Chapter 3
three
Dry Me Out
Jim
This had to have been the longest and most agonizing shift in my career. My body was hurting more than it should. I hadn’t done anything different on the job that I normally did. The only difference was… Charlie.
He had me tense the entire day. It was hard to work with him nearby.
All I wanted to do was watch him. After the initial start, he kept to himself unless I told him to do something else or he had a question, surely seeing that I wasn’t up for conversation.
We didn’t get as much done as the other teams, I’m sure, since he was so green, but he didn’t slow me down as much as I thought he was going to either. And he didn’t complain once.
Maybe his dad’s work ethic was genetic. He just didn’t inherit it physically.
After chipping away at the wall for some time, we loaded the coal into a mine car.
We rolled it to the Heart of the Mountain, switched the track, then guided it to the Adit.
It got handed off to be dumped by a team of miners in the Tipple, where the coal would either be loaded into train cars or on a steamship floating on the river at the base of the mountain.
It’s never been my favorite assignment, those poor bastards.
From there, the coal either goes by railroad to be taken to local factories in the city, transported elsewhere in the commonwealth state, or shipped off by steamship barges that clutter the three rivers surrounding the city, where the current would carry it to other states in the country.
Far away from the gritty, dirty mountain.
Grabbing another cart on the way back, we repeated the process two more times before the four o’clock end of shift whistle.
We only stopped for a quick break to share some water and crackers I brought along, since the kid hadn’t brought anything today.
I also didn’t want to stop and waste time eating the lunch I brought since we had already been behind.
After returning our axes to the tool locker, we came back to the surface, grabbed our chit numbers and went to the Dry Room located across from the office. It’s a warehouse style building made of sheet metal and brick, with windows high above where you couldn’t see through them.
Walking into the open space, with tables and benches to the left as well as personal lockers, and open showers to the right behind a separation wall with a door on either side.
Men were scattered everywhere in every state of undress.
Some were sitting at the tables eating, some at their lockers handling their belongings to either shower and leave, or coming to start the night shift.
I could hear the water running with what sounded like a good ten men in there rinsing off the coal dust, dirt, and sweat.
Forgetting about my trainee, I hear, “Uhhhh,” coming from Charlie who is standing next to me with his eyes as big as dinner plates.
“Did Tom not bring you in here?” I asked, looking at his stunned facial expression.
“No. Me and Dad arrived and went right to the office in our jumpers,” he said, still staring toward the showers, with concern in his eyes.
“Well, this is the Dry Room. This is where you would leave your personal items you bring from home in lockers, things that you don’t want to bring down with you or shower materials.
Tables for resting and eating on breaks before, during, and after shift.
Although, not many of us come up top for lunch as it wastes a lot of time.
Showers to clean off before changing into clothes to go home in.
Your jumper can be left here to hang in the rafters to dry overnight,” pointing up.
Charlie craned his neck to look above him to see ropes and chains with hooks holding countless jumpers high above our heads on pulleys, “Oh.”
“I’m sure you know from your dad that washing your jumper is your responsibility at home,” looking at him, but he shook his head side to side. That’s when we heard his dad’s voice from behind us.
“That’s because I have been an irresponsible git since your mom died,” Mike said to Charlie with longing. He looked at me and said, “I’ll teach him tonight. We didn’t bring a change of clothes today, so we’ll get cleaned at home.”
Charlie visibly relaxed after hearing this, like the stress of showering here was causing him extreme fear.
Talking to the both of them, “I personally wash my jumper every other day. I hate being dirty. I know,” I said, waving my hand, “I’m in the wrong line of work,” which got a small laugh out of them both.
“I do it for others, so they don’t have to smell me in close quarters.
But clearly looking up you can see not everyone has the same mindset based on the condition of their jumpers. ”
After my unnecessary speech about hygiene that I’m sure sounded like a nervous ramble, Mike looked at Charlie, “How was your first day?”
He smiled. “I learned how to properly swing an axe.” Then his cheeks turned pink.
Huh.
“Well, let's get home and get cleaned up. Plus, we still have some unpacking to do,” Mike said, before turning to me saying, “Thank you for teaching him and keeping him safe.”
“Dad!”
Ignoring Charlie, I looked at Mike, “It’s all our responsibility to keep each other safe. Once he learns, I’m sure he will keep me safe too. Also, maybe bring water and something small to eat for our breaks. With all the exertion that he isn’t used to, I don’t want him fainting on me down there.”
“I understand,” Mike said grudgingly. “Normally I bring myself supplies but with us just moving here and the little time before we started–”
I waved Mike off with a ‘I get it’ motion.
He nodded once, looked at Charlie and motioned him towards the door.
As they walked away, Charlie peeked over his shoulder, making visual contact with me with a gleam in his eye like a clear stream before turning the corner and out of my sight, leaving me staring at the door.
“How was he?”
“Jesus Christ! David!” making me jump out of my skin, “Did you have to sneak up on me?”
Ignoring my reaction completely, he continued on, “Mike about took off his own foot today. He was a nervous wreck. Kept wanting to find you to see if Charlie was okay.”
David started to walk toward our lockers to get undressed and grab our shower supplies.
I followed, “Well, he was perfectly fine, even if he is inexperienced. He picked up on everything very quickly. He seems like a responsible kid. Like he had to grow up too quickly.” After a pause, while we were getting naked, a detail had hit me, so I looked in David’s direction only to get a hairy ass view.
Jesus.
“Did Mike mention that his wife died? Maybe that’s why,” thinking to myself.
David shut his locker and with his towel over his shoulder, turned around to face me to give me a look at his front side–which congrats, buddy.
“He didn’t say anything to me about their personal life in the slightest today.
Only his worry for Charlie.” He then started walking toward the showers, stopping at the hooks to hang his jumper.
Since I was bringing my jumper home, I grabbed my towel and followed, not worrying about covering up.
Stepping into the showers and turning the corner, the white tiled floor was already black.
Even with the water rushing toward the drains, it wasn’t strong enough to carry the coal dust with it after it came off our bodies.
Looking to see where there were open showerheads, I looked down the long, open white-tiled room to see two spots a quarter way down on the wall away from others.
In the center of the room, there were 5 poles holding up the corrugated metal ceiling slats.
Attached to the poles were 4 showerheads, with more along the outside wall for a total of thirty spaces.
After nodding hello to Will and John as we passed them, another pair of best friends, we got to our showers and turned the water on, which barely got warm. Regardless, it’s the best feeling in the world, feeling and watching the grim wash off my body.
Until I looked up and saw Richard and Dan enter the showers.
Great.
David turned around when he noticed I stopped what I was doing and looked up. “Jesus, the devil brothers always look more evil when covered in dirt.”
“Doesn’t help that Richard has a permanent sneer on his face when he looks at me,” I replied.
“Why is that? What did you do to him that he can’t look at you without that expression.
Like he caught you roaming Liberty Avenue in the city at midnight.
Can I borrow your soap? I forgot mine in the locker,” quickly changing the topic like what he just said didn’t rattle my brain.
Liberty Avenue in the city had a secret reputation for being the meeting ground for men that like other men.
“Where did that come from?” I handed him the soap, “Stick that up your ass, you are buying me a new bar.”
“He looks at you like what I would assume is how he would look at a fag. That’s a lot of hatred in his eyes.” David then looks down at the soap. “How am I supposed to wash my ass then?” with pure curiosity in his tone.
I looked at him with irritation. From both topics of conversation. But he’s clearly pulling my leg. “First of all, don’t say that word. Second, give me my soap back. You’re done.”
Rolling his eyes, he suds up his hands before giving me the soap back. “I didn’t know you had a soft spot for those kinds of people.” Then he gave me a quizzical look, turned serious and slightly embarrassed when he realized my face wasn’t going to change.
“Just like you said, they are people. They should be respected as such. No matter what they like– unless it’s Richard, then he can go fuck himself,” I explained, giving David a small smirk, showing him that in all seriousness, what he said didn’t have to be a big deal. “Just, don’t say that anymore, yeah?”
“Yeah, okay. Sure,” nodding at me but also studying me, trying to figure out, I’m sure, why I took that stance.
“We had a run in with him in the mine, which isn’t going to help my cause or Charlie’s first impression.
The kid had a mouth on him I didn’t see coming,” I said as I was washing my hair out.
I kept it shorter in length for cleanliness, but it always felt gritty and dirty no matter how much I washed it.
“That’s not good, especially with Richard likely to tell anyone that would listen,” David stated with weariness. “It’s one thing with you or me, but that kid is going to get eaten alive.”
“Yeah. We are going to have to keep an eye on how others are receiving him and Mike. Not like we can do much about it anyway with this lot,” I said while turning off the water after finally being able to see the real color of my skin.
Finished, we walked towards the door having to pass Richard and Dan. As we got closer, Richard looked at me like he wanted to jump me for simply existing.
“For as much as you both bicker and banter like a married couple, I would have expected to see you at least wash each other’s backs,” Richard spewed, trying to get a rise out of us.
Before I could even think about what to say, David beat me to it. “It wasn’t necessary today since neither one of us was partnered with you,” giving me a visual I never needed to have of Richard in a sexual situation.
“Why you fucking f–,” Richard said, diving for David before Dan’s arm shot out, wordlessly keeping his brother from doing something he’d regret, giving me the chance to grab David by the arm and dragging him out of the shower.
“Boy, that was fun,” David said with a huge smile on his face as I got us to our lockers.
I shook my head with a smirk that said, “You’re unbelievable.”
“But you were right in the showers,” he said as he dropped his towel and grabbed his pants. “Being on the other end of almost being called that word wasn’t a great feeling.”
“I’m glad you see reason,” I said, dressing quickly.
“I’m heading home. Gotta wash my jumper and I’m exhausted so I’m going to hit the sack early tonight.
See you tomorrow,” I smacked David’s shoulder, slammed the door to my locker closed, and headed to the door, feeling multiple sets of eyes on me along the way.