Maria put her hands on her hips and that was all that he needed to see. He was well aware the argument had been lost at that very moment. He held up his hands and slid off the car. He walked over to the truck climbing in, quickly turning it over and headed into town. He found the first payphone that he could. He dropped in two dimes and dialed Shaw’s number. The phone rang and he waited impatiently for Shaw to answer. When the phone was answered Sarah said, “Hello you have reached Mr. Shaw's office of Shaw Tree Trimming, how can I help you?”
"Hey, Sarah its Jude, how are you doing today sweetheart?"
Sarah smiled brightly, she loved the much younger Jude or at least loved watching him walk away. She said, “Oh Jude honey how are you doing today? What are you calling for?”
“My sister-in-law Maria said she got a call from Shaw, saying he might have a job for me to do. He said they have some contract work that you guys are in a little over your head right now?”
"Oh, he decided to send you boys down so he can still keep that big ass check they are going to offer."
Jude smiled loving having an upper hand especially when it was on some asshole like Shaw. He said, “How big are we talking about Sarah?”
Sarah smiled knowing Jude's situation and she could handle if she had to work for the prick a little bit longer if it meant giving him the upper hand. She said, "Well I couldn't tell you the exact figure because that just wouldn't be fair. But I could give you maybe an estimate as to what I think maybe it is."
Jude laughed he said, "Hey I'll take what I can get Sarah. I can handle that, what kind of estimate are we looking at?"
"Well Jude you'll have to do the math on your own honey, but let's just say you had a thousand dollars, and you took that thousand dollars times five. Well, now that might just be the amount that he's looking at getting from the great state of Missouri for the job."
Jude whistled, “No shit?”
Sarah laughed, “No shit honey. Let me transfer you on over to Mr. Shaw so you can get your business on, and don't go letting him off easy okay?”
Jude just smiled knowing if ever he had an ex-wife on earth he would not want it to be her. In her defense, he knew Mr. Shaw had shared the sheets with more lovelies than anyone probably should.
She punched the phone number to announce and transfer. Shaw picked it up on the second ring. He said, “What do you want now Sarah?”
"Oh, you don't want to take the phone call that is going to answer all your problems sugar? I can just tell Jude you changed your mind. He already said how busy he's been honey, making money. You know money. That thing you love more than anything. Anyway, I'll just let him know the job got filled and-"
Shaw screamed into the phone cutting her off slamming the receiver hard into his desk. He yelled, “You will do no such goddamn thing or I'm going to break my foot off in your ass woman! Transfer him over and do it now goddamn it. I'm going to kick your ass if you keep screwing with me today.”
Jude held the phone out from his ear staring at it in confusion for a second realizing he'd already been transferred. He said, “I sure as hell hope you aren't threatening to kick my ass cause I'll beat the shit out of you son, I don't care what kind of job offer you got on the plate. Don't go disrespecting me!”
Shaw yelled back the frustration pouring out of him towards his ex-wife. "Goddamn it I wasn't talking to you. That evil bitch transferred you to me, damn it that's the second time today she’s done that. You know I tell you what, she's trying to give me a goddamn heart attack. I ain't worth shit dead. This place only makes money cause I'm around to run it. She wants me dead, dead son I say dead
damn it. You know what, I'm babbling, how the hell are you doing Jude? How's that little boy of yours doing?”
Jude could see the man wasn't much different than he had been a few years ago. Jude said, "Well he is growing like a weed, sir. And he's trying to eat me outta house and home. What's up with the job offer? I've already got a job east of town I'm working on, I figured it would be a three-day job, but it looks like we might be able to finish it up in one or two days. It just depends on how motivated I can keep my men."
Shaw did a little fist pump in the air thinking how it was probably a good thing he could wrap up the job duties today. He knew Jude well, and knew he wouldn't leave any work behind until he had finished. It wasn't in his personality which was probably why he liked him as a worker; hard workers were hard to find whereas lazy ones were a dime a dozen.
“Well that's great news. I got to tell you because I don't know if your sister-in-law told you but you're looking at right around a five hundred dollar bonus if you can do the job in a week son.”
“I got plenty of work up this way and I don't have to drive four hours to get there. What are you offering?”
"But I just told you, son I have a five hundred dollar bonus if you get done in time, you tell me when the last time you got a five hundred dollar bonus was? You don't need the money then you just say the word."
“Everyone needs money Shaw, even bigwigs like you. I’m not trying to say I don’t care about a bonus because I do, but I get a day's pay as well, despite that five hundred dollar bonus you are dangling in front of me. There is a good damn chance that we will just about all but have it spent by the time we get there and back. I don't have the kind of money to go down there on my own dime while I'm waiting for you to reimburse me.”
Shaw said, “Well you didn’t really expect me to send you down there all by yourself did you? I mean without anything did you?”
“Yup, I sure did.”
"You know what son, I'll make sure you aren't sent down there with empty pockets. I got you a company van and I’ll even fill up the first tank for you. You can top off all your chainsaw gas tanks and your carry tanks. I'll even have Sarah call and get the finest hotel we can manage for you in town. It's a small town so I can't promise the Hilton, but it'll do. Two men to a room, Maria already said this for you while you're working so that's about the best I can do."
"You still haven't said shit about what I'm going to make Shaw. If you think putting me up in a hotel room so I can break my back and my knees for a week is worth it then you're crazy. I need to have something that I need to fold when I put myself back in the car to drive home."
Shaw said, “I remember you being a lot more patient back in the day.”
Jude snapped right back, "But back in the day I had a wife and a newborn son. Now all I have is a four-year-old and a stack of bills and not enough hours in my damn day. Ever since my wife got cancer things have been tough."
Shaw said trying to relate to him, “Well I can understand not having enough hours in the day son, but take it from me, even if you're up to date on your bills you still ain't never going to have enough time to do what you want
.”
“All I want to do is pay my bills and feed my son. I don't have high expectations in life but giving my boy the life he deserves. Get to it. How much you paying otherwise.”
Shaw bit on his knuckles he said, “How about a thousand bucks?”
“Each?”
“Hell no, not each, are you crazy? What man makes a thousand bucks a week in 1983? Christ did one of them there logs fall and hit you in the head? That grand is for the lot of you.”
Jude laughed out loud at this, "Are you kidding me? Hell, that wouldn't be more than two fifty a man. You know what that is?"
Shaw was trying to use some muscle he said, “Yeah that's what the offer is son. You think you can do better elsewhere?”
“Would I be asking you if you're crazy if not?”
"Well, what dollar amount do you think is good enough for you and your boys to go down and do the work?"
"Well, I think we might just be too damn far apart to even say it, Shaw?"
“But since I'm the one hiring you, why don't you go ahead and let me worry about being too much money or not too much money.”
Already smiling and knowing the answer, he figured he may as well go ahead and start on the higher end of the scale to allow Shaw to feel as if he were haggling him down, Jude said, “I think about four grand would be just fine sir.”
Shaw gripped at his heart, he said, “Jesus, are you trying to give me a heart attack son?”
“Just trying to get a fair day’s pay.”
"Well then you're delusional or you must have hit your head on something today because that is absurd. I already told you a grand a week per man was insane. Hell, you just asked for that again. I won't pay you a dollar over two grand. Now see here, if this one works out, next time I go to send boys out of town maybe it's going to be you. But if I can't afford you I won't be pushing this button to call you."
Jude just smiled leaning against the phone booth. He said, "So I guess I just hang up this phone."
“It doesn’t take a genius to run a chainsaw son.”
“No, but it takes a man to do it, and it seems that is something you don’t have. I appreciate your time today sir. You keep me in mind if any other jobs come up though. You never know when I'm going to get a break in my busy schedule.”
Shaw was holding the phone tight enough to white-knuckle his left hand. He said through clenched teeth.
"Alright, alright, twenty-five hundred dollars but that's it, I ain't going to go no damn higher."
Jude said, “Well then you have a right nice day sir.”
“Man are you crazy - you're killing me! Okay, three grand. You want more than that you can drive down here and kiss my old wrinkled ass.”
Jude smiled ear to ear thinking about three thousand dollars split four ways for one week's pay was one hell of a good week. He shook his head thinking he owed Ms. Jones a dozen roses and he was going to have them hand-picked and delivered by the owner himself.
Shaw could feel the tension of the day rising up his back feeling like it was turning into cement in his shoulders. He said, "You just remember if you ain't done by Friday afternoon five hundred dollars are going to stay right in my damn pocket son. You pay your men how you want to, but you just remember being the boss man you need to be keeping a few extra for yourself in case of a rainy day. And if you don't finish then you don't get paid that bonus and I won't be any happier about paying you the three grand."
Jude said, “So that’s a yes, I mean I don’t want you telling folk that I'm cheating you. If you ain't making any money on this you just let me know. We can settle things up right now, I'll leave you be and go back to my job.”
Shaw said, "Well I might still be making a couple hundred dollars on it. I haven't done the exact math so I can't be positive, but we need to spread the wealth around right?"
Jude said, “Well thank God you've got the faith keeping you honest Mr. Shaw. You are damn near an angel. And I thank you, and my family thanks you for that. We're going to finish up our days’ work and will be gone in the morning. Before day break tomorrow I might already have my first tree down sir.”
“You boys just make sure you stay out of trouble there after you're done working. You do a damn good job. It’s not your reputation on the line it’s mine. If you fuck anything up - well don’t fuck it up!”
Jude said, “Well I can't say I’m a real big fan of making mistakes so I just have to tell you to trust in me like I'm going to trust in you to come through.”
“You boys drive safe on the way down there. That van I'm sending you down there in is almost brand new.”
Jude smiled thinking the box van he was going to be driving probably did not have air conditioning, and was at least ten years old with 200,000 miles on it if he was lucky. Jude said, "I'll send Chuck over after work to pick up the van, just leave the keys in it okay?"
"Oh, Christ you're working with Chuck?"
Jude said, “He's a hell of a hard worker. Faithful, and strong. Like you said, it doesn't take a rocket scientist or a genius to do tree cutting.”
"Just don't prove me wrong. I'll transfer you out to Sarah to get things arranged with her and then go finish up your work so you can be on your way. Good luck down there and if I didn't mention already don't fuck up." Shaw hit the mute button, cursing to himself thinking that he'd only make fifteen-hundred dollars for two phone calls which he thought he might just be able to live with. He started seeing dollar signs in his head already and thought if he could get ten more people to do that he'd have one hell of a summer.
Jude set the phone down in its cradle trying to keep the balance his weak knees. The idea of three thousand dollars split an even four ways for one week’s stay away from home had his stomach rolling. He thought he might actually be up for a moment. He thought about it and quickly dialed his home phone number. The phone rang and Maria picked up, she said, “Grimes residence how can I help you?”
Jude screamed into the phone, “Three thousand goddamn dollars can you believe that shit?”
“Three thousand are you kidding me? To kill the ex-wife?”
"No, believe it or not, all he wants us to do is cut down some trees in Missouri, and clean everything up."
Maria said, “That's too bad I would help you dig the hole. For that kind of money I'd probably still be able to sleep at night.”
“Being the keeper of my son that's a little bit creepy Maria, but I understand where you're coming from. Can you do me a huge favor?”