“Hey Phil! You’re in early today.”

“Yeah, had to let the builders in again.”

“They’re still at it? I thought that would have been all done by now?”

“Nah, they’ve got at least another 10 days or so to go. It’s looking pretty good now, though! Plastering’s done upstairs, the wardrobes are in, floors are good. But they’ve still got a lot of work to do on the downstairs wiring, and the kitchen plumbing hasn’t been fully installed yet.”

“Huh, I thought this crew was pretty good. Any idea what the hold-up is? They’ve been working on your place longer than most, it feels like. It’s not the plumber, is it?”

“Oh, nah, the plumber arrived yesterday. Was held up an another job for a while, but there’s still plenty of time for him to get everything in. It’s more the electrical work that’s dragging. And that had to wait on the interior walls.”

“They didn’t find any problems, did they?”

“Nope, it’s all good. Just as the surveyor said. A bit old now, but doing alright considering!”

“So, uh, why the holdup? I was thinking of booking them myself for my conservatory, you see, but if they take this long, maybe I’ll look for someone else!”

...

“Phil?”

“Oh, sorry. I was, uh, thinking about, uh, something. It’s okay! No, it’s not their fault! It’s just, well, you see, one of the guys is pretty cool, and he’s been showing me some of the work he’s been doing! I’ve been learning a lot, and it’s great and all. But, well, I guess I’ve been taking up his time a bit, and that’s been slowing him down, and that’s been making things drag a bit. Not his fault at all! I’ve just been getting in the way! Yeah, that’s it totally!”

“You feeling okay there, Phil? Look, maybe it’s not my place to say, but you look like you’re running a fever. And you’re sweating buckets! Sure you haven’t picked something up during the works?”

“Oh, uh, nah, it’s nothing. I just, uh ... ran in today, so I’m a bit pooped. It’s fine! Anyway, lovely chatting with ya, Theo, but I’ve gotta dash! See ya!”

...

“Huh, Phil’s one strange guy. I wonder what got into him? Anyway, could one of you folks shut the window? I getting this weird smell coming from out there, some odd musty thing. Weird, like someone dumped their dirty clothes outside or something. We really need to get better ventilation!”

A co-worker sighs, and closes the window. Office work resumes, thankfully, without any more interruptions.