Rebecca sauntered over to the crowd of rats that had gathered around the leaking pipe. Remy was at the front of the crowd, surrounded by a small group of his employees. Some of them looked like professional plumbers, while others looked like plumbers in training. Since Remy had become so popular, it seemed like every rat who had just finished rat school wanted to learn the art of plumbing and join his ranks.
Plumbers were one of the most important roles in the sewers; they all had a brilliant reputation. And of all the plumbing services Melbourne sewers offered, Remy’s was the best. Of course, all the jobless rats wanted to join his company. Great pay, a great reputation and meaningful work. Rebecca had even thought about joining herself at one point, but she was ultimately too committed to her photography job.
She pushed herself to the front of the crowd, where the blocked drain plumber was holding court. Despite Remy’s success, he remained outwardly humble, and always ensured he made every rat feel included. When he spoke, he looked each rat in the eye and even went so far as to ask them questions when the situation warranted it. Rebecca only wished she could be half as charismatic as Remy was. But maybe this would be her first step.
She grasped her camera firmly and scurried up to Remy. The crowd seemed to part for her as she approached. As Remy spoke, Rebecca began taking photos, snapping away at each little movement the plumbers made. She got some brilliant action images of the plumbers using their tools and rummaging through their bags to find the right wrench or hammer. She even managed to get closer to Remy and took some photographs of him peering into the blocked drain to see how best it could be unclogged. By the time her camera ran out of storage, Rebecca had in fact taken so many photos that some of the rats in the crowd had started posing for her like models.