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Hold Up!
By Rebecca A. Barrington
My toes are welded together inside of my Nikes. Good thing my cement-driver pal suggested that I add hot water to my cement mix or my fingers would be frozen too.
In September my friend Meredith called saying she had a new cement mixer, “Wanna play?” We spent the waning days of autumn creating bowls and sinks. I even made a love bench with his name and mine entwined in the infinity symbol.
Meredith moved on to installing river rocks around her fireplace. I was stuck on concrete, so I made a tree-walking dog…an armature covered in concrete. It was so successful I planned three other figures…a longneck Modigliani-inspired woman, a galloping horse, and a 4’ hand holding a giant apple.
Right now I am working on the woman. It is 31 degrees and sunny. The hot Portland cement is freezing on the armature. It’s not adhering properly. I am in a race with winter.
I lost. I have a busty concrete woman with an exposed Styrofoam, wire-covered face. She will remain in that state until the great thaws of March, most likely April. For now, I will adorn her with Christmas lights and tell everyone she is an angel so I don’t arouse any suburban suspicion.
Oh no. The hose is frozen. I can’t clean up the buckets and shovels. This is hard. One day for me. What about those men that work outside all winter?
All I want to do is go inside to my mythical wife who has some soup simmering on the stove. I will take off my frozen clothes, shower, and sit down to eat. She will kiss me on the cheek.
In the spring I will begin again.
