Read Online Provider's Son by Lee Stringer - Free Book Online Page A

moving to the end of the scaffold. He bent over to get in under a pipe at the same time that the older scaffolder was turning with a long floor plate. It hit the young man in the buttocks propelling him forward, so he reached out to grab something, but there was nothing to grab. They had not yet put up the railing on that side of the scaffold. And over he went. He did not yell or scream. There was no sound until Levi heard the cluttered thump when the boy’s body hit the concrete. The man who hit him made no sound either, until he looked over the side and saw the boy at the bottom.
    â€œRoman!” the man screamed in the most painful wail Levi had heard since his nephew had died. He had to be the boy’s father. Levi would be haunted for months by both sounds, the body hitting the concrete, and the father calling to his boy, over and over, even after his crew dragged him away.
    The whole site was shut down and every man in the vicinity of the accident was questioned. Those that were signed on to the boy’s Safety First Card were ordered to the clinic for a urine sample. There had been a lot of congestion in the area where they had been working all morning, so ten men had signed on the SFC, Levi and Patrick among them. All were gathered together, where two safety officers, a foreman, general foreman, supervisor, and Erbacor Energy Project Manager, Bill Smith, was waiting for them.
    Bill looked gravely about the men. His hair was black with no signs of grey, and a little longer behind the ears than one would expect of a man of his position. To Levi he looked like he belonged in sales, a little too slick to be the senior project manager of one of the largest oil projects in Canada.
    â€œGentleman, having to take this urine test is no reflection on your character, its just procedure. If I had been signed on to the SFC I would be taking it just like you guys. I know this is the last thing you want to be doing considering what youve just seen, but rules are rules. Its all to make us safer in the end.”
    â€œWhat about Roman?” Patrick asked.
    â€œAll we know so far is that he is in serious condition. His father is with him now. I cant imagine...” He sighed and shook his head. “But unfortunately, even in these kinds of stressful situations there are procedures we have to take. Its a rule put in place for your own protection.” Some of the men mumbled under their breaths while others glanced at each other nervously.
    They were taken to the clinic in three company trucks. In one sat Levi, Patrick, two scaffolders he didn’t know, and his foreman, who was driving.
    â€œOkay bys,” one of the scaffolders blurted, obviously from Newfoundland, “I might as well be honest, because Ill probably lose me job anyway. How in the fuck can I get around this piss test? Im going to fail it plain and simple. Im going to fail it, I knows I is.”
    â€œIve got fake piss in my lunch bag,” the other scaffolder said, “but that wont do me good here. Im fucked too.”
    â€œFake piss,” Levi said. “Whats that?”
    â€œFake piss. Synthetic piss. Even bought one of those fake cocks to put it in. What a waste.”
    â€œFake cock?” Levi said.
    â€œYeah, The Urinator . Works like a charm I was told.”
    â€œHow big is it?” the foreman said.
    â€œI wanted it to be true to life. Twelve inches.”
    â€œTrue to life? Youd have to buy four to get twelve inches for you.”
    â€œWhy do you keep it in your lunch box?” Levi asked.
    â€œI got a special case for it.”
    â€œWhat,” Patrick said, “a hotdog bun?”
    â€œSure we can go back and get it,” the Newfoundland scaf-folder said, the panic in his voice drowning out the humour. “The other trucks is ahead of us.”
    Everyone looked at the foreman in the driver seat.
    â€œHow can we do that?” the foreman said.
    â€œSure itll only take five minutes. Come