“Hardworking People”We are reaching that point in remodeling where we seriously question whether we will ever be done.After we finally found a plumber, we thought our worries were over and progress began briskly. Our plumber had a delightful and exceptionally competent young fellow from Kenya, named Meshach, doing the tiling. We were all set for him to begin on Thursday morning, but he did not arrive.This seemed rather out of character, but we weren’t too concerned. Then he failed to show on Friday. We figured he likely had some job he had to finish before beginning work with us on Monday, so we didn’t worry too much. Late on Friday afternoon, Meshach called.“I am so sorry I have not been there the last two days,” Meshach began. Before I had a chance to speak, he continued. “But I will tell you the truth: I have had a nervous breakdown.”“I’m so sorry!” I said.“I will tell the cause of my nervous breakdown if you like.”“You don’t have to!” I said quickly, not sure how deeply into this I wanted to go.“No, I will tell you. You should know. I have a girlfriend in Kenya. I knew there were problems…” (This does not sound good, I thought.)“I have not seen her in more than a year and I have just learned she is pregnant.”I didn’t know quite how to respond to this, but he continued. “I bought her a refrigerator. I bought her a microwave. I even bought her an air conditioner!”At the mention of the air conditioner, his voice broke. (You don’t give a woman an air conditioner if you’re not serious.) I had to sympathize with Meshach, imagining this pregnant woman sitting in the cool air—even if it meant my bathroom remodeling was delayed.It’s easy to forget that remodeling isn’t just about the parts and pieces and appliances; it involves people as well. We have invited all of these people into our home and our life, if just for a short while.I know exactly how much our electrician makes in a year and how much he hates doing paperwork. I know the fellow who installed the flooring in my office is only 25 and not sure he ever wants to get married. I know the floor sander lives in the woods where the phone reception is spotty—and he likes it that way. I’ve learned a lot about these people who ...
