Member-only story
I Never Told You But
Simone sat cross-legged on the floor with her nose close to the wiry mess and harrumphed, “Trevor, we have another string that won’t stay lit. What did we do again to get this job? I’m happy to apologize for my crime. I think finding one dead and then pulling out dead lights and replacing them with new ones while it’s plugged in to make it light is awful. It ranks in the top ten of most brutal punishment for kids.”
“I know what you mean,” sighed Trevor, trying to straighten the light string that resembled spaghetti with pointed bumps. “My fingers are so sore. I can’t grab and pull the dead bulbs without pliers. I’ve crunched a few bulbs. If the bulb is dead then what’s the big deal? Hey, did you change the fuse on that string? I can’t remember.”
“If I hadn’t, none of the bulbs would work. Why doesn’t Boss buy new strings and recycle these?”
“I never told you, but Boss wants to use the light strings as long as possible to reduce waste. If we can use one they won’t go into the landfill. Plus, he doesn’t like to spend money if he can make it work. You know how he grumbles when he goes shopping.”
“I will do it, but …ow…I got stuck again. This feels hopeless. I’ve got less than half of my string working,” she sniffled.
“Boss said if we only get half of the lights operational, to bring them to him. He has a…
