My plate contained a thick steak, lima beans and french fried potatoes.
‘You eat well here,’ I said as I cut into the steak.
‘Everything is top class here.’ O’Brien said. ‘We’re working for Essex.’
We ate for a minute or so, then O’Brien said, ‘I understand you and Olson were buddies in Vietnam.’
‘He was my boss. I kept him in the air.’
‘How did you like it in Vietnam?’
I cut another piece of steak, put mustard on it and stared at it.
‘It was fine with me but then I wasn’t getting shot at.’ I conveyed the steak into my mouth and chewed.
‘Makes a difference.’
‘You can say that again.’
We ate for some moments, them O’Brien said. ‘You have had a lot of experience in laying runways?’
I paused in eating and looked directly at him. He was looking directly at me. We stared at each other and I just couldn’t help liking this heavy, fat man as he chewed his steak, his frank blue eyes looking into mine.
‘I’m an aero-engineer,’ I said. ‘I know the guts of most kites, but I have no idea how to build a runway.’
He gave a little nod, then plastered a piece of his steak with mustard.
‘Yeah. Well, Jack, thanks for being frank. Let’s take it from here. Olson told me he wanted me supervised. He’s scared the runway won’t be completed in three months. He said he was getting an expert to watch me. I go along with him because the money is fine. He’s scared silly of Essex. When a man is scared of another man because he’s worried about keeping his job, then I’m sorry for him and am willing to play along.’
I hesitated, then said, ‘I knew him thirteen months ago. This is the first time I’ve seen him since then. There’s been a hell of a change.’
‘Is that right? I’ve only been on the job for a couple of weeks, but I know a scared man when I see him.’ O’Brien finished his meal, then sat back. ‘Well, Jack, what do you suggest you do? I can assure you the runway will be completed within the next six weeks. I’ve a fine gang working with me and I know I can rely on them.’
‘Olson said something about labour trouble.’
O’Brien shook his head.
‘Not a chance. Everyone’s well paid and I know how to handle them.’
I shrugged.
‘Then I’m damned if I know what I’m going to do. As soon as I saw your setup I knew there was nothing in it for me. You know, Tim there’s something, goofy about this. Olson is paying me good money out of his own pocket for what seems to be for nothing.’
O’Brien smiled.
‘Well, if you’re getting paid and it’ll make you happy, you’d better supervise me, hadn’t you?’
‘Can I come with you and take a look around?’ I felt awkward.
‘Of course.’ He looked at his watch. ‘Time I got moving anyway.’
He drove me back to the site and slid out of the jeep.
‘You take her Jack. I won’t need her this afternoon. Take a look around. I’m open to any suggestions.’
Feeling stupid, I drove by the men who had already begun working, got beyond the level ground and down into the forest. There I left the jeep and walked.
Fifty or so Negroes were felling trees with electric saws. They glanced indifferently at me, then one of them, a big, good-looking buck waved me away.
‘Ain’t safe to wander around, brother,’ he said. ‘Trees are falling like rain.’
I moved away and leaving the forest, I walked into the hot sun to where they were blasting. Again I was told to keep away. As O’Brien had said, the work was going ahead at a fast clip. He had enough machines, enough men and enough explosives to make the runway in six weeks.
I turned down a sloping path that led to a running stream, well away from the site and I sat on a rock, lit a cigarette and did some thinking.
One thing I was now certain of: there was nothing here for me to do with O’Brien in charge. So why had Olson sent for me? Why was he paying me $3750 out of his own pocket just to stooge around when he must know that O’Brien would deliver? What was behind this business? He had gone now to New York. He had said he would be back in three days. In the meantime what was I going to do? My first inclination was to go back home, leaving a letter for him, saying I couldn’t see how I could be of help, but I quickly killed that idea. I didn’t want to go back to that little drab house: back into small time again. I decided I would wait here until Olson returned and then have it out with him. In the meantime, I decided to write a report on the progress of the runway just to show him that I had been trying to earn his money.
I returned to the site and found O’Brien working on a stalled bulldozer. When he saw me, he came over.
‘Look, Tim,’ I said. I had to shout to get above the noise of the other bulldozers, ‘it looks fine to me. Of course the runway will be finished in six weeks. At the rate you’re going it could be finished in five.’
He nodded.
‘But I’ve got to do something to earn my money. I need it. Could I look at your records so I can get out some kind of report for Olson? Would you mind that?’
‘Sure, Jack. That’s no problem. Go to my cabin. In the top left-hand drawer of my desk, you’ll find everything you want. I won’t come back with you. I have this machine to fix.’
‘I appreciate that.’ I paused, then went on. ‘My report will probably lose me my job, but that’s my luck. I’m going to say there’s nothing I can do better than what you’re doing right now.’
He regarded me, smiled, then lightly punched me on my arm.
‘You’ve said it. I’ve been constructing runways now for the past twenty years. See you tonight,’ and leaving me, he returned to the stalled bulldozer.
I got in the jeep and drove back to the cabins. I was sweating. The afternoon sun was fierce and it was a relief to walk into O’Brien’s air-conditioned cabin. I paused in the doorway, startled.
A blonde girl was lolling in one of the lounging chairs. She was wearing red stretch pants and a white blouse that was open to her navel, just containing her heavy breasts. Her hair fell to her shoulders in a cascade of gold silk. She was around twenty-five years of age with a narrow, high cheek boned face with large green eyes. She was about the sexiest looking woman I had seen for more years than I cared to remember.
She regarded me coolly and then smiled. Her teeth were as white as orange pith and her lips glistening and sensual.
‘Hi!’ she said. ‘Looking for Tim?’
I moved into the room and closed the door.
‘He’s out on the site.’
‘Oh!’ She made a little face, then stirred her lush body. ‘I was hoping to catch him. How that man works!’
‘I guess that’s right.’
All right, I admit it, she turned me on. The girls in my small time town had nothing on her.
‘Who are you?’ she asked, smiling.
‘Jack Crane. I’m the new runway supervisor. Who are you?’
‘Pam Osborn. I’m deputy air hostess when Jean wants time off.’
We regarded each other
‘Well, that’s fine.’ I went over to the desk and sat down. ‘Anything I can do for you Miss Osborn?’
‘Maybe... it’s a lonely life sticking around this airport.’ She shifted a little in her chair. One of her heavy breasts nearly escaped but she pushed it back in time. ‘I looked in to chat up Tim.’
That I didn’t believe. I was sure at this hour — it was just after 16.00, she would know O’Brien would be on the site.
Again I felt wary. I was sure she had been waiting for me. Why?
‘You have no luck.’ I opened the top left-hand drawer of the desk. There was a heavy black leather folder there. I took it out. ‘I too have work to do.’
She laughed.
‘The brush-off Jack?’
‘Well...’