Holding My Breath, Thinking About Tomorrow

On Friday evening, a pipe that runs vertically alongside my water heater sprang a leak. The bathroom floor rug just now finally dried. It took until now to be able to have some cash to call a handyman to fix it. He’s about the only one willing to work on the old galvanized pipes still left in my old mobile home. I explained a little more in my post that evening.

I had finally thought I had a month where I wouldn’t go to bed at night, worried about the bills. This is just the one pipe, but he’s got to go down under the home, too. I saw it myself - the whole thing is corroded and he needs to find a sensible spot to make a safe, new connection.

The good news is it will only cost me $200 - the bad news is, it will cost me $200. That was money I was finally going to be able to use to begin repaying the person who lent me the money for the water heater back in January.

Anyhow, there are plus-items here. I’ve got that money, at least, for now and he’s coming tomorrow, if the rain lets up over here.

That will be a relief. Since Friday night, I’ve had no hot water. I’ve been heating water on the stove for bathing, hair washing, and dishes. At first, it was a novelty, a throw-back to the old coal-heat days in the 40s when I was a little girl and the family was stone broke. I guess the novelty is finally wearing off. Maybe it’s just age. Still, I do what must be done.

One other thing - both he and I are praying that there are no other new leaks under the home. Since late Spring, I’ve been nervous, knowing that all the piping under the home is similarly corroded. I just do not have the kind of money it takes to do that job. He patched it, back then, with two 10-foot pieces, but all the piping under the 52’Lx24’W home is sick-looking. So far, it has held up.

 
Thank you, Father, that he kept the price as low as he could. Thank you that I can pay for this fix. Thank you that I knew how to deal with life without the hot water for a few days. Thank you, too, that so far, you’ve protected me against a major break in that pipeline. And thank you, too, for this particular plumber willing to do the job.