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I don't help strangers and if I do, I don't expect pay but that's just me. If someone here needs help, I am more then happy to do it, spend few hours of my time shooting the breeze and fix the problem.
Long ago before the kids came along, I helped this really nice older lady with her plumbing issues couple blocks down from us. She would stop on her walk to talk with my wife when she was out messing with her flowers in the yard. A regulator was installed, problem gone. Maybe 15 years later, some dude called in panic saying he was water all over the kitchen and that he's my neighbor. I am trying to think who the hell this is so I ask how he got my number? He said never mind that, can you come now to help. I said no and we were having dinner and if I go, it will have be in an hour or two if I go at all. He finally said this lady had given him my number. Now he almost demanded that I go there to help. I told him my fee was 350 jsut to show up and I would walk him through on the phone how to shut off the water from the angle stops under the sink. it would take 15 seconds to perform the task. His reply was no, that's your job and he will pay and that he has a good job. Ooook. I walked down there and sees his poor young wife drenched, on all fours with a bunch of wet towels trying to get at the water. The weld on the faucet gave way and it made the water show at the Bellagio look tame. I reached under the sink and shut off the valves. He said thank God, that's it? Yep, I will take a check. He handed it to me and ask now what. I told him find a plumber, you need a new faucet. He kept pushing that I change it and wanted to pay me more money. I had to tell him for the third time that's not what we do. Handed it the check back to him and said good luck. I don't need the money, neighbors don't take neighbor's money. I said don't call me next time, and walked home. Felt pretty good. I think this guy was a young TV writer. He took my dinner time away from my kids and wife.
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