The Disruption of Thomas Read online

and blame him for the slow resumption of service. He tried to think of a non-committal reply that would not weaken Thomas's hopes of new business.

  After a pause he said,

  'On our minds currently are two dead repeaters caused by the failed power systems; the sites are two missing links in our network which is very annoying and makes communications difficult. But occasionally there is something going on. I will be checking.'

  'Well, that didn't work; a maybe-yes-maybe-no answer would have been every bit as promising.'

  Engineer Kumar's unsupportive vagueness disappointed Thomas. A friendly connection with a man at Kumar's level should foster productive discussions and lead to new business. He doubted a practical business relationship with the man would develop. Engineer Kumar had an objective of his own.

  Engineer Kumar stopped the car along the road beside what looked to be a miniature mosque isolated in the desert but obviously well maintained.

  'Please excuse me; I am returning shortly', he said and went in.

  A mid-day sun the size of a grape fruit beat down on Thomas and Rajeev; the sun was much higher than Thomas was used to. They waited next to the car.

  Thomas simmered at this surprise and the possibility of more ahead. He wondered how many might yet be sprung. Hands in pockets he stared blankly towards the horizon.

  'Did you know we would be taken out to these sites today? I thought we'd come to Abha to meet and discuss projects with Mr. Tawfik and Engineer Kumar; not go around on service calls. We're wasting expensive time.'

  Head bowed with hands clasped behind his back Rajeev excavated the desert with the tip of his left shoe.

  'Well ... I suppose I did vaguely doubt.'

  'Really! And how did you come to vaguely doubt I wonder?'

  'When I'm telephoning to Engineer Kumar to set up the meeting with Mister Tawfik and his good self he said we should be arriving early because he will take us to the downed sites. I did not suspect he would carry through' Rajeev said as he wobbled his head.

  'Ah, well. I can understand how such a subtle hint could be missed. The up side of course is since we're not saddled with annoying business discussions we have plenty of time to save the technicians some work.'

  'I'm very sorry, Mister Tom.'

  'That's alright.'

  Engineer Kumar emerged from the mosque planted himself directly in facing Thomas and ignored Rajeev's presence. He immediately addressed Thomas without preamble. He expounded his repertoire of academic achievements qualifications experience and expertise which were neither inconsiderable nor unimpressive. When he finished he asked Thomas if he could help him find a job in Canada.

  Thomas was taken completely by surprise, dumfounded. If he remained silent the uncomfortable situation would become impossible. Someone at External Affairs warned him expat workers might ask him to take them home with him. But he didn't expect a so highly educated and qualified individual in so senior a position might be among them. He regained some of his wits quickly enough to say,

  'I'll find out what the immigration procedures are once I'm back in Canada; I'll let you know.

  'There must be a demand for someone so qualified.'

  'What the devil kind of influence does Kumar think I have? And after the introduction he gave me to his boss what makes him think I'd help him with anything except jumping in front of the five o'clock fast freight from Jeddah?'

  Engineer Kumar was fully aware he could get the immigration procedure himself from the Canadian Embassy in Riyadh. He had hoped for more hands-on help. Embarrassed, he understood perfectly the sentiment behind Thomas's words. Henceforth he would avoid him when he could. The inclination was mutual; Thomas half expected Rajeev to make the same request at some point.

  They resumed their journey in silence. Eventually Kumar turned onto a narrow road that led up to the two repeaters on the mountains. The ascent was steep with winding curves occasional shallow dips and short level stretches. The road was no more than a wide trail scratched out of the mountain slopes to accommodate a single vehicle—at some at risk.

  Thomas found the ride gripping to say the least. On one side close to the car ran a steep upwards slope; on the other the terrain dropped away just as fast so the closest visible ground was far away. Engineer Kumar expertly corrected the car's trajectory as the wheels slipped sideways right and left off the large gauge crushed stone towards the embankments.

  It didn't help relax Thomas that Eng. Kumar started to speak again after recovering sufficiently from the sting of his earlier embarrassment. With rare glances at the path he complained with waving arms of the serious problems caused by the failure of the equipment. Thomas was too gripped by the thrill of the ride to even blink much less pay attention to Eng. Kumar's grumbling.

  The Syrian area foreman, a young Saudi engineer and three Pilipino technicians received them at the first site with a pick-up truck and two SUVs. Thomas took a couple of minutes to recover from the climb then inspected the equipment. He quickly concluded the site had most likely been struck by dry lightning—rain often didn’t reach the ground in the area. Even so from his visual inspection he speculated damage to the power equipment might be minimal. A mild almost cordial argument arose regarding the cause of the damage.

  Engineer Kumar said,

  'The site is very well protected by three stages of surge protection. I'm suspecting poor equipment design for the damage.'

  'A protection system is ultimately only as good as the resistance of the earth it's tied to; what's the ground resistance here? All I see is rocks, dust and wisps of vegetation here and there. Rajeev, check the ground resistance.'

  Rajeev performed a megger test.

  'It is twenty-eight Ohms, Mister Tom.'

  Engineer Kumar asked,

  'What is the highest acceptable resistance limit?'

  'About four Ohms but good grounds are usually lower' said Thomas.

  'The ground resistance is much lower when it rains.'

  'I'm sure it must be.'

  Engineer Kumar's premise they had a good ground system was thus refuted; he had to accept lightning as the probable or at least a highly possible cause of the equipment failure.

  Rajeev took little time to repair the equipment; it immediately began to function properly. This time he didn't ask to borrow instruments to make doubly sure the system functioned well. He learned an embarrassing lesson in the desert the previous day: Don't borrow instruments; use your own.

  The four vehicle convoy drove to the second site along the crest of the mountains. The scenario was repeated except for the argument.

  While Rajeev busied himself with repairs Thomas took photographs of the spectacular view. With any luck he would never have occasion to see it again.

  A great commotion behind distracted him from his pleasant, relaxing pause. He turned as one of the crew ran towards him excitedly shouting things he couldn't quite make out. The man grabbed his arm pulled him along shoved him into an SUV and jumped in after him; the SUV sped off before the doors were shut.

  Once they started down the slope the driver explained,

  'When clouds start to come-in close to four o'clock we have to go fast. Very quick the top of the mountain will be covered so thick we can't see one meter ahead.'

  The group sped down the narrow road for as long as the drivers could see—the same kind of road they climbed to the first site. An ashen Thomas firmly held on to whatever he could grab with both hands and wedged himself tightly between the back of his seat and the floorboards. Within a couple of minutes the cloud completely engulfed them. The procession slowed to a stop. A man from each vehicle stepped out to carefully lead them down the slope. Drivers could see only the man leading their own vehicle, a mere specter barely visible through the fog. Vehicles ahead or behind were shrouded.

  In a short while that seemed hours they were close to the bottom of the cloud. They could see better and moved a bit faster. They were safe. The
vehicles didn't wander over the edge of the road and tumble down the steep flank. The men climbed back into the vehicles. Everyone laughed the way people do after dodging a catastrophe unscathed.

  The group assembled in the desert at the bottom of the mountains for a short status meeting. Engineer Kumar and the foreman successfully communicated with the office by radio. They declared the sites operational; they were satisfied the equipment worked well.

  Engineer Kumar said to Thomas,

  'Everyone is returning to the office. If you don't mind Engineer Rajeev and your good self can go back with them. That way I will be avoiding going back to town.'

  They accepted the foreman's invitation to drive back with him. After Eng. Kumar's representations earlier in the day at the road side prayer station Thomas was happy to avoid a long awkward confinement in his company; the feeling was reciprocal.

  Thomas and Rajeev made their way back from the Utility's office towards the hotel. Twice before making left turns Rajeev pulled over to the right curb, stopped and waited for traffic to clear in both directions.

  'Why pull over and stop near the right shoulder instead of waiting next to the median?'

  'Because it's the law.'

  'That's dangerous; are you sure about that?'

  Rajeev said he was.

  'So be it.'

  In front of the hotel Rajeev began to turn left into the driveway. A car coming down the hill approached too fast for him to safely cross the street. He slowed and swerved to the right