It All Equals Out in the End

It can take years, but it's funny how life repays you in full.

I was mildly surprised that I can still can shovel this water laden snow. In fact, I sort of gauge my relative health by this, can I still shovel and am I any more worn out from last year? Of course, my heart rate was thumping away from doing this work but I could keep at a steady pace. Any physical prowess I have doesn't come from clean jerking weights nor sprints. My talent is just plain, pig-headed, deliberate slogging on through. I guess that's why I can marathon bicycle for thirty miles, but can't sprint to catch another 50 year old. Anyway, yippy-hooray for not dropping dead shoveling limitless slush. I did pop an aspirin before I did it though...just in case.

As I was doing this, a couple of younger kids come by, I'd say about 12 years old and they offered to “finish the job” for me for $30 a piece. Poor kids, they sure picked the wrong guy to discuss money with.

“I have this ¾ of the way done...and you want $60 to finish the front walkway and car?” I turn away and go back to shoveling.

The kids walk off and get about fifty feet away when the longer haired one turns around and shouts.

“Ahh... knock yourself out OLD MAN.”

I almost said something but caught myself. I had done the same thing, almost, when I was his age.

As a thirteen year old, my buddy J and I were profiteering off another snowfall by going around charging the exorbitant fee of $5 a piece to shovel you out. These were 1977 dollars. As we finished up one old lady's house on Enfield St, an older man across the way waves us over. Great, another paying job.

We told him it would be $5 a piece. He ignored that and pointed to what he wanted shoveled. I noticed he had two late model cars in the driveway and a pool that took up most of his backyard. I said to him again, as I thought he did not hear us that it would be $5 a piece.

“Oh, I can't pay you boys any money.” he said.

“You.god.damn.liar!” I thought to myself.

I then pulled J's arm and we walked to the street and then down it. The old man then yells at us to come back and I turn around and say:

“You got MONEY! It took MONEY to have that pool all summer long HUH? YOU can shovel until you DROP!”

If he could run and beat me with his own shovel, he would've. No matter, I was pissed off as much as he was.

And then today, I had two similar kids hand to me what I handed to that man from so long ago.

Just desserts!