The Nailstrippers
The Nailsplitters — Pammie, Tick, Arndt, Luke, Vitter (sometimes), and others — play gigs in and around Franklin. By day, they’re Kormville Roofing and Paint.
Appearing in: TBD
Onstage they’re the Nailstrippers. On a job, Kormville Roofing and Paint.
Tick was lean and lanky, a pen behind his ear. “Mrs. Calvert, we’re thinking four full days. Two on the upstairs bedrooms, one each on the kitchen and study."
The homeowner, some vice president at EffCorp, said, “And you’ll be careful of the crown molding?”
Tick held his painter’s cap two-handed at the waist. “Certainly.”
With that, she left for work. Tick headed out to the van, where Arndt and Luke were smoking and eating breakfast. Pammie in the office had made those egg and pepper burritos.
Arndt asked, “They still have the vase out?”
Tick ignored this, gathering brushes and finding the first cans of *repose gray*.
Arndt said, “I can make one outta plain glass, they’ll never know the difference. Her or the husband.”
Tick continued to ignore the group’s second guitarist, and first troublemaker. Arndt couldn’t replicate a crystal vase out of glass — not the one the Calverts had anyway.
“I told her four days,” Tick said. “If we can get Vitter out here a couple shifts, we can finish in three and have Thursday to rehearse.”
They were playing Franklin’s Riverdays Friday night, the cleanup slot of eight o’clock.
Luke said Vitter was fishing.
“I know he’s fishing,” Tick said. “In the absence of something to do, Vitter fishes.”
Luke shrugged. He was the Nailstrippers’ drummer.
Tick knew they’d finish the job, and well. The Calverts would be happy with the work. Paul Calvert thought he was fleecing them. After the contract was signed, he’d threatened to back out unless they lowered the labor estimate. (Tick was just having Travis at Sherwin-Williams invoice him the extra $900 in paint, passing it straight through.)
But *how* they’d get there, to finished — that was the headache. Who knew what Tick would have to pull. If they couldn’t get Vitter off the lake. If Arndt, who wouldn’t be in the crew or band if it wasn’t for Pammie, tried something dumb.
Tick had thirty numbers in his phone to call. But if he went past about twelve, he’d be repainting trim all week.
“Well. It’s about time to prep,” Tick said, standing. “I don’t suppose anybody left me half a burrito.”
Arndt and Luke stopped chewing, their mouths full. In their laps was nothing but foil and napkins.
#nailstrippers