Avery sat at the bar, drinking his third hard seltzer of the evening and getting lost in the haze. He couldn’t believe he was just laid off from his office desk job of 10 years. He didn’t know what he would do now or how he was going to make rent for his apartment. He had enough savings for a few months, but living in Boston was expensive.
The bar was loud but he drowned it out. There were a group of construction workers having beers a few tables away and having a good time.
Avery didn’t drink often. When he did though, he became a lot more talkative. He was telling the bartender everything. How he was laid off and how he was worried. The bartender just listened and kept him supplied with White Claws.
“Hey, buddy,” a deep voice sounded behind him. It was met with a touch of a hand on his shoulder, which startled him. “Doing alright?”
Avery turned around and saw a large man with a long beard. He was both muscular and hefty. His skin was tan and sun baked. He wore a construction vest. He looked dirty from working outside all day. He smelled of sweat and smoke. He stopped to talk as his buddies left the bar.
“Oh…umm…I’ll be alright,” Avery answered.
The man sat next to him and asked, “Sure about that?”
This man seemed intimidating, but also warm in an almost protective way. Avery opened up and flatly said, “No. Not sure what I’m going to do. I just have been laid off.”
“Heard that,” the man said, “Name’s Ox.”
“Ox?” Avery asked back, never hearing that name before.
The man leaned in and whispered, “Short for Oxford, but nobody knows that. And I plan on keeping it that way.”
“Gotcha. I’m Avery,” he chuckled.
Ox held out his hand, “Nice to meet ya, Avery.”
Avery shook it with a “You too, Ox.”
“So, you’re out of a job?” Ox continued, “Ever done construction?”
“No, never,” Avery answered.
Avery remembered watching the construction workers across the street from his office window. He sometimes was envious of being able to work outside all day and being free from all the formalities that came with a corporate job.
“Umm…not sure if I would be a right fit. Look at me,” Avery confessed.
Ox laughed, “We all start somewhere. Know it would be different than whatever office you came from, but you’d learn. Better than being unemployed. Can be temporary until you find something else.”
What Ox was saying was true. It would be better than being unemployed.
“Sure, okay,” Avery said.
The two of them chatted for a bit and Ox told him where to report to tomorrow morning before heading out.
Outside, Ox took out a pack of Marlboro Reds and slid one out with his lips before lighting it up. Before parting ways, Avery asked, “Why are you offering to help me?”
“Trust me bubs, I was once in your shoes. Exactly in your shoes. It didn’t seem like it at the time, but it was the best thing that ever happened to me,” Ox answered.
Avery reached out his hand and Ox shook it. “Thanks, I appreciate it.”
Avery reported to the job site. He woke up with second thoughts, but decided to not let Ox down and to give it a go. He wore his tennis shoes, jeans and a long sleeved dress shirt.
The minute Ox saw him, he said, “Buddy, I’m glad you showed up but you can’t wear tennis shoes on site.”
The color in Avery’s face drained, “It’s all I have. I don’t own boots.” Avery feared he was going to be fired before even starting.
“I got an extra pair you can borrow in my trailer. Follow me,” Ox said.
Ox unlocked the trailer and gestured Avery inside. His trailer was messy and smelled of stale smoke. Ox lit up a cigarette as he grabbed a pair of boots that were sitting on a chair.
“Put ‘em on,” he said as his lit cigarette bounced, “And if you got an undershirt, take off the fancy one.”
Avery did as he told as Ox looked through some filing cabinets. The boots fit just right and he had a tank top under his dress shirt, luckily.
“You have to fill these out then when can get started,” Ox said as he handed Avery some standard new employment paperwork.
When he was done, Ox looked over it, “Bullock? Your last name is Bullock?”
“Yes,” Avery confirmed, “Why?”
Ox chuckled as smoke exhaled from his nose, “I’m calling you Bull from now on. Ox and Bull.” Ox then gave Avery a vest and a hard hat, “Put that on and let’s get started, Bull.”
Ox showed Avery the job site. There were other men already hard at work who all knew what they were doing. These men looked rugged and strong. He noticed most of the men were smoking and wondered why most blue collar men smoke. Ox must have felt Avery’s lack of confidence because he said, “Don’t worry, Bull. You’ll be working with me for a while. I’ll teach ya.”
The two men started working. Avery was surprised that Ox was a good teacher; he explained everything, was patient and never made Avery feel stupid. After a couple of hours, Avery was already feeling exhausted so Ox suggested they take a “smoke break” - even though Ox was smoking the entire morning as they worked.
Ox laughed and said, “Never smoked myself until I started construction work.”
“Oh,” Avery responded, knowing he would never pick up the habit himself.
After a long day at work, Ox invited Avery to go to a bar for some food and beer. “First day beer is on me, Bull,” he said.
“Umm…sure, I’ll go. Thanks, Ox,” Avery said.
After a month of working as a construction worker, Avery was getting use to working long, hard days. He found himself liking the work and spending his day with Ox and the other men. He was starting to feel like he belonged, but still felt a like a fish out of water. He and his coworkers were still just too different. Most of the guys, with the exception of Ox, called him “Pretty Boy”. Avery knew it was in a friendly teasing way, but it still bothered him.
At lunch, Avery and Bull sat down on a makeshift bench. Ox lit up a fresh cigarette and the smoke drifted into Avery’s face. By now, Avery was use to it as Ox seemed to smoke all the time.
Avery looked around and saw most of the men were smoking on their lunch break. The workers chatted and smoked, almost like their same habits almost united them. Like a shared connection.
“Umm…Ox? Mind if I try one of your cigarettes?”
“Sure, Bull,” Ox said as he tossed him his pack and lighter, “Tryin’ the fit in, eh?”
“You could say that,” Avery confirmed. He figured most of the guys seem to enjoy it, so he might as well give it a shot.
After watching Ox smoke for a month, Avery had an idea what to do. He slid a Marlboro Red out of the pack and placed it between his lips. He then flicked the lighter and brought the flame to the end. He took a drag and inhaled, deeper than he planned. To his surprise, though, he didn’t cough. He exhaled the smoke and saw Ox grin.
“Smokin’ like a pro,” Ox laughed, “You like it?”
“Yeah, actually it’s not bad,” Avery answered truthfully. It wasn’t what he expected. It was better.
The two men finished their smokes before heading back to work.
A few months passed and the construction work was now natural to Avery. He had bulked up with the hard labor and had grown out his beard. He felt like he was now one of the blue collar guys. Everyone stopped calling him “Pretty Boy”. He was now Bull.
Bull worked hard as he smoked throughout the day by Ox’s side. He enjoyed smoking; it felt manly. He kept with it to blend in and connect with Ox and the other workers, but it was now a necessity. He slipped into addiction and realized it when it was too late. He didn’t mind though.
He and Ox not only were coworkers who grabbed a beer after work, they had become good friends.
They were carrying some lumber when Ox spoke up, “So still looking for a new job?”
“No, stopped looking,” Bull said as he exhaled some smoke, “Enjoy the labor too much. Feels like home.”
After work that day, Ox and Bull went to the nearby dive bar to get a few beers in and eat a grease filled dinner.
“Going to have to find a new place though,” Bull chimed in, “Rent is too high. Gotta downsize and downgrade, unfortunately.”
“Come live with me,” Ox suggested.
Bull laughed but Ox’s face said he was serious, “Oh shit, you for real?”
“Yeah man,” Ox confirmed, “Got my own house. It’ll be cheaper for ya. And less rules than that pretty boy apartment you got too.”
“I’ll think ‘bout it,” Bull said and it was left at that.
Another few months had passed and Bull was spending a lot of time with Ox. They became pretty close. Even on the weekends, they hung out. They chained smoked, drank many beers and ate unhealthy food. Bull gained a bit of a beer gut.
On a Sunday night, Bull was at Ox’s house. They ordered a couple of pizzas and watched a football game.
Bull loved spending time at Ox’s house. He was able to smoke inside and light up at anytime, unlike his apartment.
Later that evening when Bull got back home, he stood outside having a couple of smokes before heading in. It was time to cut ties to his old self.
He gave Ox a call, “Hey Ox, your offer about living with you still on the table?”
“Of course, Bull,” Ox said.
It had been over a year since Avery became Bull, the gruff construction worker. He loved his new life and couldn’t imagine going back to the corporate office.
Without even realizing it, Ox had quite the influence on Bull. Bull had buzzed his head and got a tattoo sleeve. He was planning on getting the other arm done soon.
He spent his days off hanging out with Ox, drinking beer and eating whatever he wanted. He had no worries in life. It was simple and freeing.
The two men would indulge in pleasures on their days off while watching tv in only tank tops and boxers.
Bull’s voice became deeper from all the smoking and extra weight; he had never felt manlier.
Most people had assumed Bull and Ox were brothers as they looked a lot alike.
One day on a construction site, the two men stood taking a break from their work.
“Remember when you said getting fired and working construction was the best thing that ever happened to ya?” Bull asked.
“Well, I gotta say it was the best thing for me too,” Bull said.