Tonto

a memory of life

WC 1463

Tonto

Having finished my first year of college, I needed a job for the summer. I hoped that this income and the G.I. bill would support me through the coming academic year.  My uncle, a carpenter, told me about a couple of French
Canadian Stone Masons who needed a mason tender.  He said that I’d have to work hard but could make a good deal of money in a short time.  Being in pretty good shape, I jumped at the chance.  How hard could it be?

 

A few days later I met the masons, Jock, and Louie.

Looking me over like a side of beef, Jock asked, “You pretty big, hav yu tended much?”

 

“No, but I’m strong and learn quickly.”

 

“Wat yu dink, Louie.  Du we give em a try?”

 

“Well, e looks strong and we don got no one else. So why not?”

OK, we give u a try.  But cus you need to be taud we will not pay u like a one ooh knows ow.”

I was a little put-off.  After all, I had just left the Navy where I had learned
to be an atomic bomb mechanic on the job and they were telling me that I wasn’t
qualified to carry brick and mortar.  But the lower pay they were talking about
was still very good pay.  So I swallowed my pride and asked when they wanted
me to start.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Ow abuut now”, said Jock.

Even though it was early afternoon, Jock took me to where I would work
and started showing me what I would be doing.  He pointed out a large tub and
various rakes and hoes, bags of cement, a triangular thing on a long pole - a hod

- and a pile of cinder blocks.

 

“Where are the machines?”, I asked.

Jock smiled at me and said, “When you look in da mirror dis morning, you saw dem.”

 

“Oh,” I said.

Jock explained the daily routine to me. I was to arrive at 7am and while
they were “setting deir lines’ and otherwise preparing to “lay some brick” I would

be carrying the brick to their work stations and then be mixing the “mud” for them.
As a tender I was my job to ensure they had everything they needed so that they
did not waste time waiting around.  Time wasted was money out of their pocket
and that was why I was getting paid less.  I resolved that I would not be wasting
time or money.

 

Jock told me how to mix the mud and watched me while I did it.  “A little

more wadar, kid.  Now more ce-ment - no too much, little more wader.  Good like dat - always like dat.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He had me make small batches and put them in the hod and then carry

the hod to where they were working and dump the mud into their little tubs.  They then laid down the mud on the previous course of brick, ‘buttered’ a new brick, laid the brick in its place and tapped it level with the guideline.

I was fascinated - they worked like machines and I had to move fast to have any chance to keep up with them.

By the end of that first afternoon, I was covered with sweat, spattered with
mud and my skin was bright red from the sun.  My shirt had lasted only a few
minutes before being discarded to cool me down just a little but then the sun had
done its work.  I had tied a strip of cloth around my forehead to keep the sweat
out of my eyes.

When Jock and Louie stopped for the day they looked at me as I cleaned up the site and Jock said, “You know Louie, dis guy dis new tender - I dink from the look of Im e is an In-din.  I dink maybe we should call im Tonto.”

Louie agreed and I had a new name - whether that was good or bad remained to be seen.

The next day I arrived on time (sore but on time) and Louie called out to me, “Hay Tonto you better get go-in so you are ready for us”

While they set their work and had a cup of coffee I stocked their job sites with block and mud.  I was just delivering the mud to their places as they were starting to work.   They worked like fiends - I didn’t see wasted motion

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and the blocks went down in place one after the other with no false starts.  Of

course, I was running full out just trying to keep them supplied.  If I wasn’t

carrying block, I was mixing mud or carrying it or something.  All the morning all I heard was Tonto this and Tonto that. I did not know “How” but I was learning fast and mostly the hard way.

Just when I thought I would fall over from fatigue and hunger, Jock called out, “Hay Louie whad you dink?  Lunchtime now?”

“Tanks be to God, Louie said, “You know Jock I dink so and a good ding tu, Tonto look like e ready to fall down.”

 

Louie was right.

I had been told that we would “go out for lunch” what I did not know was it
would be at the local gin mill.  In fact, that was the bar’s name - The Gin Mill.  It
catered to the tradesmen and dirt and sweat was no problem.  Lunch consisted
of a beer while waiting for a sandwich, two beers while eating the sandwich and a
beer or two for dessert.

By the time we got back to the worksite, I felt wonderful.  But those French Canadians made short work of that.  In a few minutes I was sweating like a pig and running back and forth like a lunatic.  In a couple of hours, I had sweated myself sober but was even with the “Boys”.

I was just taking a breath when Louie called out, “Hay Tonto, almost time for break.  Ear is some money.  Go buy a six pack of 16 oz. beers.”

 

 

 

 

I forced a smile onto my face took the money and went and bought the
beer.  After that Tonto was “in the bag’ again and the rest of the day was a
drunken blur.

I sobered up enough by quitting time to get home safely, have a hot dog for dinner, and fall into bed to sleep the sleep of a completely used up man.  My last thought as I was washed away into a sea of sleep was - if every day is like today I better make funeral arrangements right now.

Well, the next day was a carbon copy of the one before and I remembered
some parts of it clearly (the pain at the start) and some not so much (beer fogged
up the rest).  That was the routine and within a week I could not imagine anything
else.  The pay was very good and most of it went into the bank (except for my
rounds at lunch and the home expenses) because I was too tired to spend it.

In a few weeks, I was climbing a ladder, a cinder block in each hand and a few beers in me at the time.  Ah, the skills I was developing.  But the price was high.  I did not see any friends and if I wasn’t working I was trying to sober up.  I could not imagine doing this kind of work for any length of time and could see how it would eat a person alive.

Still, I was Tonto and proud of it.  I knew I was not the best tender but I was Jock and Louie’s Tender and that was enough.  I had been accepted into the
“trades group” and even though it was not a high-status group,  it was not a status that just anyone could have.

 

 

 

 

Time, only a matter of a few months (it seemed much longer), went by and soon the last brick was being laid.

Jock said to Louie, “Well I guess dat does it my Friend”.  Then he turned to me and said, “Well, Tonto dis job, she is over. We don have anuder job lined up right now so we won’t need you til we got a new one.”

I said that was ok because I would be starting school again soon, but that I liked working with them.

Jock looked at Louie and said, “Too bad, EH?  Louie, we was makin a
good tender oud of dis guy - if only e was some faster and could drink some
better.

I collected my last pay and even though I liked and respected them, as I walked away I knew this was not the life for me.

End

 

Author's Note

it didn't copy and paste well

Reviews

[Samuel Dickens]

Despite the format problems, I found this highly enjoyable and well written. So many similarities to my own life story, I felt like I was right there. When I got out of the Navy (the first time) I went to work with my concrete finishing brother-in-law, where I swung a sledge hammer, busting concrete all day. Soon, I decided I liked being an aircraft mechanic better, and re-joined the Navy. You tell a very good story, my friend.
I think you meant "it"--As a tender I was my job to...

[spoils]

Many thanks Samuel. Tech still gives me fits but I'm glad you liked the story I see you are a gear head - once you are that you don't get over it

[Jargyn]

the alcohol makes sense- work like a machine, fuel like a machine.

good story I love reading stuff like this with so much character and fun in the writing, life stories are great because life is always an experience worth sharing :-)

[spoils]

glad you liked it Jargyn, I never worked so hard before or since