May 7, 2021 Barrman rides to the sky.

Barrman stood at the bottom of the towering glass and concrete structure and looked skyward. The bottom of the balcony felt like it was a mile above them. He prepped the stage and looked over at the young Spaniard standing there. The unfinished spot stood out like a blotch of ugly grey on the white concrete. Their job for the day was to prep the concrete and help finish another piece of the newest skyscraper that jutted thirty-six floors above the cool waters of Okanagan Lake.

For the last month, Barrman has been climbing the stairs and the walls of One Water Street. His job was getting people to the outside of the glass and concrete structure. He has been working harder than he has for a couple of years and his body keeps reminding him of its slow deterioration brought on by time and a lack of exercise. The intense work environment and demand on his mind and body has brought the fifty-one-year-old man back from a life less stressed to one of full-on anxiety. The anxiety he thought he left behind him when he sold his business two years before. Now stress was back in full force.

Brian, the Spanish concrete guy, looked over at him, his eyes gleamed with anticipation and trepidation. They were about to fly the work platform over three hundred feet into the air, a place few people would dare venture. The young concrete worker’s face was covered with a respirator and he was dressed like he was about to enter into chemical warfare. Barrman wondered if he was somehow underdressed for the apparent battle they were facing. 

Or was the worker just being overly cautious in the face of danger. Was the mask there to protect him or make him some sort of slave, like the protesters lurking in the park seemed to think.

Barrman knew better and laughed to himself at the absurdity of it all. 

Brian nodded at Barrman and they both pushed the button on the motors for the swing stage. They lifted up off the ground and began the slow ascent to the sky above. Despite the fact they have both been high off the ground before, they shared a look with each other as the building drifted away and they swung free from gravity’s incessant pull.

For the two workers, it was an escape from reality. It was a connection with the intensity of being high in the air. Their eyes smiled at each other and they looked at the amazing view of the lake and mountains that stretched to the north from their vantage point as they climbed hundreds of feet off the ground. 

 After a fifteen-minute ascent, they reached the bottom of the penthouse balcony above. The concrete worker began his task. Brian brushed on some water and started to grind and sand the rough edges of the newly formed structure. 

Barrman stood back and looked away, avoiding the dust and flying particles. There was nothing for him to do but enjoy the view of the mountains, city, and gleaming lake. When they finished their climb to the bottom of the deck, he realized with chagrin that he left his coat on the ground. The sun’s warm rays were now hidden from him as they worked in the shadow of the concrete balcony. Tiny bumps appeared on his arms and he stood waiting to descend once more back to the warm sun and the solid ground below.

Brian nodded to his new friend and signalled he was done with the first coat. Communication was difficult enough for the two because of the masks but the language barrier also presented another level of difficulty. Still, the two were easily able to exchange ideas and they both pressed down to head back to the earth below. 

Prickles seemed to pierce Barrmans’ feet as they began the descent. A slight jump in his stomach was quelled by the knowledge the equipment was fully capable of lowering them to the ground below. Despite all the conscious knowledge of years of hanging off the ground the veteran high access guy still felt a feeling of relief wash over him when the stage finally touched down on the deck below. 

The first coat was done and the two workers met again in the afternoon to do a second coat and fly to the edge of the sky once more. This time Brian brought a respirator for Barrman. He wanted to help protect him from the flying dust debris that would result from the next stage of finishing the concrete balcony.

Barrman chuckled again to himself. Why has the mask become such a symbolic battle cry in the coronaverse? A mask was merely another tool of protection. Like the safety harness he wore when he flew to the top of the building; it is worn just in case. 

Back safely on the ground once more Brian and Barrman bumped fists and removed their harnesses. Barrman passed the respirator back to Brian and thanked him for looking after his safety. Brian smiled in return and thanked Barrman for helping him safely finish his job. 

The two workers safely went home that day,  protected by each other. It is a common goal our world needs more of. We need to look after each other so we can fly another day.