In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Nightmare Job.”
In honor of Labor Day in North America, tell us what’s the one job you could never imagine yourself doing.
On the day for which we honor those American Employees who work full or part-time.
In the early 70’s my father owned several rental homes and to cut the labor cost, my brother and I were used quite often during the summer. We painted, cut grass, pull weeds, pick up trash, and clean out apartments.
It was during a hot summer day, and I was twelve or thirteen years of age when I joined workers my dad hired to work on the roof of an apartment building.
So as I climbed the ladder and mind you this was my first time climbing a ladder to the roof of this two-story building. I was excited about trying my hand at roof work. When I reached the top, my excitement immediately evaporated when the heat from the roof and the smell of tar hit me like a ton of bricks.
I previously never experienced the type of heat pulsating from the roof, and the sun seem to bake my neck and back. I counted five workers including my brother rolling out roofing paper and mopping the black tar sealant into the seams.
Standing in shock, I wanted off that hot black cast iron skillet. I was a little apprehensive because I didn’t wish to appear that I wasn’t tough enough to be on the roof, but my internal common sense gauge overruled all my other senses.
As I climbed down the ladder, my father must have notice my dejected disgust, because as a disciplinarian who I thought was going to tell me to get back up on the roof and help out. He never said a word.
I stayed on the ground the entire day, and ever science that day, I know there are many undesirable jobs in this world. But I knew from that hot summer afternoon, that I will never be a roofer.