One Offs: Random Rambles of a Crazed Fool

Blue Collar

These painted nails gathered more attention than I had anticipated. Bright yellow and pale baby blue. Those were the colors she chose for me. I could still hear her sweet little voice as she asked me to play nail salon with her. My favorite niece. My only niece.

'Nate, stop staring at the part and get to the Okuma,' yelled Randy with a clap to my shoulder.

He knew the reason I continued to keep my fingernails painted all this time. She had lost her battle with cancer at seven years old. My sister seemed to be unaffected, but I knew she had to be dying inside to see her only daughter wilt away, like a plucked bloom. She had my nephews to continue to raise.

I was working a second job, at Master Fab with my buddy Randy, to help offset the medical bills and keep my mind from mulling over the loss of my soulmate. Angie was the reason I stayed sober. She was born in a rough patch in mine and her mother's life. Melinda needed my help. Being a single parent to one was easier than being just dumped with a newborn. She and I were never close growing up, but I guess I was the only one she could call.

It was like divine intervention or some shit. When I held that baby girl in my arms the first time and she shit on me, it was love at first sight. I chuckled at the memory as I moved out of the way so Randy could move the steel onto mill. After the metal was in the machine, I began outlining the programing so the CNC lathe could bring the newest model of seatbelt to life.

I looked over at my buddy, his back to me, and gave a small smile. Besides grieving for my little angel, I was proud of Randy. He went out on his own and started a shop – running his dream. Now, his business was small, but he had steady work with a few of us part-timers working here and there.

'You got it running?' he yells the question over his shoulder. It was three of us working tonight, him, me, and his little cousin, Travis.

I cleared my throat. 'Yea. Gotta watch the Y. I think I might be off.'

He rolled his eyes. This was my answer to everything. He knew I had the sharpest eye and could write bare programs in my sleep. The first pass of the tool was soothe. The chip that came off was a lovely even curl, like the work of art wrapped up like an Arby's curly fry.

I wanted to reach in and pull it out, but the Okuma had a safety mechanism that shut down the machine once the window was open. I'd love to disable that feature, but Randy would be pissed. This thirty-thousand-dollar machine was not cheap and was not my bread and butter.

I looked back at my hands, worn with knicks and scrapes, blue and yellow coloring still bright as ever. I smiled at that. My brave girl's last words to me were, 'My favorite hero, Blast Man, wears these colors, Uncle Nate. He will keep you safe.'

I had asked her why she wanted me safe. 'Becuz Momma says you do a dangerous job.' She mimicked her momma's expression and continued, 'He's gonna loose a damned hand.'

I chuckled at her when she cussed. I let my girl do whatever she liked when it was just us.

An alarm brought me back out of my mind, and I rushed over to numbnuts Travis. He was standing in front of the Mazak trying to figure out what was wrong.

'Everything was fine,' he stammered, looking nervous.

Randy looked like he was going to kill him. Mazak was a five-axis 3D milling, and this was not something he wanted messed with by the boy who was just out of tech.

'I think you would set fire to water, boy,' I joked and looked at the screen for the error. 'Did you load this as I told you?'

He nodded. Then I messed with the screen, pulling up the feeds and speeds. My head cocked to the side and gave him a look that said "dumbass." Randy ran over, took a quick look at the screen, then hit his cousin in the back of the head.

'Dumbass!' we both yelled in unison. Randy took over. 'Look at this and tell me what is wrong.'