Chapter 6 - The Unanswered Phone Calls
The drive back to my loft above the hardware store took forty-five minutes instead of four hours, primarily because the highway was blissfully empty on Christmas night. When I parked my dented F-150 in the alleyway behind my building, the city lights of downtown were twinkling softly against the winter sky.
I carried the cedar box up the metal staircase, unlocked my apartment door, and stepped into the warm, familiar sanctuary of my home. Exposed brick walls lined with bookshelves, a massive oak drafting table covered in computer monitors and CAD schematics, and the quiet, peaceful hum of a life built entirely by my own hands—brick by brick, calculation by calculation.
I set the cedar box down on my drafting table.
Before I could even hang up my coat, my phone began to vibrate violently on the oak surface.
The screen lit up with caller ID: Dad.
I watched the screen light up, ring out for thirty seconds, go dark, and then immediately light up again.
Call missed: Dad (2)
I didn't answer. I walked over to the kitchen, poured myself a mug of black coffee, and walked back to the window, looking out over the quiet street below.
Within ten minutes, the phone started ringing again. This time it was my mother. Then Bryce. Then Uncle Greg, calling on behalf of my parents to see if there was "any way we could talk this over like a civilized family."
By midnight, my phone had logged thirty-four missed calls and twelve frantic text messages.
“Tamara, please pick up. Your father hasn't slept in hours. We need to talk about the engineering specs.” — Mom. “Tam, look, I was out of line at dinner. Let’s sit down and grab coffee. Name your terms.” — Bryce. “Please, Tamara. Just give your old man a break. He’s beside himself.” — Dad.
I sat down at my drafting table, pulled my laptop toward me, and opened my professional email client. A priority message from the senior project director at Valor Engineering sat at the top of the inbox:
Subject: RE: Camden River Foundation Submittal Rejection - Collins Contracting. Tamara, just saw your technical audit regarding Collins Contracting’s rebar density discrepancies. Good catch. We would have faced catastrophic structural failure during load testing if those pours had gone through. We’re pulling their pre-qualification status effective immediately. Let’s discuss re-bidding the package to an independent regional partner next week.
I typed a brief, professional reply: Agreed. Send over the secondary contractor shortlist on Tuesday morning. I’ll review them for compliance.
I locked my computer screen, leaned back in my ergonomic chair, and slipped my hand into my coat pocket. My fingers brushed against the cool, smooth metal of Grandpa Walter’s brass level.
I pulled it out, set it gently on the center of my drafting table, and watched the tiny bubble settle dead center between the black indicator lines.
May you like
Level.
For the first time in my life, everything was entirely level.
