Writing Sample: Mirror

I really didn’t know him, before we spoke that night – two years after I moved in. The neighbors on our dead-end street weren’t very friendly. Seems like the only time some neighbors speak, is when there is something to say. No greeting, but in crisis, everyone needs an ear…

There was a lot of commotion in the unit next door, for a series of days. Living in a townhouse where units mirror each other, you can hear every front door slam. I was lucky to have a considerate neighbor. The young men walking in and out of his unit in that week, were a different story.

His face didn’t betray his hands when I looked upon him. He looked serene and cool, but his hands shook like he had just gotten some bad news. A few moments before, I get a text on my phone. “Hi, it’s Mateo* from next door. I got your number off Google. Can we talk?” Interesting. Why would he want to speak to me? You got my number off Google, but you couldn’t knock? That made me chuckle… kids today…

“I have bad news. I have severe plumbing issues, and since we share a supply line and wall in our restrooms/kitchens, I think you may have some problems too.” My heart sank. We proceeded to trade notes and concluded that his side was more severe than mine (my side was still functional in a way his side was not), but that I would investigate. Then he told me how much it would cost, and my heart skipped a beat. It wasn’t something anyone could cover with a handful of Uber tips over a few weekends. This would require a loan, and his insurance said that since it wasn’t “sudden”, but simply decay over decades, that it wouldn’t cover it. He asked me what I thought could have led to such a frightful verdict. I then started speaking – in a stream-of-consciousness-sort-of-way - about construction, carpentry, real estate, building code, gardening, mold, trees, wind, wildlife, copper corrosion, wood rot, plumbing, traffic-induced vibrations (and the structural damage to buildings), and where I thought the housing market was going this year. Then we spoke about “bashert”, or destiny. Perhaps this big problem simply means that he is meant to be elsewhere…

He looked on with rapt attention, as he waited for his turn to speak. He asked if selling was a good idea… and I found myself being honest, as per my nature. In 4 years, his property had increased its value by almost 75% (probably more now, with the brand-new bathroom he must install). He felt odd in wanting to sell, but he was slowly concluding, that perhaps the property was more than his “handyman skills” could handle. It was only one of 3 large problems he faced as a homeowner – and he was only in Year 6 of ownership. I spoke to him like a Big Sister, then it dawned on me. It had been a long while since I had had a real conversation with a “stranger”. It was natural and effortless, like old friends - but what struck me most, was how much information I have managed to cram into my head, and how much I had wanted to try to be helpful. An empath reflects what another needs, at the time they need it. But how did I know about waterproof drywall for bathrooms? How did I remember the R-value of insulation that would be needed for our zone? How did I know that trees grow “down and out”, and some tree roots run straight into foundations and wreak havoc?

I’ve never been a carpenter, a drywall hanger, or an arborist. But what I am… is a reader and a proud home improvement show watcher. Someday, I want to transform cabinets from a yellow oak, to a cool ceruse finish. I’d love to build a greenhouse where I can grow my vegetables year-round and have a field of exotic roses, medicinal herbs, berry bushes and an orchard. I’d love to convert a fixer upper into the house of my dreams, built for cozy and dreamy comfort.

But first, I gotta call a plumber about a pipe…

Never underestimate the value of the things you know… it may bring some comfort, to someone, when you least expect it…

* name changed to protect a crushed heart (and an empty wallet)…