Before and after

BEFORE

"Look at that mess next door!"

I was standing upstairs looking out my bedroom window.  It was a war zone.  When we bought our place here, there was a big billboard next door advertising a fancy new development.  Now, some months since, it has occurred to us that the billboard is gone and there is no construction.  Just a big empty lot filled with construction debris.  We hear that the company is in trouble.
At the street end, a huge trailer with bloody red graffiti.  And at the window where we stand, piles and piles of lumber, roles of construction mats coming apart. The graphic yellow of a dirty "detour" sign.  The ugly orange of drainage pipes.  A dirty board with BEER in red ink.  A mess.
Merv takes pictures and goes to City Hall.  He knows there's a by-law about littering. The girl at City Hall looks at the pictures. "You have to look at that?  I think you can count on something happening".
She's right.
In a week, a company truck arrives.  He paces about looking things over.  Then another truck arrives.
A huge arm picks up piles of lumber and carefully places them in the first truck.  Merv is thrilled with this.  "It's all digital. He's telling the arm what to do with that little box!  Hey, they'll be finished in no time".
He's forgotten about "island time".  People who tell you about "island time" do it with a knowing smile.  Sure enough, after one load, they're gone for the day.
Next day a whole new cast.  For an hour, three young men form organized piles of wood with energy and enthusiasm. Then they too disappear.  In the afternoon the company truck arrives again with a different group of workers.  These guys just pick up stuff with their bare hands and throw it into the truck. No fancy black box and dramatic lifting arm.  There's a lot of smoking and sharing of cigarettes.  We're not sure they should be driving.
Third day.  Company truck again with older guy in company T-shirt.  They re-locate a big pale blue barrel (obviously a heavy one) against the neighbor's fence right across from our window. They pile
miscellaneous lumber close to the barrel. We know they have washed their hands of these items.  The barrel bothers us most.
Half an hour later, a big big Home Hardware truck with one of the big loader arms!  We rush with our coffee to stand at the window and watch.  It's a good show. The last of the big heavy blocs of lumber are loaded and tied down.  Halfway through this process, another huge truck. "Island Towing".  He's here to get the huge trailer with the red graffiti.  Slowly and with dignity, the trailer slides upwards, upwards on to the truck bed.  It's belted in 4 places, and before we know it, it's gone.  The job is done.

AFTER

Epilogue.  There's still small debris.  But it's better.  A lot better.
Our realtor is impressed.  The owner of the townhouse development is impressed.  He shakes Merv's hand and invites him immediately into the strata committee.
Merv is still grumbling.  "I'm going back to City Hall.  That blue barrel has to go".