My summer didn't include much slicing, but the school year has started, and my slicing life is back on track. All are welcome! Join us at Two Writing Teachers!
After a couple requests to the custodian to fix my desk that had been moved over the summer, I told my husband about the tipping and tilting that happened whenever I had to use my computer.
"I'll fix it," Garth said right away. "We can head over there now."
Even though I knew it would take Garth about five minutes, I wasn't ready to give up on the custodian. I knew he was busy, but I'd still been seeing him spending a lot of time chatting it up. The next day, I even took over for him as he directed cars through the distance learning line.
"Ill take over this job," I said, "if you could just fix my desk."
"Deal," he said, heading inside from the parking lot.
But later, my desk was as wobbly as ever. Please know that I'm usually good at working through that sort of situation and being somewhat patient, especially when I know people are super busy. However, I couldn't use my computer without holding the desk with my knees and it was too heavy for me to shove a matchbox underneath as I knew how to do from years of waitressing.
"I can have my husband come over and fix the desk, no problem..." I offered when I saw him later.
"I'll get to it," he said. "I just have to find the parts that should have been moved."
He'd asked me about those parts before-- a bracket of some sort-- but in the mess of my moved materials I hadn't seen anything like what he was talking about.
You can guess what the next couple of days brought... a continually tipping desk and a slew of I'll-get-theres.
On Saturday, I took Garth up on his offer. I texted the principal (as I'm supposed to). I got permission (as I'm supposed to). And we headed for the school (as I had explained).
In less than my predicted five minutes, Garth had inserted two screws that secured the desk, and in five additional minutes, he hung my pictures as well. Just as he leveled the final one, guess who walked in.
The custodian was anything but happy or grateful. Instead, he questioned my being there, he scolded me for putting holes in the walls, and he shook his head at both Garth and me. It took everything I could do to maintain my sense of humor and just apologize that he hadn't gotten the message that we were coming in. (Not my fault!)
"He's a little reactive," Garth said.
"You think?"
We left, and Monday morning I smiled at my pictures and leaned my forearms on my desk as I typed, grateful for a husband who gets things done-- and that I wouldn't have to ask the custodian to do anything else... at least for a while!
This is just the kind of awkward I hate! You needed something done; it was small but important. Sounds like the custodian got a little defensive. I hope you don't need him again any time soon! Happy new school year - may it go better than any one is imagining!
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