Charles has more tools than teeth. Far more.
But what he lacks dentally, his fix-it knowledge and warmth make up
for. Anytime the AC, heat, pipes or
whatever else stop doing their assigned jobs, we wait and watch for his white,
late-model, slightly rusted Toyota truck to pull in front of our house.
Charles always greets us with a “Hey now!”
and giant grin. Before he gets into the
plumbing or electrical work, he recites the same jokes, the same compliments, and
the same questions. Did you hear that someone broke into our local police station and stole
the toilet?!.... Right now, the police have nothing to go on! That’s a good one, Charles. How is
that beautiful momma of yours doing? You
make sure she knows if she needs anything, I would be there in two minutes
flat. I will let her know for you,
Charles. Has Elliott graduated from college yet?
No, Charles. But he did just
graduate from kindergarten. I like
Charles’s jokes but mostly I like the enjoyment he seems to get from them,
throwing his head back with a full belly laugh each time. Each of his visits ends with his offering a kiss for such a pretty girl, as he
pulls the small, foil-covered, chocolate candy from the pocket of his khaki
work pants.
Charles is a dying breed. While I have to admit I have pretended to be
in the middle of an important phone call to avoid his routine, I eventually come
to enjoy and respect it. So many
handymen, utility workers, and other people quietly slide in and then out of
your house and life without a word, only asking the most relevant questions and
sharing the most important information about their work and your home.
Charles reminds me of a time when neighbors
knew each other, asked about your family members by name, invited the street
over for cookouts and holiday parties.
Today, we are often too buys, wrapped up in ourselves, or only looking
down at our smart phones. We rarely
venture to even discover our neighbor’s names.
So rather than seeing Charles as someone who
is just in our house to fix inanimate objects, I try to return his smiles. Listen to his jokes. And even participate in his routine: How is
that beautiful wife of yours doing, Charles?
Anyone know a good plumber joke?
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