I get into trouble

Monday morning I reluctantly take a cab to the airport and leave for Lae. I just hope Dave will do what he promised and have my car towed to PNG Motors with my instructions to strip the engine.

In Lae, I’m being met by Peter Fidder, the sheetmetal worker who has already installed some of the ductwork. It is a self-contained unit already piped up and only needs ductwork connected and the control wiring, so no need for a refrigeration mechanic. Peter has already hired a local native lad to help him install the ductwork and the unit is already positioned on a concrete plinth, about a metre from the external building with the ductwork going up the side and turning into the ceiling space.

OTC Building Lae

I install a steel conduit between the unit and into the wall for the control wiring. There are lots of wires in the conduit and I have to struggle to get them all in and it takes me some time. The conduit is about a half metre above ground. I hope nobody stands on that I think, or it’ll snap off. I grab a large piece of chipboard and write in big letters DO NOT STAND ON THIS CONDUIT.

In the meantime I hear Peter up in the ceiling blowing his top. He later tells me, the ceiling space is very tight and him and his temporary boy are lying on either side of the duct run. Peter joins his side of the duct and drills the screws in his side to fasten the joint. He then says, your turn, Tommy. No response. Your turn, Tommy!, still no response. He looks under the duct and there is Tommy, fast asleep. That’s when I hear Peter blowing his top.

I’m in the building, starting to install the control panel when I hear the snap just outside the wall at the unit. When I get there, I see this pair of black feet climbing up the wall. Of course my conduit has snapped off clearly shearing the wires clean off at the elbow into the wall.

That’s when I blow loose my cool. I call the native a black *!$@^%  so and so, useless git. I have to start all over again, pull out the wires cut and thread new conduit and pull in new wires, all the time stewing, swearing and cursing. I’m still swearing and cursing when the white police inspector accompanied by a couple of native constables with the black git who stood on the conduit in tow, appear next to me.

'Is this the masta who abused you', the inspector asks the black fellow. 'Yes, masta'.  ‘Did you insult this man?’, the inspector turns to me. ‘Yes I did, officer’, I reply. ‘Any reason’, he continues.

‘Yes, of course there is a reason’, I snap. I explain the trouble I had with the conduit, getting all the wires in and point to the large sign that’s still on the wall.

‘Is that true’, the inspector asks of the black fellow. 'Well, yes, I did stand on it. I thought it would be all right’ the boy replies.

The inspector walks away back to the car, with the black constables following. ‘Serves you right’, he says to the black git, ‘I would have done the same’.


Next - I have been let me down.