My phone rang, and I made up my mind not to answer it before I glanced at the caller id. As a rule, I never answer the phone. I have more numbers saved in my contacts list of people I don’t want to talk to then of people I might want to call. It’s the first line of defense, and few violators ever make it past. Even friends are usually asked to leave a message, which is something I’m not proud to admit. Still, I’m horrible at saying no and …

My favorite part was after the trencher, once it’s loud, vibrating blade finished digging through the earth, and we began to lay the pipes. After the trencher, the world was silent. Even when we were working in a yard like the one that day, near the overpass, things seemed quiet.
This was our third sprinkler installation. Nathan and I worked together at the church I started a year-and-a-half earlier. I hired him to lead the band. Kind of hired him- we paid him $500 a month, when we could. In that …