Could It Be That I Had Found My Home At Last?
Previously, Chapter 27: You Consider Me the Young Apprentice...
Once Irv gave me the shoebox full of hand tools, he started setting me up with small jobs he felt I could do myself.
Sometimes I took the company van, other times I took my '67 VW Beetle, and he took the van to another job. He was giving me an opportunity to earn my keep, get the hands-on experience I needed to learn the trade, and, in the process, earn his trust.
I was still shagging parts at Republic Plumbing Supply in Norwood, and while I waited at the counter, I always stared up at the pegboard behind it, which displayed brand-new tools. The one that always caught my eye was the Ridgid telescopic basin wrench. When I asked Jimmy what it cost, he said $16.99, which in 1981 was a lot of money, making it one of the most expensive hand tools.
I knew I needed to add one to my shoebox to make it complete, but I didn't have the extra cash to buy it myself. Susan and I were both working hard to make ends meet, and I simply couldn't afford to purchase it on our already tight budget.
Irv had an old basin wrench he'd let me use when I needed it, but I knew we both needed one in our toolboxes.
One Friday afternoon, I was standing at the counter at Republic, and I gave in to my urge and told Jimmy to add a Ridgid basin wrench to the order Irv called in. I figured Irv wouldn't see the invoice until sometime the following week, and by then I'd have a good explanation for buying it.
When I got back to the house, Irv was waiting in the driveway. He approached me quickly, "Vin. Did you buy a basin wrench? That's an expensive tool!"
"I did, Irv. To install a faucet, I need one. This way, you can send me to a job in my VW, and I can install a faucet while you do something else, and you wouldn't have to be without yours in case you needed it."
He stared at me in silence, searching my face for weakness and not finding it. He was unhappy with my purchase, yet he understood the logic behind it. So he wasn't totally pissed either.
I assumed Jimmy called Irv to tell him I wanted to add a basin wrench to the order before he added it. Most plumbers don't allow the hired help to add to orders; it can lead to theft, and Irv was probably the only one listed on his account allowed to make purchases. Of course, I wasn't just an employee, I was family, but out of professional courtesy, Jimmy called Irv to let him know.
Later that afternoon, when I got back to our apartment in Easton, Susan had already packed the trailer and was ready to go camping. While I hooked the trailer up to the Camaro, I told her about the basin wrench. Susan smiled widely, chuckled a bit, and, while shaking her head side to side in disapproval, asked, "Vin, why'd ya do that?"
"Because I needed the tool to be able to install faucets, that's why, and I knew your father wasn't gonna buy another one, so I had to…"
On Monday morning, when I arrived at the house, Irv wasn't outside in his normal spot, standing by the van waiting for me. I walked in the house and saw him sitting at the kitchen table, which was very unlike him. I walked over, and he said, "Vin. Go downstairs and grab a Delta 420, two 20" rough brass lav supplies, and some 3/8" compression nuts and ferrules." He kept faucets and some faucet supplies on shelves in the dark, unfinished basement.
When I returned upstairs, Irv handed me a small slip of paper, "Go to this address, Vin. The woman is home and expecting you to put in a new kitchen faucet for her. Take your car, and make sure you have your drop light, and enough putty, pipe dope, and Teflon tape."
Advertisement
For a guy who appeared limited to his old school ways just weeks ago, Irv was surprising the fuck out of me. He was evolving right before my very eyes, and much quicker than I ever expected. And then he gave me a .50 cent raise, bringing me up to $8.50 an hour! Woo-Fucking-Hoo!
Irv wasn't my father, and I wasn't his son. It took a while, but we were starting to act like it. I was beginning to feel like I had found my home at last. With Susan and her family…
Well the danger on the rocks is surely pastStill I remain tied to the mastCould it be that I have found my home at lastHome at last…
To be continued…