3/21/22 Journal: The Deck is Done

Evi has been working on her deck for over a month now, just slowly buying lumber and drilling it down a few pieces at a time. Until Saturday, she had done everything; I hadn’t so much as touched a screw in the entire process. I wouldn’t have minded chipping in, but A) Evi never asked, B) I think it’s been a point of pride for her that she’s done it without me, and C) she’s definitely planning on using the deck against me in some future argument about how much work she does around the house.

I guess sometime late last week, her friend Ashley came over and checked out the progress. She loved it, and since her and her husband Trevor have a ton of experience renovating houses, she immediately offered to jump in and help her finish it on Saturday. I couldn’t help but laugh; Evi and Ashley are both attractive young women, and I could not wait until I’d be outside in my pajamas, drinking coffee, while watching two babes build me a deck. I should’ve asked them to wear bikinis.

That is definitely a joke.

Trevor wasn’t planning on helping either. He and I were supposed to watch their two kids and my two daughters inside the house. But he’s a contractor by trade, and it was just impossible for him to watch building being done and not help. So he jumped in, and between him*, Ashley and Evi, they finished the whole damn thing in a few hours.

*I did not ask Trevor to wear a bikini.

I will say this: As much as I’ve joked the last few weeks about not contributing any labor at all, it actually did start to bug me on Saturday. There’s something just a little bit emasculating about watching work being done and nobody expecting you to help. In my defense, I’m still in therapy for my shoulder and said therapist would read me the riot act if I told him I lugged lumber all weekend.

But still.

Eh, I got over it quickly. Coffee sure was nice Sunday morning on my new deck.

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