Like duct tape, Coffee, it seems, can cure anything.
Some times
the simplest of tasks can cause the biggest frustrations. We can have done something over and over, but
for some reason, the tried and true method is bollixed by a flurry of miscues
that makes you think the world is conspiring to ruin the result.
This week
it was a sink fixture that should have completed the shortlist for a renovation
and allowed my friend to move into his new apartment. What had begun as a simple concept for a short
term transition between leaving one home and ending in another soon to be built
had become stressful with complications.
My friend
was impatient and unsettled, past ready to be free of the dust and unpacked,
comfortable before his treasured 52" HDTV.
The clutter of construction within earshot of his business was
distracting while the boxes of books awaiting distribution on newly painted
shelves and bed requiring assembly was disorienting. He desperately needed the kitchen sink to
work to fix himself some calming tea.
No problem,
I assured him and set to work on the heavy cast-iron enameled monstrosity,
purchased by my friend as a great deal from an architectural salvage warehouse,
and the top-of-the-line famous name brand faucet to match from a box store
chain.
I attached
the faucet, sprayer and double drains in good time, applied the caulk and laid
the behemoth into the newly cut hole in the fresh countertop. It was a struggle to align the two drains
with the redirected main, but a little creativity accomplished the effort and all
seemed to fit perfectly.
When I
turned it on to test, however, the trickle of drops was disappointing (to say
the least). While there was plenty of pressure in the pipes and had been to the
previous sink, this flow of water would never wash a crumb from a plate.
My friend,
seeing both his job and personal life in chaos became more distressed and
adamant that the fix must be quickly found, and in his upset, implied a threat
to the very friendship itself.
The name
brand customer service was exemplary and over-nighted the only parts that could
possibly be a problem. In an hour, I
took apart the sink, replaced the parts, the caulk and reset the weighty
cast-iron kerthunk into its hole. The
flow was no better, however, and this time the drain dripped into the cabinet.
To go
through the entire process yet again, we decided not to risk the unlikely
possibility that the flaw was in the design, so my friend went back to choose a
much more standard faucet. I took it all
apart again, re-puttied the drains, secured the new faucet with separate
sprayer, cleaned and reapplied the caulk, heaved the sink back into place and
crossed my fingers.
At least
the pressure in the flow was much more acceptable, but now there was a leak in
the same diverter to the sprayer as seemed to be the problem in the first
faucet. Cleaning and re-inserting the
connection several times made no difference.
It seemed to be another faulty part, another faulty faucet from a
different top-name brand and a different box store.
What for so
many years has just been two simple connections, in the name of progress and
efficiency, has become much more complicated with parts to parts and a 14 step
set of directions that begins with "Carefully remove items from the
box..." Apparently I had missed a
step, but I was clueless as to a solution and formulating the words to inform
my friend that a better plumber was needed and perhaps a better friend.
The cup of
coffee saved all.
I walked
away. I filled my cup, took a deep
breath, closed my eyes and imagined a soft sandy beach or blanket of powder
snow. I slurped and prayed and
contemplated my navel and our great friendship for several minutes before
heading back inside, motivated for a fifth and final attempt.
This time,
having done nothing differently but a few sips of coffee, after five minutes of
vigilant and awestruck staring, I could find no leak at all and the steady flow
at the tap soon put my friend's anguish to rest.
Life is
full of struggles large and small, but the solutions are not always easy to
find in the set of directions that may or may not come in the package. Items that seem like a bargin are often more
problematic in actuality and old habits do not necessarily have to be updated.
Sometimes
there are no proofs at all, but spirit (however we want to define it), with a
good cup of coffee, just makes it so.
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