Once upon a sunny day in the suburbs, a plumbing contractor named Hank gathered his two workers, Jason and Shorty, for a routine job. "Remember, Jason," Hank said firmly, "do not dig past the sidewalk. We don't want to hit any main lines." Jason nodded, his shovel ready in hand, while Shorty was set to work disconnecting the PVC pipe.
Hank left for Home Depot, confident in his team's abilities. The store aisles were a maze, but he found the pipe fittings he needed. As he drove back, he thought about the upcoming weekend, planning barbecue with his family.
Pulling up to the job site, Hank's daydreams shattered. Water was shooting up from under the sidewalk like a fountain, and Jason stood there, drenched and shocked. "Oh my God!" Hank exclaimed, rushing out of his truck. "I said not to go past the sidewalk!"
Inside the house, Shorty was oblivious to the chaos outside, focused on the task at hand. The sound of running water was normal in his line of work, after all. It wasn't until Hank burst through the door, his face a portrait of disbelief, that Shorty realized something had gone awry.
The rest of the day was a blur of calls to the water company, frantic digging to stop the flow, and an impromptu lesson on the importance of following instructions. As the sun set, the water finally stopped, and the crew sat on the curb, exhausted but wiser.
Hank couldn't help but chuckle, despite the mishap. "Well, boys," he said, "I guess we all learned something today. Let's just be thankful it wasn't the gas line." Jason and Shorty nodded, their laughter mingling with Hank's as they packed up their tools.
And from that day on, Jason never dug near a sidewalk again.