I'd Walk 10 Miles on My Hands & Knees, Ain't No Doubt About It's You I Aim to Please...
Susan looked genuinely happy when I told her I was interested in revisiting her father's offer to become his plumbing apprentice. I knew it was hard work and long hours, but I was up for it…
After returning from our honeymoon in Florida in '79, we expected my father to have lined us up with jobs like he said he was gonna. When he surprised us by not following through on his promises, we moved to New Jersey so I could become a clothing salesman, something he wanted me to do. It was never anything I ever wanted to do, but it was my best opportunity at the time.
After we left New Jersey and I went from job to job, the opportunity to become a plumber was one that Susan and I both knew would allow us to buy a house and start a family, something we both wanted.
Irv was a really good plumber, well-liked around town, and we knew we could trust him. He was a man of his word. I respected him because he was an honest, hard-working family man, and the role model I desperately needed.
But I had to formally ask him for a job, and I was feeling the pressure.
Susan and her mother planned a Sunday afternoon get-together, so Irv and I could watch football and, at one point, I could ask him for a job. My mother-in-law got plenty of snacks, and Susan kept bringing them into the small den where we watched the games.
Normally, Irv sat in his leather recliner, and Gloria sat on the love seat close to him. When I arrived and walked into the den, Irv immediately stood up and offered me his leather recliner. I brushed it off and said I could sit on the love seat, but he insisted. I was his guest, and he gave up his chair for me.
Irv and I watched NFL football in a similar fashion. We both played high school football and drank a lot of beer after games. We weren't concerned with which college a player went to or what number in the NFL draft he was selected; we watched for the lights-out hits, reacting loudly to each one. I was told that Irv was a pretty good running back in his day and was nicknamed The Flying Dutchman. He was short, about 5 foot 6, but with thick, muscular legs. I always assumed he was a hard guy to tackle.
Susan had given me a pep talk on the ride over. I told her not to worry, I'd find the right time and ask him if the opportunity to become his apprentice was still available. Then I started rehearsing it out loud in the car over and over again, using different accents, which had Susan laughing hysterically.
Susan set up a small metal folding TV table between Irv and me, and filled it with a big bowl of chips, napkins, and some cold drinks. Irv and I were having a grand old time watching football, and at halftime, Susan came in to fill up the chip bowl and pour more drinks. When she exited the room, she stood out in the hallway, opposite the recliner, where only I could see her, and mouthed, "Did you ask him?" I shook my head no, which opened her eyes wide. She looked right at me, shook her head in a way that was both angry and urgent, and then mouthed, "Ask him!" I nodded confidently, assuring her that I would.
The first game ended without me saying a word about the job. I was having trouble finding the right moment…
Susan returned to refresh the snacks and our drinks, and when she was in the hallway, out of Irv's sight, she mouthed again, "Did you ask him?" I shook my head no, and then she got a little more direct. Her eyes narrowed, her lips were clenched, and she motioned for me to do it!
The second game went pretty much the same way as the first. I didn't know how or when to ask him. From out in the hallway, Susan kept asking me if I had, but by then I had grown frustrated, and shook my head jokingly and just looked away. She had officially given up on me and had to run back into the kitchen, where she could laugh out loud and not be heard. I was being a little bitch, I guess.
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Irv and I had a great day watching football, and when the second game ended, he looked at me and said, "I heard you want to become a plumber, young man." I looked at him and said, "Yeah, if you could still use some help."
Then he said, "Be here tomorrow morning by 8:00." And that was it. Irv made it very easy for me. Then Susan and Gloria came running into the den together, both laughing, and then my mother-in-law said, "Vinnie, we didn't think you were ever gonna do it."
I came clean. "I didn't. Irv did."
On the way home to our apartment in Easton, Susan had a smile glued to her face. I hadn't seen her that happy since we got married. She didn't know it then, but I would've done anything to see that smile…
I'd work twenty-four hours, seven days a week
Just so I could come home and kiss your cheek
I'll love you in the mornin', and I'll love you at noon
I'll love you in the night and take you to the moon…
To be continued…