A Good Friend to the Rescue

My wife called to see what was happening in our living room.  I knew that it was not pretty, but I had no idea what was causing such a stir.

Now, I had to deal with a leaking drain pipe through the ceiling from an upstairs bathroom.  I posted my urgent need for a plumber to fix my pipes on a buddy chat app that we just had recently started using.

That was when my good friend sprang into action.  He does not want to be identified. So, we’ll just call him Buddy, not his real name.

Buddy saw my post for help, called me to get the details of the job, and promised to be at my house at a designated time.

He arrived with specialized tools in two 5-gallon buckets and another toolkit.  I was so happy to see him that I rushed out my front door, grabbed the two buckets, and took them into the house.

Buddy took over after that.  He brainstormed a winning strategy for repairing the drain pipe leak by placing a sleeve over the hole.

Buddy went to a local hardware store with me and selected just the right parts: sleeve, clamps, brackets, and glue, just in case it was needed.  Having paid for all the parts, I saved the receipt and ended up returning two cans of glue that we did not need.

Back at the house, Buddy sawed a sliver in the pipe on both sides of the leaking hole and spread dish liquid on the rim of the sleeve to ease it over both ends of the remaining drain pipe.

He had just the right tools to coax the sleeve over the stubborn pipe.

Discerning that Buddy was dealing with a major challenge, I prepared a hot breakfast for my friend: coffee, poached eggs, rice with chopped onions and peppers with ham and shrimp, and toast smeared with hummus.

The meal seems to boost Buddy’s energy. He had soon worked up a profuse sweat, forcing the sleeve in place.  But after several hours of arduous work, the sleeve finally fell in place.

Then Buddy placed the clamps and tightened them on both sides of the sleeve. He also placed a bracket under the pipe to keep it from sagging down again, causing another leak when the crease separated from the mouth of the pipe.

Instead of replacing the ceiling tile with another tile of the same kind and plastering it with popcorn composition, he suggested that we insert an access door to better deal with future leaks in that spot.

Before leaving, Buddy volunteered to replace the front door hinge screws with longer screws.  This, with other adjustments, makes it much easier to open and close the front door.

It was my first time watching a master craftsman volunteer his time and expertise on my house in this fashion.  I could not be more pleased with his cheerful attitude and the outcome of the job.

To show respect for Buddy’s time away from his new wife, I suggested that another man could insert the access door. He agreed and went home to a piping-hot lunch.

What a pleasant way to end what was at first a difficult day.  How reassuring and encouraging to have a friend come to my rescue.  Now, I have to give it forward in some way, but I’m no handyman. Let’s see what good deed I can do for you.