“I need one volunteer to come up with me so I can start laying out the rafters for the roof,” Jose said
“What’s the pitch on that again?” a worker asked.
“12/12,” Jose simply said. “It’s easy. We go up on the scaffold we built, one of you holds the ridge board on one end so I can start installing the rafters,” he said calmly.
I was over hearing them talk as I got my construction belt out of the van and as I put it on around my waste I looked at my reflection on the window, I was about 35 years old and I had a full beard completely grown out.
“I’ll do it,” I said as I walked towards Jose and the rest of his crew of builders.
“12/12 is only 45 degrees guys – its nothing,” I said jokingly.
The rest of the crew was relieved. The pitch or the degrees of the roof really did not matter since we were going to build it from underneath – it was how high we needed to go up a shaky, handmade scaffold that myself and another of the workers had previously built.
Jose and I started to climb up the frame then onto the center of the scaffolding. At the top, the scaffolding swerved side to side with the wind. Our feet only had 12 inches of width to step on. I looked past my feet and the wood plank and the fall was a straight shot down 3 stories. I started to sweat and feel light-headed. I quickly looked up and faced forward while holding tight to the wavering center ridge board. The sky was filled with reds, magentas, yellows and blues with a hint of intense violet.
Then within this memory, another memory unfolded.
∞
Page 24
“What’s the pitch on that again?” a worker asked.
“12/12,” Jose simply said. “It’s easy. We go up on the scaffold we built, one of you holds the ridge board on one end so I can start installing the rafters,” he said calmly.
I was over hearing them talk as I got my construction belt out of the van and as I put it on around my waste I looked at my reflection on the window, I was about 35 years old and I had a full beard completely grown out.
“I’ll do it,” I said as I walked towards Jose and the rest of his crew of builders.
“12/12 is only 45 degrees guys – its nothing,” I said jokingly.
The rest of the crew was relieved. The pitch or the degrees of the roof really did not matter since we were going to build it from underneath – it was how high we needed to go up a shaky, handmade scaffold that myself and another of the workers had previously built.
Jose and I started to climb up the frame then onto the center of the scaffolding. At the top, the scaffolding swerved side to side with the wind. Our feet only had 12 inches of width to step on. I looked past my feet and the wood plank and the fall was a straight shot down 3 stories. I started to sweat and feel light-headed. I quickly looked up and faced forward while holding tight to the wavering center ridge board. The sky was filled with reds, magentas, yellows and blues with a hint of intense violet.
Then within this memory, another memory unfolded.
∞
Page 24
Concept Art for The Crow's Aura.