start never.”

-dead silence-

I hang up the phone, and turn around to face my boss, Mr. Reagan Would Have Died For Our Sins If Jesus Hadn’t Beat Him To It. He’s fucking livid. He rolls his chair into the wall, stomps out the door, trailing the words “I’ll see you when we close. Don’t leave.” And at close of business, there he was, teeth gritted, and red-faced. He asked WTF, I told him WTF, and when our posturing was over, he told me to come back tomorrow, find a project to replace that one in our back log, and to do my best to keep my politics out of our day to day business. And that he agreed with my opinion on this one. No shit. 

I told Bird that I never get the chance to throw my opinion at anyone of consequence. It’s always me and my equal opposites, the cannon fodder of politics, arguing in bars, parking lots, lunch tables, and on the internet. Today I had a small opportunity, and I took it. And it felt good.

But I still have to get up early and go to work tomorrow.