Charmed Life (10 page)

With the plastic piece of pipe in hand, she left her home to take a double dilemma solving trip. She could get a latte and a way to get her faucet fixed all in the same block.

How convenient.

+++

Town square, or village square as the residents of Lodi liked to call it, was charming and old fashioned. A little park set in the middle, and it seemed as if the shops were built around it.

The hardware store was on the corner and was a chain store, but it still had that mom and pop appeal.

It was a three block walk, but considering her leg hurt, Grace took the car. She parked directly across from the police station, crossed through the park and to the hardware store.

It must have been the hardware rush time of day, because three or four people were going in all at the same time. Seeing that they all may get ahead of her and lengthen the time needed to get her plumbing problem fixed, Grace sprinted to the door to beat the next patron in.

He laughed when she tried to squeeze to the door under his arm. “How about this?” he asked, flashing a brilliant smile. “After you,” he opened the door for her.

It wasn’t a power struggle after all, she said, ‘thank you’ and slipped inside.

He looked at her again and Grace didn’t mind. He was probably the best looking guy she had seen in Lodi, and right then and there figured he wasn’t from Lodi.

At the front counter, the clerk read a magazine. A tabloid actually. Grace approached the counter and rang the bell.

The woman, who probably was in her fifties, lowered the magazine exposing first her reddish hair, then her eyes. “Can I
 
... help you?”

“Oh, yes, thank you, do you have a slip of paper?”

She slid a tablet and pen Grace’s way.

After jotting down, she handed the paper to the woman. “This is my address, can you send your hardware repair guy to my house please. I need to have him fix something.”

“Our hardware repairman?”

Grace nodded. “Yes. Or whatever you call him. The guy that goes to people’s places to fix things.”

“Honey, we don’t have a store repairman.”

“Well, how do people fix things?” Grace asked. “I mean your store is here, right. I would think they come here so they can fix things.”

“They do, but they usually come here because they can fix it themselves. What’s your problem?”

“Excuse me? I didn’t think I was presenting attitude.”

“No.” She closed her eyes. “What problem do you have that needs fixed.”

“Oh, sorry.” Grace giggled. “I thought you were implying I was starting trouble.”

“That’s ok.”

“This.” Grace laid the piece of pipe on the counter. “I ran the water in my sink, it came out the bottom. When I opened up the cupboard and looked, this was laying on the cupboard floor. I’m not an expert or something, but I think it’s supposed to be connected and that’s why the water is running out.”

“This is plastic, so it’s not rusted off. Honey, you need a washer.”

“I have a washer and dryer. Not real good with those either,” Grace snickered. “But this is to my sink. Not washing machine.”

The woman took a deep composing breath and closed her eyes. “I really think it’s a washer.”

“I’m sorry, but …” Grace scanned the woman’s name tag. “Polly. I know where I got this from. And I didn’t get it from my washer. As a strong independent woman myself, I know I like to think I can do things. Hell I failed miserably at my new job, but I’m trying.” Grace rambled.

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m just saying, I know because you’re a clerk here, you probably got an idea, but really, could I just … could I just speak to a man. I know they know fixing things.”

Polly took off her glasses, stared at Grace, then picked up the microphone, speaking over the overhead system. “Clyde, can you come to the front please?”

Grace smiled. “Thanks.”

“What the hell?” Clyde approached, an older man who didn’t look like he smiled much. “I was right there, why’d you use the intercom.”

Polly cleared her throat, inhaled deeply, picked up the pipe, and faced Clyde. “This woman here brought in this pipe because it was no longer attached to her sink. Mistakenly …” Polly fluttered her lips. “I told her it was from her … washer. She wanted to speak to a man. So I figured you could get her all the stuff she needs to self fix this.”

Clyde lifted the pipe. “You told her washer?”

Polly nodded.

Grace held up her hand. “She didn’t mean it, Mr. Clyde, don’t get mad at her about it. Honest mistake. Really, I probably wasn’t clear when I said where it came from.”

Clyde nodded. “Ok. Come with me.” He waved his hand to Grace.

Grace immediately thought, what a nice man Clyde was and helpful. She knew it was a big task. Clyde took her around the store and got her everything she needed. All new pipes, some adhesive, a tarp for spillage, A bucket to catch the drips, tools and handy dandy books to help her go step by step to fix it. He was even concerned about grease and dirt and suggested she purchased a workers smock. All and all, one hundred and sixty dollars wasn’t that bad.

She paid and thanked both him and Polly, and left the store with her bags, grateful she had driven.

+++

Grace took all the items from her bags and laid them on the dining room table. They barely fit. The workers smock was a little big, but the gloves fit rather well. She would put the gloves back on after she learned about what she needed to do.

There was something about wearing that hardware store smock that made her feel empowered. As if she could tackle any repair project.

Sitting at her table, books before her, Grace flipped open the cover. Just as she started to read, the doorbell rang.

When she opened the door, she was surprised to see the guy she tried to squeeze by in the entrance of the hardware store.

“You,’ Grace said. “I remember you.”

“Hi, Bobby Dawson.” He extended his hand to her.

“Grace. What can I do for you?”

“I’m here to fix our sink,” he said.

“Really? Wow. Did you come with my purchase?”

“No. no.” He laughed. “May I come in?”

Grace paused. “Could … could I see some ID, please?”

“Sure.” he reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. “My driver’s license and military ID.”

Grace opened the wallet. She checked out the military ID as well. Surely, a hit man wouldn’t have one of those. “So you’re in the Army.”

“Reserves, yes.”

She handed him his wallet. “Come in, please.”

“Thanks,” he said with a chuckle and stepped inside.

“Are you a repairman?”

“Not really, I’m just here to fix your sink.”

“How did you know where I lived? Did … did you follow me?”

Bobby shook his head. “No, you gave your address to the store. My mom sent me down to fix your sink.”

“That’s so nice of her.” Grace paused. “Who’s your mom?”

“Polly. The lady from the hardware store.”

“Oh my god, she was so nice and helpful. And she probably knew this was a huge project to tackle on my own. Isn’t that so small town like of her? She was so nice. So was that Clyde.”

“He’s my dad. They own the store.”

“No wonder you seem nice.”

He snickered. “Actually my mom did feel bad and sent me down here. I’m gonna take it your husband is either out of town or doesn’t know how to do this or ….”

“Non existent,” Grace said. “I’m not married.”

“Oh. I saw you the other day walking with that guy.”

“Freddy. Yeah. He’s my friend. Roommate. Gay.”

Bobby laughed. “Is that the problem sink?” he pointed.

“That’s the one. So you saw me, huh?”

“It’s a small town. We see everything. You have the pipe that broke off?”

“Here.” Grace hurried to the dining room table. “Here you go. Do you need it for a guideline?”

“Yep.” He turned and walked toward the kitchen sink.

“I’ll get everything together for you.” Hurrying, Grace walked to her dining room table. “Do you need the gloves? I don’t think they’ll fit you.”

“No, I’m good.”

She gathered the books, the tools, and what else she could fit in her arms and raced back to the kitchen. “Here, the rest is …”

“Done.” He stood up. “Watch.” He turned on the faucet. “See? No leak.”

“Holy cow, you’re good.”

“Not really, it was just easy. All it needed was basically screwed back on,” Bobby said.

“Should I have known that?”

“Um … yeah. Basics, but not everyone does know that, so don’t feel bad.”

“OK, I won’t.” Grace inhaled, smiled and then the smile dropped. “Ok, I do.”

“Why?”

“I just spent a hundred and sixty bucks on stuff.”

Bobby chuckled. “I am also instructed to bring it back to the store for you and they’ll issue your card a refund.”

“Really, that is nice. But I can take it back. I have to drive back into town. I forgot my latte. I need my latte.”

“Why do you do that?” Bobby asked.

“Drink lattes? I like them.”

“No. no, I mean drive into town. You act like town is so far away.”

“It is, sort of, when you’re injured.” She lifted her leg and showed him her shin. “See?”

“What happened?”

“Hazards of basic training at Bargain-Mart. My trainer kicked me for not being on the ball.”

“I heard they were rough there,” he joked.

But Grace didn’t get the joke. “Well, I wish someone would have told me how rough they were. It’s mentally scarring me.”

“Did you tell your manager about being kicked?”

Grace nodded. “He apologized for her, but I think he’s scared of Louise.”

“Ah,” Bobby nodded knowingly. “Louise.”

“You know Louise?”

“Anyone that ever shopped at Bargain-Mart knows Louise. She smokes on the floor.”

“That’s her!” Grace said with excitement. “She’s tough.”

“She’s scary.”

“Wow, thanks. Thanks for fixing my sink and for not thinking I’m over reacting about Louise.”

She threw a packet of men’s underwear at me one time.”

“Why?”

“Because I was putting them back on the shelf and put it in the wrong place.”

“Did you tell on her?”