The "Moocher" has disappeared following his first paycheck from the company.
Funny, the foreman predicted it in his hiring of us, said he didn't want us disappearing upon our first check, bad experience with previous temps, we assured him no, not us.
And he stuck it out, until the check was in the bank, on his final Monday exchanged phone numbers with me in case anything ever happened - 8 weeks now I'd been giving him a ride, took care to take his gloves from the car, and then disappeared upon the dropoff.
He's not called, no word, merely another temp to perm got paid and left on a drinking binge..
I'm relieved, my duty is done and I'm not longer guilty by association, or responsible for his safe delivery and drop off or cigarettes. Despite his many vague offers of remuneration - "I owe you a case of scotch, a carton of cigarettes and 3 cheap hookers....", later moderated to "...a bottle of scotch at least..." he's coughed up nothing but phlegm, there's a frozen dribble down the passenger side of the car as proof...
***
The site grows - and changes, daily, the same route you walk into the pit is a completely different route by the time you leave. And the hours increase, 5:30 AM starts, 8:00 PM departures, day after day, learning to work on 6 hours sleep, it's not a job that demands much of one's wits...
***
Today, a brief respite from the cold, course on propane safety and handling, a few other workers from other sites are there, open-book, basic, an hours lecture followed by a quiz and a quick hands on. My foreman keeps me awake with frequent jabs in the back, I find myself otherwise falling asleep, the schedule is killing me...The quiz, easy, given the tools and lecture I'd expect my child to score 100%. But nobody does, some score as low as 50%, serious issues with remedial literacy....
Now to bed, tomorrow another 5:30 start and the weather is freezing...