“Floor Installation Worker”

BY ARIANA HOFF

He works for himself installing flooring. It is tough on his body. He comes home every day limping or hunched over, working until he can’t work anymore. He always says, “It is what it is; the bills need to be paid.” 

I wake up around 1 AM, not because I have to work that early, but because I can’t sleep. I’m always in too much pain, whether it’s my back, or my knees, or my hands. It’s unbearable sometimes, but I still go to work every day. 

My installation business pays well. That’s not what matters, though. I do genuinely enjoy my job; it is something different every day. New houses, new environment, new people. I think I’d get bored if I did the same thing every day. 

Sometimes people don’t treat me very well, though, like when I cut off my finger on a table saw while I was working one day. My old boss said I should’ve been back to work the next day. Not long after that, I ended up quitting to go to another job because I couldn’t handle working for that guy anymore. He stopped giving me jobs, so I was having trouble making ends meet. It was not only affecting me but also affecting my family.

It was hard not being able to work during the time of my injury and even after that. Since my family members are the ones who really motivate me to go to work, I work to provide for them. Pain or not — even if it means having to tape a hammer to my injured hand — I need to make sure they have a roof over their heads and that they have what they need. As long as they are taken care of, I am happy.