Robert Cardinal

a story about a worker on my crew in Fort McMurray, Alberta

His Name is Robert Cardinal

He's a hulk of a man. came down
from fort chip looking for work.
They'll take him on for startup/shutdown at 25 an hour
he's been here before

staying at the Sally Ann for the duration - 2, maybe 3 weeks
he's at the jobsite every day with day-old pies and cakes.
The one's he takes from the kitchen there, and is willing to share with anyone.
The rest of our crew won't sit with him at breaks. Carpenters, plumbers, drywallers, painters

They say "Where's your Indian?" and "Where's your native?"

Everyday: "He's not mine" and "His name is Robert"

His name is Robert Cardinal

They give him the most demeaning work. Make him
dig a hole 8 feet long, 4 wide, 10 deep to find buried cable.
I look at him down in it

"They've got you digging your own grave!" I say
We laugh, because it seems so true.
Red Man, Red Man - gonna be a dead man.

His name is Robert Cardinal

He's just got out of prison for assault with a weapon. It's his second time in the can.
The first trip was for beating his wife's rapist and breaking 2 of his limbs. His wife was raped by that man, and that man beat the charges.
Robert Cardinal beat him in broad daylight in a stripmall parking lot on Franklin Avenue. 2 years for assault.

When Robert was released he saw the same man (now walking with a crutch) who for some reason continued to gloat.
He looked at Robert and said "I got away with it"
Robert hit him and knocked him down, but doesn't remember much else.

Have you ever gone blind from Anger? It's a scary place - you're still speaking and acting, but on rage autopilot.
Robert said he only stopped beating the mans head into the asphalt because he thought the man was dead.

The man was not dead. Robert went to prison again for 7 more years.