Brotherly Glass Repair

I glanced over the side at my brother, as he gently polished a single pane of glass.

‘What are you doing?’ I asked him, adjusting my hat.

‘Our job?’ he said, looking up at me confused. ‘Why what are you doing?’

‘No, that’s not… you’ve been polishing that pane of glass for nearly ten minutes.’

‘I’m a perfectionist,’ he shrugged, turning back to his window.

‘Jake,’ I interrupted him sharply. He turned around, annoyance written on his face.

‘What, you can’t let me work?’

‘There are a hundred panes of glass on this floor alone,’ I hissed. ‘I can’t have you taking all that time here! It’s not like I’m asking for something complicated, or getting you to install a glass balustrade. Cost it out, tell me how long it’ll take and how far back in the red you’ll set us.’

He squinted off into the middle distance, doing the math in his head.

‘Wait, how much do I get paid again?’ he asked me. I rolled my eyes… and filed it away for later that he wasn’t exactly sure how much I gave him to work for me.

‘Look,’ I said, calmly. ‘I just need you to pick up the pace. Perfection isn’t the name of the game here, speed is.’

‘What if I leave a streak?’

‘Then you wipe it off and move on,’ I said, pinching the bridge of my nose. ‘How did Ma ever put up with you?’

‘Hey!’ he said angrily, rising to his feet. ‘Don’t talk about my moth—’

A sharp crash echoed around the room, from somewhere near his left elbow.

‘Jakey,’ I started, keeping my tone even. ‘Did you just break that window?’

‘I think so,’ he whispered.

‘So I gotta find somebody near Melbourne who repairs glass?’

‘I think so,’ he repeated.

‘Jake…’ I started softly, leaning in close. He didn’t respond.

‘Find another window,’ I growled. ‘Before I put my elbow throw you.’

‘Yes, boss,’ he squealed, sprinting away from me.

I distinctly heard something else shatter.