I USED TO BE OLD, BUT I AIN'T ANY MORE

Blog number 377 **** 11 March 2009

Our 65" TV busted for the third time a few weeks ago and now Mitsubishi is giving us a new one. What a great company! A few days ago a woman from Mitsubishi called and said they were going to pick up the old TV Thursday.

Today.

She asked if there would be someone here to help carry it out to the truck. I said, "sure."

She sounded a little doubtful. Like, "Are you sure?" I could see where it would be important to know if someone was here to help, 'cause one guy ain't gonna load that sucker in a truck all by his self. So I ignored the implied skepticism. Never thought any more about it at the time.

The guy to pick up the TV calls today and says he will be here between ten and two. I say OK and he asks if there will be anybody here to help him load it in the truck. Again, I say, "yes." I again hear doubt. He wants me to be sure.

Later he calls from his truck and says he will be there in a few minutes and WILL THERE BE ANYBODY THERE TO HELP HIM LOAD THE TV?

Do I sound like I am trying to trick him?

So he comes over, I help him carry it out to the truck and when we set it down, he says, "You're pretty strong for as old as you are." Now at first, that made me feel pretty good. proud, maybe. And shortly thereafter I'm wondering why I felt that, but I liked it, so I didn't fight it.

I also began wondering about why he said that - like he was surprised. Did I look too old to lift half of that TV? I also wondered if I looked that old, because I know how old you have to look for anyone to wonder about a man's ability to carry his weight, so to speak.

I also began wondering if they have been talking about this old man here being too old to help with the carrying and maybe that's what all the doubt about my helping was about.

"I don't think that old man is going to be any help at all."

"Damn! I can't handle that thing all by myself. Someone's going to have to come with me."

"Ask him again if he can help."

"You ask him."

"No, you."

"No. You."

End of act one.

When the repairman comes, I usually am doing my jigsaw puzzles while he is here and my unnamed wife handles everything else. Maybe he thought I was on my last legs or something. Which reminds me.

The last time he was here, when it came time to pay him, I jokingly told my wife to give him one of the good checks, which he of course heard. For the first time ever, when she gave him the check, he asked to see her driver's license and he wrote down the number. That was the fifth time (I think) that we have given him a check and the only time he asked for a driver's license.

Fun day that was. And this one. What would I do without my fellow humans sent to entertain me?