A Dangerous Job
One blazing day, George’s dad was out under the hot sun, bombing out the road in his crane. It was 5:30. Time to wrap up and go home. George’s dad began climbing out of the crane. As he was climbing down the ladder, he lost his step. He felt as if he was falling into an eight foot pool. He hit his head, but luckily he had a hard hat on. As he fell, he broke his leg. As he lay on the ground, dust covered his eyes. He felt the blood running down his leg. A woman operating a crane nearby called on her radio for help. He heard sirens as loud as lions as he lay there waiting. Back at home, George and his friends were playing with their remote control cars in the blazing sun out on the sidewalk. As the sun was setting, George felt like he was sitting on the blue flames of a fire. George’s family was going to have a cookout that evening. Suddenly George’s mom came out of the house screaming, “George, your father got hurt. He tripped getting out of the crane and got his leg stuck in the tread. He broke his leg.” George didn’t know what to say. His friend asked, “Why doesn’t your dad get a desk job? It’s a lot safer!” George got mad. “My dad likes his job. He’s in a good position.” “Sorry, don’t bite my head off.” “George said, “Don’t make fun of my dad. If you do, you can go home.” Frantic, George and his friends waited for more news. After a few hours, an ambulance pulled into the driveway. Dad walked by himself out of the ambulance. He had both a cane and a crutch. He was hunched over like a lion ready to pounce as he walked out. Mom told George to get the fire ready. George got the wood and the matches. He lit the fire and it exploded like a bomb. As George cooked marshmallows, his dad stared into the fire. He was worrying about when he could get back to work. George asked his dad to tell the story of how he got hurt. So he told him. The next morning, George’s dad went to work and his boss told him to go home. But George’s dad said, “I’ll sit here all day if I have to. I’ll call the union if I have to. I need to get worker’s compensation for this injury.” The boss said, “I’ll get your check.” “I’ll be back in two weeks,” said Dad. Then he went home. He walked into the kitchen and looked out the window. He saw George walking back and forth, back and forth. Dad went and got his old remote control cars. He went outside to see George. “Want to play cars with me, George?” He was holding a car in his hand. “I’ll be home for a few weeks, but then I’ll be back to work. Everything’s going to be okay.” “Sure Dad,” said George, “I’ll play.” He hugged his dad and they set up the cars together. |