Like many roads in Chicago, the one outside my apartment is getting redone, and like many streets, it did not appear to need it much. Luckily enough it is a side street and construction is passing (at least by Chicago standards) quickly and painlessly. On Friday they reached the stage of laying down the new asphalt featuring a road crew of about ten men and two trucks. The typical large gray truck resembling a gravel truck, complete with a raising cargo load, had the job of pouring the black cement while the steam roller followed behind smoothing the tar over the road and flatting the road.
My experience with road construction was always primarily as a motorist, so when the opportunity arose to watch from my living room window I took it. And luckily for me, it took only two minutes before comedy ultimately ensued.
At this point in the paving process the gray truck had elevated its load to pour more cement, but too much poured out. For a solid minute the foreman shouted indistinguishable words but shortly after I’m able to make out his rant. He is in the middle of a particularly well executed tongue-lashing against the driver. Apparently the overflow resulted in the driver having been on a cell phone, earning him many shouts of, “you’re killing me” from the foreman and my personal favorite, “No telephones! Lay off the phone and drive the truck!”
At this point I was laughing as well as taking cover and Lando, (my kitten) sat on the window sill, transfixed though with the hair standing up on her back. I’ve noticed that every time something like this happens I have the same response; first, primarily I’m afraid that something will shoot through my window injuring me, and secondly I am eager to know how the story will progress. Now luckily I have never had anything thrown near or at me, but I am still convinced that whenever an argument on the street occurs that it will escalate like an episode of Law & Order and I’ll have to call the police. And yes, I do watch copious amounts of TV and it does not help that I study psychology and memorize all the good studies about how horrible people can be, but I am unable to sit at my window with a bowl of popcorn laughing hysterically at the small scene bellow. Lando is even on edge at this though I think she doesn’t like road construction more then anything else. After a surly, “Get a move on!” and other equally charming instructions the trucks moved down the street and I no longer feared a stray rock or power tool coming through my window. I still wonder though what he was talking on the phone with and whether or not I’ll see this as a Jimmy Johns commercial soon.
