Water World

So here it is, Friday morning, and Earthpig and I are headed to Jinx’s. I left the house to go fill up the car and left Earthpig at home to wake up. I come back home, ready to pack the car and go. Earthpig sees me, drops a packet of printouts on the kitchen table and says “There’s no such thing as a free ride.” I have no idea what he is talking about. He says, “The water heater broke and there is water all over the laundry room.” Having just walked through the laundry room, I am a bit confused. “Our water heater broke?” “No, Jinx’s and we have to go fix it.” “Ok, well let’s get on the road so we can do it,” I thought.
     
     So, on the road we went. Not speeding, but trying to get there as quickly as possible, so that Jinx wouldn’t drown. After about two hours Jinx calls and asks how long it takes for a water heater to drain because it was still leaking like a sieve. We told her it should be finished, did you turn it off at the pump? “Yes, I turned it off.” “Ok, well, we’ll be there in an hour, be patient.”       

     We finally arrived, and quickly went in the house. There was the water heater pumping out water. I asked Jinx, “Are you sure you turned the water all the way off? It shouldn’t still be pouring out like this.” “Yes, I turned it all the way.” So, out to the pump we went. “See, it is all the way off,” and turned it to show me. “Jinx! You had it all the way on.” We turned it off, and lo and behold, after 45 minutes it is drained. Earthpig and Surlymon manhandle it out of the hole, we get all the info we need off of it, and off to Lowe’s we go.

     Well, it is a 50 gallon water heater we took out, and it WILL BE  a 50 gallon water heater we put back in. Jinx lives in a triple wide, a nice house, but we all know that they have their little idiosyncrasies. You have to have a special water heater for them. The largest one they had was a 40 gallon. Wouldn’t do. So we got a 50 gallon for a frame house. “How do we plumb it for a trailer?” John, at Lowe’s, was very helpful, got us all the stuff we needed. Jinx paid and home we went.

Pouring down rain, in a 1984 Ford pickup truck, the three of us wedged in the seat, praying that the truck would get us home. The 4 speed transmission is a bit worn, it grumbled most of the way home. About 15 miles from home, I sheepishly ask, “Does anyone else smell the plastic burning?” Jinx, also sheepishly, says she does. We pet and stroke the truck, praying it will make it home. About 5 miles from home Jinx says that something is wrong with the truck, it is sliding. We lovingly talk to the truck, babying it all the way. This is all we need, broken down truck, I think it would be the straw that broke Jinx’s composure. She has held it together up till now, but this would be it. We pull into the driveway, Surlymon (who has stayed home because he wouldn’t fit in the truck) and Earthpig unload the heater, Jinx and I stay out of the way.

Earthpig installs the heater but one part is too short, so away Jinx and I go to a hardware store, Wal-Mart, anywhere that will have the part. Hardware store is closed, go figure, and Wal-Mart does not have the part we need. We call Earthpig and see if a washing machine water hose will work for tonight. “Yes,” he says, “it will work for tonight.” We get the part home, along with the pizzas we ordered and Earthpig fixes it. Now it is time to turn on the water. Jinx and Earthpig go out to the pump house to turn the water on. To shorten this already long story, Earthpig and Jinx don’t get the water turned on, although they thought they did. Fozzie, who has been at work during this debacle, goes out and turns on the water. We have water, it is hot, life is good. Saturday Jinx and I go get the part needed and Earthpig finishes the repair. So ends our experience at Jinx’s.