He Never Did Nuthin’
It’s been some time since I posted anything here. Since all of the turmoil in Washington, I think I became a little to political. Enough of that for a while anyways.
Several people have come into my life’s path lately and some are worthy of sharing the experience. As much as I have come to believe that people are just no damned good, once in a while someone comes along and brings out the best in me.
She was an elderly black lady, probably in her mid seventies. She spoke with a voice that betrayed her struggles in life and at the same time highlighted an inner strength and self-determination that only those same struggles can instill in a person. She called last weekend when it was so unbearably hot and asked if I could look at her air conditioner.
I arrived and when I entered her little house, the heat inside was enough to knock a grown man off of his feet. I heard a girl crying in the bedroom directly behind me, she sounded as though she were in pain and at the time I did not know that she was handicapped. I talked to the elderly lady for just a moment and went outside to look at the condenser unit. It didn’t take very long to determine the cause of the problem. I repaired it and soon it was cooling again. When I stepped back inside. She was sitting at her kitchen table, smiling and had her hands on an open bible. She was very happy that it was starting to cool back down, but I know that she was dreading the amount that the bill would be.
I kept it at a minimum. When she saw the total on the invoice, she almost cried. “If I had of known that it was only gonna be this much I would have called sooner.” She looked down at her bible, closed her eyes and said with a sigh of relief; “thank you, Jesus. I tried to get my daughter to drink something cool but she couldn’t swallow, it has been so hot.”
I told her not to ever let it get that hot in here again and gave her my card with my number on it. “Call me if anything happens and it stops cooling again. I don’t care if it’s midnight.” She handed me a check for the bill and the last thing that she said grabbed me by the heart. “You know…I used to tell him that he never did nothin’. That he sat around and never got nuthin’ done, that needed to be done. I used to tell him that all of the time and you know…he never got mad at me, he just looked at me and smiled. Now…he’s gone and I shor do miss that man. If he were here…he would have taken care of this, just like he used to keep my car running…it’s broke down now. He took care of everthin’ around here and I guess I just couldn’t see. I sho do miss that old man…” She let a tear slip by and wiped the corner of her eyes.
I left there thinking how bad things were for her and hoped that things would get better. I remember the look in her eyes as she recalled memories of her husband before he passed away. I thought about my mama and my dad and the disagreements that we had over the years. Then I thought of all of the love that they gave me. Funny how your perspective changes after you lose someone who you love very much. I miss them a lot.
Never take anything for granted.
brucester1959
How did you find out the girl crying in the next room was handicapped?
I shortened up the story somewhat. Her mama talked for a bit and let out the fact that her full time job was taking care of her daughter. She is bed ridden with Muscular dystrophy.
Her brother called me the next day, to ask me a question about the thermostat and he said that she has been at her side ever since the girl was first found to have MD.