Chapter 1
Jacksonville, FL
“WILL YOU COME down off that f*****g roof?” Mike was yelling in an effort to make himself heard.
By way of answering, I started hammering roofing nails into the shingles even harder, making much more noise than was necessary in the hope that he would go away. But it was not to be, for a few minutes later his head appeared at the top of the ladder.
“George,” he said, “you promised to go to the club with me tonight… and this f*****g roof can wait.”
“I have to finish this bundle of shingles,” I said, furiously hammering away.
“No, you don’t. The roof will still be here tomorrow.”
“True, but the weather won’t be quite as good.”
“So what? All those shingles do is protect the felt. The felt is what keeps the house dry, and all of the felt is in place.”
“The we
