Flight of the Repairmen

He came in the morning and began drilling holes in my wall. The bits for his drill we at least an inch thick and a few feet long and the perfect tool for breaching the concrete slabs that make up my apartment building. Three days before this moment I bought an air conditioner to keep my wife's office cool while the rest of the city heats up like an oven. This particular AC design isn't the sort that just hangs out of a window, instead the cooling unit is separate from the grill and is generally perched on balconies outside every apartment. When the workman took his first look at the project he groaned.

In order to access the ledge he would have to rappel down the side of my building holding a clutch full of hemp rope in one hand and the air conditioner in the other. It is a fascinating process to watch. And it is as dangerous as it sounds. The day before his colleague fell from the second story and spent the night in the hospital. Thankfully he wasn't seriously injured, but the jolt was enough to make even my repairman to return home and get a harness and a yellow hardhat. Though in his defense, the hardhat just laid on the floor during the operation.

So for the last five hours he and one or two of his accomplices have been swinging on ropes outside my window, taking water breaks while a five story abyss hangs below their feet. When they go home they get the company rate of $30 for installation and I will have a nice cool room to relax in.