The Building Begins by Sherry1968I fall into bed that night exhausted from the last couple of weeks. The days have been long, but I think the work has paid off. Sara was very happy with the transformation so far, so I was ready to start on the buildings tomorrow. Seconds after my head hits the pillow, I’m asleep. I sleep soundlessly and without dreams, awaking refreshed.
The sun streaming in the window seems to call attention to the encroaching summer heat. I hope we can finish the project in time for the expected opening date of the camp. Everything is going well so far, but I know how problems can pop up unexpectedly. I’d better get started this morning; there were a lot of pieces to bring together.
Picking up my well used phone, I place a call to the lumber yard to confirm delivery to the site. Everything seems to be on schedule, and I had just spoken to the construction foreman the night before. I have chosen to work with Carl Trent for this project. He has a reputation for his quick work and attention to detail. I know that he will get the job finished in time, but still manage to deliver the quality we need. I rush through my shower and breakfast so I can get out to Summer Hill Court early. I know the foreman well, and he is always prompt.
When I arrive, the lumber delivery is already being unloaded at the first lot. The girls’ cabins will be the lot we start on. The stone was already there, waiting to be shaped into foundations for the buildings. There were plenty of workers here to keep things moving right along. It would be no time at all before we needed the decorators here to finish up.
The next couple of days flow smoothly, and I am surprised by an early morning phone call. It is the foreman.
“We’ve had a slight setback. Apparently there was a small earthquake here last night, and some of the buildings have been damaged. Also, there seems to have been some vandalism at one of the sites.”
I take a deep breath. “Okay. I knew our good luck couldn’t last forever. I’ll be right down.”
When I pull up to the girls’ cabins, I immediately see the problems. Some of the foundation stones have fallen loose and one pile of lumber has been reduced to ashes and rubble. The foreman strides up to me, a determined look on his face. He is slightly taller than me, his blond hair cut short under his hard hat. Blue eyes gaze out at me from a chiseled face.
“The foundations should be pretty easy to repair. They are built to withstand earthquakes, but since the mortar was not quite set we have a few loose stones. I can have those fixed up by tomorrow night. We’re gonna need to reorder that lumber, though.”
Frowning I look toward the ashes. “You don’t think whoever did that could have caused the foundation problems, do you?”
“I thought of that, but it looks totally unrelated. We can’t prevent earthquakes, but the vandals are another story. Hopefully we can keep them from coming back. I’ll post some men here tonight to keep watch.”
Giving him a thumbs-up sign, I tell him I will check back after lunch. For now I need to talk to the decorators. They would need to have everything ready to go as soon as possible to get Happy Hills finished on time. I pull my cell phone out as I walk back to the car.
Carl is making great progress on the repairs when I get back from lunch, so I tell him that I will be back first thing in the morning. He assures me that he will have the lots well guarded tonight. I head back to my office to get the missing lumber reordered and coordinate the decorating effort. I make a simple dinner that night of spaghetti and ponder the reasons behind vandalism.
Sleep is slow to come that night, and fitful. I wake with a start, the last wisps of a dream seeping from the corners of my mind. I struggle to remember the images, but finally I shrug it off and slide from bed, my bare feet hitting the cold floor. The days may be warming up, but the nights were still rather chilly. Heading out to the site that morning, I wonder if our “guards” saw anything unusual last night.
I arrive at the camp and see Carl busy directing his workers. Catching my eye, he waves me over.
“I left a couple of guys here last night to watch out for us. They said they didn’t see anything unusual, so I sent them home to get some sleep.”
“Well, that’s good, I guess. I sure wish I knew who wanted to destroy our lumber, though!”
“Hopefully, it was just a onetime prank. On a positive note, we should have all our repairs finished up tonight, so we’ll only be about a day behind for completion of the building phase.”
“That’s great news! It seems like the time has just flown by. Thanks for keeping everything moving right along.”
Carl gives me a smile and a nod and gets back to his job. I start walking around the lots to see if there is anything I can improve on, decorating ideas floating in my head. Everything seems to be going well today, so I have high hopes that we will be finished in no time.
A few days later, I arrive at the site to see Carl standing at the bottom of the hill, hands on hips.
“Anything wrong?” I ask breathlessly as I jog up to him.
“Well, it looks like we’re all finished here. It’s time for you to get your decorators up here.”
“Oh wow! I’d better call Ms. Summers so she can come see what you’ve done. I’m sure she will be happy, you’ve done such a fantastic job, and in record time, too!”
“Thanks, Ms. Smith. I hope you’re right.”
