Scrap

SCRAP 4
The sun is burning Frank’s face as he lies snoring across the seats of the cab. Someone is thumping on the door. He peers out. ‘Come on,’ Scotty shouts into his face, ‘the power’s back on. Shift yourself.’ He thrusts a loading ticket through the window and strides back to his own cab. He follows Frank to the loading bay and parks alongside.
All the gossip is of the power blackout. Frank and Scotty enthusiastically join in as they hand stack crates of oranges. Theories range from blown fuses to terrorist attack but nobody suggests that anyone may simply have seen a full drum of copper cable parked by the side of the road and stolen it for the scrap value.
‘One more, Mike,’ Frank calls out to the forklift driver. Mike pokes his head out from beneath the trailer. ‘What can’t speak can’t lie.’
John the stevedore boss appears with his clipboard. ‘You’ve already had your 14 pallets Frank.’ He indicates with his biro. Frank drops down from the trailer. ‘Well you count the boxes on my trailer and tell me how many.’
John frowns as he makes the count. He goes over it again and it still comes up short. ‘How come this always happens with you?’ he asks suspiciously. Frank shrugs. ‘One more Mike,’ John reluctantly agrees, ‘But I know there’s something fishy going on here. One of these days…’ Scotty chimes in: ‘Well mine’s stacked exactly the same. Are you saying I’ve got more that I should have?’
John turns a page on his clipboard. ‘No,’ he agrees, ‘I counted 14 for you.’ Scotty acts affronted. ‘Sure you don’t want to count again before I sheet up? Don’t want to be accused of cheating.’
John carefully counts the neatly stacked crates. Exactly the same pattern as Frank’s load so there must be the same number of boxes. ‘Alright,’ he grumbles, ‘on your way, but if I find out you’ve been diddling me you’re for it.’
They rope down the loads and drive to the parking area. They help each other cover the loads with waterproof tarpaulins. Scotty nods enviously towards a brand new Scania lorry with its curtain-draped tilt trailer. ‘That’s what we need. All this handballing and sheeting up shouldn’t be necessary in this day and age.’
Frank nods in agreement. ‘Can’t see Ken forking out for flash new lorries when these old beasts still creak on. Specially when he’s still got idiots like us to drive them. Mind you, we wouldn’t get away with our extras if it was all pallet on pallet off, would we?’