His Gram walked to the fridge and pulled out a liter of Mountain Dew.“I remembered, even if your grandfather didn’t.Are you still drinking this?”
Evan threw her a wide smile.“You are the best, Gram.Exactly the way to start my day.”
She poured him a large glass and tossed in a few ice cubes.He’d even take it warm if that was the only way he could get his caffeine.Fresh, homemade muffins sat in a basket in the middle of the table.Glancing at this grandmother first, he reached for one.
She tossed her head.“Of course you may have one.I didn’t make that many so your grandfather and I could get fat.”
When he bit into it, apple and cinnamon flavors burst over his taste buds.So good.Thanks.He didn’t even stop chewing to show his appreciation.
Once he’d devoured two of the muffins and an entire glass of Mountain Dew, he asked how his grandparents had been.
“We’re wonderful and so happy to see you,” Gram said.“It’ll be good to see the whole family today.Especially Carli and Blake.They’ve been so busy with the wedding planning.They said they were coming to the anniversary party, correct?”
“Yes.Blake even switched with someone, so he isn’t on call today.”
Gram nodded and toddled back to the counter to rinse out her coffee mug.Pops tipped his head at Evan.
“How’s the job going?What do they have you working on?” Pops had been essential in getting him the experience he’d needed to get the job on the road construction crew.
“Typical stuff.Skid steer, dump truck, bulldozer mostly.Depends on which road we’re working on.”
“Have you thought of taking the test for level two?It gets you into some of the larger equipment and leadership positions.”
Evan rolled his eyes but gave a small grin to lessen the effect.“I’ve skimmed through the book, but there’s a bit that I can’t work out.All that math stuff for measurement makes my brain melt down.Odds are they won’t see me as the guy for a management position.Not with my hearing loss.”
Pops scowled.“Do they look at you like you can’t understand things?You’re extremely talented with the equipment.I know, because I taught you to use much of it myself.”
Evan shrugged.“A few of the other workers stare at me, especially when I use my voice, but my boss is a pretty cool guy and seems to think I’m doing great.”
“Good.I might be able to help you with that measurement stuff.Did you bring your book with you?”
Evan shook his head.“No.This is supposed to be a party weekend with lots of fun and food.”
Pops peeked at his watch, and his face grew serious.“I’ve got my book around here somewhere.Let me grab it, and we can take a look.My edition might be out of date, but I bet much of the information still applies.”
Evan didn’t have anything else to do during the morning, and the party didn’t start until this afternoon.Might as well spend it with Pops.He wasn’t sure how many of the math problems he’d be able to accomplish, but he always loved spending time with his grandfather.
Pops returned a few minutes later, a ragged, dog-eared copy of theLevel Twobook in his hands.“Found it.Come on out back with me.We can do some hands-on instruction.I always learned better by doing.You can’t get a real hang of things simply by reading.”
Evan followed him out and watched as Pops set up some sticks around the backyard.For the next hour or so, they measured perimeters and areas and talked about how each piece of equipment would be used to dig up the space or move the dirt from one place to another.He had to admit, with his grandfather showing him with real-life scenarios, it didn’t seem quite as difficult.However, the biggest problem would be taking the written test.
As Pops flipped through the old manual, Evan’s phone vibrated in his pocket.After pulling it out, he swiped to see a text from Mercedes.
—Are you around to help my dad and Jonas set up the tent?It’s huge and they didn’t realize they’d need extra hands.—
He smiled.—You don’t have hands to help?—
—Do you want food at the party?If so, we need to concentrate on that.—
—Be right over.—
He shoved the phone back in his pocket and signed to his grandfather.“They need help setting up the tent.Thanks for all the practice.”
“Did it help?”
“It did.Makes the math part a little less scary.I never had a problem with the number part of math; it was the written parts that always tripped me up.I appreciate the time.”
His Pops nodded, and Evan dashed next door where Pierre and Jonas, Mercedes’ brother, stared at a huge piece of fabric on the ground.
