Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 94624 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 378(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94624 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 378(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
I got out of his way, because years ago we learned that for Sam, if you could not assist him, it was better to leave him alone. Unfortunately, I did have to go outside with him later that morning and hold up the top of the smaller of our AC units—it had to be held since there were wires that attached the top to the bottom—while he used his wet/dry vac and cleaned the inside of the unit, and then sprayed it with coil cleaner.
Sam does not do well with questions. For instance, that coil cleaner was being sprayed onto the coils, but it was foam, so it got on my rhododendrons.
“That won’t hurt my plants, will it?”
“Concentrate on holding the cover. I can’t have the wires twisted.”
“Yes, but is that going to kill my flowers?”
“Why would I buy something that would hurt your flowers?”
Now, every now and then, my husband, because he’s human, can be an ass. The whole answering a question with a question is my least favorite of his responses. But as I stayed quiet and watched him attach, unattach, and then reattach the hose from the wet/dry vac because he needed it to blow at some points and suck at others, I thought, I’ll just be nice and not fire back even though I’m asking a perfectly legitimate question. Also, I would have mentioned that blowing and sucking was sort of kinky for a vacuum cleaner, but he wasn’t in a good mood.
Later, when all Sam’s machinations were to no avail, and the guy from the HVAC service came out, I was not allowed to speak to him. Sometimes my questions, Sam said, led people to think that neither he nor I knew what we were talking about, and thus the pricing of whatever situation we found ourselves in would double or triple in cost. But it turned out it was only the flux capacitor that needed changing. The guy started out wanting twelve hundred dollars, but Sam got him down to three hundred, plus the eighty bucks for him to come out to see what was wrong in the first place. So that was good. Apparently, when people realized you knew what you were talking about, they knew they couldn’t charge you an arm and a leg.
Supposedly. I suspected that this did not work in every situation.
“That was still too much,” Sam grumbled as he made his way back to the stairs. The compressor and the ladder both needed to go back to the basement where they lived. “I could have bought the part on Amazon and installed it myself.”
“But that would have left us in the heat for at least a day,” I told him.
“Yes. And I don’t want to stress Chilly out.”
“And me,” I chimed in.
“And you,” he agreed, kissing my nose.
Now, some people might say, you’re a man, why is he treating you like his wife? I will say that while Sam has never thought of me as a woman, there is that very traditional part of him that does see me as smaller, softer, gentler, and in need of protection. I mean, I did have a slight penchant for getting into trouble when we first got together, which prompted Sam to want to take me in hand. For some men, and several come to mind who actually work for my husband, being treated as the more delicate partner would bother them. I have never minded, because for one, Sam has about eighty pounds of muscle on me, so clearly, he’s bigger and stronger, and for two, I like being watched over. The man has made me feel loved and safe for years, and I’m more than a bit addicted to his ways at this point. And his protective instincts are not just for me, but for his children, friends, and extended family as well.
Some things in the name of protectiveness are: in restaurants, he never sits with his back to the door so he can see what’s going on, and he always maps out all the exits in his head. When he’s walking with anyone, he’s always on the outside, near the street, and whenever he and I, specifically, ride a bus, tram, or train, as we do on vacation, he always stands braced on one side of me so if I lose my balance, I can fall into him. He is always vigilant. He also opens my door for me, whether he’s putting me in or getting me out of a car or taking me into or out of a restaurant. As I said, I love it. We wouldn’t be together as long as we have been if I didn’t.
Anyway, on the AC unit, crisis avoided. Now, the other one might tap out. They’re both about twelve years old, and we’re only halfway through the summer, when they work very hard. Fingers crossed.