"It was an old lady who said her refrigerator wasn't working. And that she'd just gotten back from shopping with a friend. She didn't want her food to go bad. I told her I'd be there in 20 minutes."
Let the record show that Hick was still in town. Another town, granted, from where the Senior Center is located. But towns around here are often right next to each other. Travel time was about 5 minutes. It may have taken Hick five more minutes to park and go upstairs to that lady's apartment. I suppose he was wrapping up his bull-shooting before leaving. After all, it was not an emergency. Nobody was trapped under a refrigerator. It was not emitting sparks. Food should not spoil in 20 minutes.
"I saw the problem when I got there. The refrigerator door was not closing all the way. The lady said her son had been there helping her move some furniture. I guess he must have bumped that refrigerator. It was up against the wall, which prevented the door from closing all the way. I moved it a little bit, and it worked. I told the lady, 'See? The cool air is coming out.' She agreed. Everyone was happy, and I left."
Huh. Hold on there a minute. This didn't make sense to me. I don't doubt Hick's talents as a handy man. But I am no dummy where physics is concerned.
"Wait. I can see how being against the wall could keep a fridge door from OPENING. But closing? I don't think a door sticks out. It's flush with the side of the refrigerator. I'm looking at mine right now. Being against the wall shouldn't keep it from closing."
"It was a two-door refrigerator. The little freezer door on top, and then the refrigerator door on bottom. Maybe it was the hinge. But it wasn't closing all the way until I moved the refrigerator away from the wall a little bit."
"I'm still not seeing it. And what do you mean the cool air was coming out? Wouldn't that mean something is wrong with the fridge? Like the door isn't sealing?"
"You could feel with your hand that there was cool air coming out from the door."
"Maybe if it was open. But that shouldn't happen when it's closed!"
I did not get satisfactory answers from Hick. We know he has trouble communicating what he really means. He has no reason to make up stuff. HE'S the one who volunteered information about getting that call before he started home. It just doesn't make sense to me.
At least the resident of the Senior Center apartments was happy with Hick's "repairs."
Oh, Hick. I would guess he could fix about anything. I grew up in a rural area, where towns were about 5 or so miles apart. The County Seat of Pittsfield was about 15 miles, and that was considered a long trip. Do you collect coins anymore?
ReplyDeleteHick can indeed fix about anything, unless it's run by a computer. Even some of them he can figure out.
DeleteYes, we have a lot of towns right next to each other. Each with a different tax rate. Each with their own police force, library, city hall, etc. Sometimes it seems wasteful, but then again, to combine them would make us a bit city!
I stopped collecting coins a couple years ago. It's just as well. I hardly see any these days.
What he says here doesn't make sense to me either, but once the door closed and the old lady was happy I guess that's good enough
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's an old refrigerator, with a hinge that sticks out from the door. Mine is inside the door frame, but I've seen older ones with outside hinges at the top of the main door. I'm glad her just-bought food was safe and cool.
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