John Conrad glanced at his watch. Six fifteen. He'd have to leave soon for his newest jobsite, a large business complex with retail and office spaces; four floors of income and sweat. He glanced at the opened blueprints scattered between two desks in his office. Building permits had been obtained. Concrete footers had been poured and inspected. Large loads of lumber were stacked and the crews had already started framing the first floor office spaces.

He smiled as he glanced up at the tub of Lincoln logs lovingly displayed on the top of a file cabinet, worn from years of endless hours of building and rebuilding. Oh how his mama, "Grammy Jean" as she became so well known in later years to his own sons, had enjoyed watching his creations over and over. He never dreamed he'd end up choosing building as his career.

John remembered driving fast cars, studying the skies with telescopes, and wanting to be an astronaut. Backpacking through desserts and seeing the country from space, that was his childhood dream. But hard work and a deeper desire for schooling had led him down a different path. In college he met Natalie Marie Freemont, a small town beauty queen from the neighboring town of Beaumont. Although she was a junior to his senior, he was totally smitten by her. He smiled, remembering how he had asked her out for the first time, and how his heart had skipped a beat when she had said yes. With hard work and determination, they had both graduated from college, John with a degree in business and Natalie pursuing design. With her parents blessing, John proposed to Natalie on the night of her graduation. After another year, they were married.

John rubbed his eyes with his hands and shook his head. Where had twenty seven years gone? Together, he and Natalie had moved through four different apartments and raised two sons, finally settling on the family homestead near his mother's house in Kaylor, Georgia, just west of Morningside County. His father had purchased that land long before he was even conceived, and it held a lifetime of changes and memories. "Where had all of that time gone?" John asked himself out loud.

He checked the large office clock on the wall, then his wrist watch for the second time. He grabbed a rolled set of building plans, pulled his hat on his head and headed towards the door. His scooped up the truck keys that were lying on the corner of the entry desk beside the coffee to go that he had grabbed at Mel's Dinner on his way into his office.

As he stepped outside, John took a deep breath and smiled to himself. It really was a beautiful day. Winter was finally taking a back seat to spring and today promised clear blue skies. He watched an egret fly overhead and listened to the mad cawing of crows high in the trees. The early morning commuters were already starting their engines and heading out to the highways where, like him, they would hope that most of the other drivers would choose the more scenic beltway and leave the interstate traffic to the serious travelers.

John Conrad finished his thirty five minute drive to work. He sat for a minute and studied the jobsite as he looked through the windshield of his truck. The Conrad Developments billboard displayed nicely, announcing to the town that his company was on this site.

John's gaze returned to his men. Their hard hats were huddled together on the first floor deck. His son J.T. had his back to him; his sandy blond hair mirrored his own, minus the beginnings of gray he had been noticing on his own hair. J.T.'s hair was evident from the back of his neon green hardhat. His hair reached beyond the collar of his plaid shirt. Longer than he liked, John thought. He'd ask his son about getting a haircut. Being twenty-five and more like him than he wanted to admit, J.T. would agree to get a haircut, probably just to shut him up. The rivalry between them was strained. Both were good at what they did, and both of them liked to be in charge. John wished that they could find a common ground. Maybe today would be a good day for making wishes.

John eased his six foot frame down from his Ford and grabbed his hard hat. Safety was very important to him, and he was pleased to see the guys were following the rules. It was mid-June, and the morning heat index was already climbing. They'd hit the high seventies today. He hoped that the muffled sounds arising from the huddled crew was them preparing for the work day. Then he stopped short, and looked up at the deck, and listened.

"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Boss John ..." One large sparkler glowed from the middle of a small sheet cake. "... Happy Birthday to you!"

"Best join us out here Boss, unless you'd like to eat your cake upside down," Danny Boy yelled over to him, gesturing to throw the cake to the ground. "What'd you think boys? Can the old man still walk the plank, gesturing to the boards stretching across the excavated area between them? I'm taking bets if anyone has the cash!"

"Danny Boy" Sullivan was a clown, and his red hair matched his personality.

He was always trying to play tricks on his fellow workers. He had laughed for days about how he had nailed Owens tool bag to the floor deck while he was on break. Owen almost fell backwards when he tried to pick it up. Danny wasn't college material. He had decided early on that tech school was a better fit. He discovered his love of power guns and freshly cut wood. He was methodic in reading the blueprints. The oldest of five brothers and sisters, Danny live at home with his parents, Ron and Sarah Sullivan. Ron's parents were American born and native to the south, but Sarah was a direct descendant of Irish immigrants and still spoke with a strong Irish brogue. Danny could imitate her flawlessly, much to the delight of his younger siblings but which caused the inevitable cuff to the side of his head by his mum as she laughed at his shenanigans. He was fiercely protective of his younger sisters, always proclaiming that any boys that came around would have to go through him first. He would hulk up his body and pretend to growl around, winning shrieks and giggles from two smiling red head girls that idolized their big brother.

Danny took pride in seeing his accomplishments every day. Though quirky and unpredictable, Danny Boy was an asset on the jobsite. John wasn't surprised when Danny challenged him to walk across the boards

"And I'd just bet you'd lose, you crazy Irishman" John yelled back as he easily walked across and joined the men on the deck. While waiting for the sparkler to burn out, John's gaze swept the horizon. This was his world, and the higher the buildings got, the better.

"I can't thank you boys enough for remembering my birthday, although I really don't know how you knew it was today."

"C'mom Dad" J.T. said, "how could we ever forget? You've been moaning forever about how 'the big five-five' was coming to get you."

"Just think boss – now you're old enough to be a traffic sign." Danny Boy chuckled as he slapped John on the back.

"Do you get it?" Danny slapped his own leg. "Old enough to be a traffic sign ... damn I'm funny!"

"Watch it Danny, I'm still your boss. And as long as we find work, I sign your paychecks."

"Oh hush, all of you. I sign the paychecks around here," Natalie Conrad shouted over as she walked onto the jobsite with her son Jack.

"You heard her boys, and if the boss says it, it must be true!"! John retraced his steps quickly back across...