..at 67 you learned to control your anger...even if giving vent to it is easier..and you learned to accept those things that make you unhappy...and accept things you cannot control...like death, for instance...its there, just around the corner, peeking through the window...even if you try not to think about it...it still has this habit of hitting you at odd moments when you least thought about it.. .a prankster with a pail of water waiting to douse you with it, hiding behind a bush or door...
...like this morning, when the missus mentioned on the way to her salon, that the water pump was not working...it was giving a protesting sound, she said...it was, when I checked later..diagnosis was fast...experience told me that the motor was not turning...its spindle must be stuck with some sand...playing around with a screwdriver released the motor and it went its way merrily along...and I took the opportunity to clean the ground tank whilst at it...and it was then that it hit me...who's to do this once I dead and gone?...she would be stuck with no water supply for days before Mr. Bee, the local village wiz with pumps, could find the time to come...
...as in most marriages, after a while, the husband became Mr. Fixit...he was the one to turn to once the home system broke down...he unstuck the sink, changed the bulbs ( she has not changed a light bulb her entire life) and thumped the tv when its not working...along with paying the bills...but husbands die...and, generally, statistically, husbands, being men, die first...
..so, starting tomorrow, pakmat is going to teach her how to work around water pumps...and maybe, how to change light bulbs later...
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8 comments:
Please God, let me die first so that I can never ran out of 'Mr Fixit'..Can't imagine how to even breath without him..Without me, I think he will be just fine, no doubt bout that.
You write about many things that are important. This is why I keep coming back again and again.
It happened to me 3 years ago, when without warning, my husband passed away. He did everything around the house. He filled the petrol of my car and took the car for repairs whenever mishaps occurred. When he was gone, I had to do things on my own and it was very difficult to adjust at first, with two very young toddlers.
I had to bring his picture to buy food for the cats so that the seller would know what kind of cat food he always bought. I have just mastered the skill of filling my car petrol tank almost a year ago. And luckily I still have my father when my car breaks down or when my house needs minor repairs.
I am lucky, as in my case..my ex managed to train my boys to do minor repairs at home. I was the one managing the finances, so bills are always paid on time. He taught me how to 'listen' to the car sounds and what to say to the mechanics. So when we separated..life went on with hardly a bump.
Now, it is an ongoing process teaching the children on life lessons, should one day, this old lady not get up from her sleep.
Now that you mention it, I dread to think how I may survive without my better half around coz he's really good at fixing almost anything while I am only good at complaining hehe..this serves as a wake-up call for me.Thank you Pakmat :)
It's the other way around for my household Pakmat, I'm the one who knows who to call for whatever repair that needs to be done around the house, pays the bills, send the car for service and checkup. He even mentioned to me, he hopes to die first before me...you see, my hubby is down most days - for more than 10 year he's been quite sickly, so over the years, I learned to be the one in charge...
never had mr fixit my entire life, so i just pile up lots and lots of money so i could pay mr handyman heeeee
waking up everyday day, wishing i will go first (before my loved ones) bcoz i could not bear life without them.. selfish, eh?
Once a male friend of mine said in front a group of friends (and his wife) that he wished his wife will die before him. Before anyone could scold him, he said that's because he want to settle everything for his wife so that she does not need to face all the problems alone.
In fact, I also can't imagine living without my hubby aka the handyman. Scary.
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