The man

I decided to get up early this morning and drive to a job that was underway in a county that was one of the most distant in my inspection area. I made an extra cup of coffee for the road and took off. Some good quiet time in my truck with the sun just starting to rise. I entered the address in my GPS but I knew where to go except for the last couple of turns. I could relax with the radio and plan my lecture for a crew that was struggling to get things right. I’ve never been a big “on paper” planner, but I mentally lay every scenario out, sometimes to a fault.
With only a few miles left to my destination I get a phone call from the crew leader. This could not be good.
“We have to go to another job a few counties away to fix a roof leak from last night’s heavy rain” the worker says. “I guess I should have called you earlier, huh?”
Yeah, that would have been a great idea I think, but I don’t say anything. He was probably telling the truth, but it was awfully convenient for them to have other last minute plans. I know he was anticipating what I was planning to tell him, and he was just delaying the inevitable. Staying home from school on the day of the big test.
“That’s ok” I offer, doing my best not to accuse him of anything “Are there any contractors at the job?”
He said that the heating and air guys were there and gave me the homeowner’s name. I rarely go alone for safety reasons, but I was almost there and quite frankly needed this home for my monthly numbers. Well at least now I wouldn’t have a confrontation with the crew, I just needed to think of what I would say to the homeowner about my surprise visit. A visit from “the state man”.
As I pulled in the driveway I saw the HVAC guys working on some ducts in the carport. I had never met this group, so I got a couple of cards out to validate my introduction. After rustling for a few nonexistent items in my truck, I opened the door and walked to the house. The two very young guys were hard at work and barely looked up as I approached. Since when did they let fifth graders install air conditioning I wonder? I said good morning, but their smiles disappeared when they realized who I was. I’ve spent most of my life on their end of the job, so I am all too familiar with the look on their faces. I do my best to minimize their dread. I ask them a few simple questions just to be a fellow human, then head inside to talk to the homeowner.
I walk in to a very dark home, a television blasting in some distant room. I don’t think I will surprise anybody because the workers are coming and going from the carport to the attic, but I make more noise than necessary just in case. The TV noise seems to be coming from a room down the hall, but I need my flashlight to insure that I don’t stumble over anything in the hall. When I reach the doorway I see a man lying on the sofa, the crook of his elbow covering his face. Before I realize what I’ve done, I’ve shone the beam of the flashlight right in his face. He quickly sits upright and struggles to stand. Judging from the wild look in his eyes, I’ve scared him.
“How you doing?” I ask, trying to calm his nerves. “I didn’t mean to wake you up.”
The man just stood there and stared at the hand I had shoved in his direction. He was caught somewhere between the TV, his dreams and the beam of the flashlight, and for a second I imagine he thought it was the microphone that the host of The Price Is Right was pointing at the giggling contestants. Or worse, the police asking him to step out of the car. I hate when that happens, but I don’t know how I could have done it any differently. He finally accepts my handshake as I attempt to explain my presence.
“Just taking a look around” I say, as his eyes leave mine and scan the darkened room. “No reason in particular I’m at your house, just looking at some jobs and yours came up.”
I move through the house, and he hesitantly follows me. I continue to make small talk about the weather and the work done, but all he really wants is for me to leave. Am I going to ask him questions about the application he filled out to get the work done? Will he remember the answers he chose to write down six months ago? Am I going to look in the medicine cabinet or count the beers in the refrigerator? All of these questions and more flash through his mind as he grabs a towel and wipes the kitchen counter.
We all have these emotions. When you hand your driver’s license to the policeman that pulls you over, of course you are nervous, even when you’ve done nothing wrong. But we also have them when we do something as simple as showing ID while writing a check or using a credit card. Calling in sick to work requires the use of a strained voice that has little to do with the ailment. It feels like you are asking for a favor; begging. Being validated by another before you get what you want; what you deserve. We would all do well to recognize this situation and try to put others at ease. When you reach a point where you enjoy “being the man”, you are headed for disaster, we all answer to somebody.