Sweet revenge

Today, as I was walking into work, I passed by a building on campus that is under construction. The exterior is largely finished but still has some sizeable gaps that need work. Some art professor thought it would be a good exercise for his/her students to draw or paint some aspect of the unfinished structure. I walked through their group and saw many quality works depicting various snapshots of the building. As I left them sketching on the grass, I looked back at the building to compare perspectives and saw something that made me laugh out loud.

Stereotypically, every construction scene has at any moment at least one or two loitering workers standing around making jokes with each other. These conversations are often interrupted mid-sentence when an attractive female walks by so that they can devote all their faculties to gawking and perhaps making witty catcalls. Today, this was not the case. With a group of predominately young female college students scrutinizing their every move, these workers seemed very intent upon their tasks. They seemed preoccupied with making sure every board was secure, every wheelbarrow attended, and they never once looked up or acknowledged that they were being stared at. In fact, they seemed determined to ignore a large portion of their field of sight. I don't know if the professor realized how uncomfortable these workers would be by the assignment, but I'd like to think so. I wanted to go back and look to see if any of the artists had focused on the people, but I had just laughed out loud, and I didn't want them to think I was making fun of them.