The Big Let-Down (prose)

My short story was accepted and included in the new Old Mountain Press Anthology that is now available on Amazon Kindle. You can read my story below.

The Big Let-Down

Dwight L. Roth

When I left teaching, I decided to start my own Home Repair Business. Not long after that, Hurricane Floyd roared through Eastern North Carolina dropping 12 inches of rain in a matter of hours.  Many homes flooded with four feet of water and others were in need of repair. This kept me and my two helpers busy for quite a while.

I got a call to replace a roof on a ranch style house nearby. Lowes delivered the materials, and we were ready to begin. As we took off the old shingles, it became obvious that some of the plywood on the roof needed replaced. I got the materials we needed and proceeded removing the damaged sheathing.

Rob, one of the guys who worked with me, had a mild learning disability, but he was good help on the job. As we proceeded to remove all the old nails and get the plywood cut to fit the space, Rob stood on the ceiling joists in the hole in the roof.

Without thinking, he stepped from the rafters to the ceiling between them. In a matter of seconds, the ceiling gave way and Rob was hanging on the ceiling joists by his armpits. Amazingly. he did not fall all the way through, because his feet landed on the kitchen table. The look on Rob’s face was priceless!

We went down and helped lower him into the Kitchen. Thankfully Rob was not hurt, but I had a kitchen ceiling to patch that I did not count on.