The biggest story around here all started on Friday, June 25 at 4 PM when the air conditioner stopped. One can’t fully appreciate the desert until the AC dies. When even your spice cabinet is at 90 degrees, things become desperate. No Worries!!!!!!! So brilliant I have been to buy a home warranty policy. Right?????????
And so the story begins.
For all the years of home owning, I’ve had a home warranty. The best “home warranty” I had all those years wore the pants in the family. VST was magical in his repair skills. He never really knew how sexy that was! With his southern drawl (unknown origin, as he was a California boy), he would simply look at the problem and think awhile. Retreating to the shop, he would come out with exactly the perfect tools and supplies and within a very short time, any problem was fixed perfectly. A real-life hero in overalls.
In his life, VST reroofed many houses to code, rewired several houses, jacked things up, made things straight, plumbed jammed toilets, and made things beautiful. He never threw tools or cussed. He just spent time analyzing and fixing. In 33 years together, we never called “The Guy” to fix anything. VST WAS the guy.
One of his talents was Air Conditioning Repair. He had a license, Freon, gauges and hoses, and the knowledge. If VST had been here through this nightmare, he would have known what to do. I’m sure he is in heaven discussing the problem with Baily’s and Cream. They would have fixed me up in a heartbeat. Yes, Miss Firecracker and I were lucky in that way. Two fix-it guys supreme.
Well, VST isn’t here. I am. I’m alone. No matter who drops by or calls to check in, all this stuff is on me now. Another widow understands what I mean while others can’t begin to know what this is like. Women alone are on constant alert, as jackals are hiding everywhere, just waiting for a misstep. Again, widows, you get what I’m saying. We must use our “Girl Power” to stay strong!
A home warranty has given me the sense of safety that someone will come riding up to the rescue in a big, shiny repair truck, eager to fix the broken. For the first time in my life, the home warranty company left me in the dust to figure this out on my own. I have yet to deal with them, but to call them worthless would be putting them above their place in life. The underside of lying cheating scum is more like it. With absolutely no help from them, I began to sweat mentally. The AC is the most expensive home appliance we own. Mine was broken.
After waiting four days for the home warranty company to flake out as they promised from the trees of India that they were diligently looking for help, I took matters into my own hands. For $129, I had a diagnosis. My AC was dying. Not from a lack of freon. That would have been easy. From internal decay. Old Age. 17 years of desert life. The gig was up. Electrical hints never lie. Now things were getting fun.
To add insult to injury, with the flick of a tripped breaker, the AC roared to its last days of life. But, the writing was on the wall. Its useful days are unknown. Could go out again tomorrow, for good, or could last another year or two. As the lights dimmed every time it started up, I knew he was being truthful.
As the technician put away his gauges he gave me the hard truth.
“Ma’am, the entire AC unit needs to be replaced. It’s failing. Ball Park estimate — $12,000 to $13,000.”
From there, I don’t remember anything else he said. I pushed the $129 at him and told him I wouldn’t be doing that.
HAHAHAHAHAHA
STUPID WOMAN. What else could I do????????? Live in a 90 degree house every summer? I made a difficult call to eat my words and accept my new reality.
With a bit of “Let’s Make A Deal”, and a flash of the “Widowed Senior Citizen” card through a tear, I got the price down to $10,500. Still a heart stopper, but in today’s world, a fair price. No wonder the home warranty crew were never going to get back to me. They don’t replace items for old age. And, really, I can’t blame them.
A week later, on the hottest day so far, two wonderful young men drove up in the morning and left a little before 5 PM. Skilled, polite, and adorably Grandson-aged, they removed the old and put in the new. Such a class act. VST would’ve approved, if it was necessary to hire “The Guys”.
My heart palpitations are clearing up now. Nothing like writing a check of that size to wake a person up.
I definitely won’t be going on a cruise for Christmas, or any other time until I recover from the AC episode.
That’s the story of the day from the high desert of North Western Nevada. Remember to service your AC units and pray to the heavens they run for one more day. Stay cool!!!