The Unexpected Gift

Chapter 8:

I looked through my phone and was able to find a few local A/C and heating companies. However, there was only one company that was open today. So I looked up their number and clicked on it to give them a call.

The phone rang three times before an overly cheery female voice answered the phone. There was no way that she was this happy, this early and working on a Saturday at that. But everyone is on their own, I guess.

“Main Street A/C and Heating, this is Stacie. How can I help you?” She stated over the phone.

I took a second to gather my thoughts.

“Hello, is there anyone there?” I heard her ask.

“Oh….sorry. Yes, I found your number online, and I want to see if there is anyone able to come out and see what is the matter with my heater.” I told her.

“Yes, ma’am! We have a few technicians out working today. May I ask what the issue is, so that way I can inform the technician what is going on so he is more prepared when he arrives.” Stacie tells me.

“Oh…yeah…my heater was not working this morning. I checked the thermostat, and it is showing that it should be 68 degrees, but it is less than 62 degrees in my house. I know that is not that big of a difference, but it is only just now getting cold, and I do not want to let it get worse. And then it won’t be working at all when I really need it,” I told her. I know I am rambling, but I didn’t really know what to say.

I could hear what sounded like some typing in the background before I heard Stacie talking back to me. “Ok, that should be enough information for my technician to have some sort of idea OK what to expect when he gets there. I was just checking our schedules and our technician, Mike, is available right now. If you can provide me with your address, I can give you an estimated time that he will be able to make it there for a service call.”

“Thank you, that sounds perfect.” I gave her my address and I could hear typing again in the background.

“Alright, it looks like he could be at your location in around an hour. Is that time good for you? Also, before I forget, are there any dogs that the technician should be aware of?” She asked me.

“Yes, I do have one dog. He is just a big puppy and is completely harmless, so no, there is nothing to be worried about in that aspect.” I told her.

Thinking really quickly, I asked “How much is the service call?”

Again there was some typing in the background before she responded. “A service call will cost $185 dollars, then if there are any parts that will cost additional, the technician will inform you of any other cost that may occur while he is there.”

OK, well, I guess that answers that question for me.

“OK, thank you. Yes, I will be there waiting for the technician when he gets here.” I told her before hanging up the phone.

After I got off the phone with the receptionist, I decided to go ahead and pick up the house a little bit. You can never have a home

that is too clean when you have company.

Before I know it, I hear the alarm bell going off indicating that someone is coming up the driveway. I headed to the front door to greet my visitor. I watched the white work van pull up to a stop in front of my house right next to my old truck.

A middle-aged man got out of the van. He was, I would guess, about average height with a protruding beer belly. He took his hat off and scratched his head while looking around my yard. I watched him as he walked around the side of his van and pulled out a bag. One that I can only assume held all of his technician tools that he would be needing to complete the service call.

As the technician walked towards the house, I opened the door and greeted him.

“Hello, I am presuming that you are Mike with Main Street A/C.” I asked him.

He gave me a look that really made me uncomfortable, with him being here by myself. “Yes, that is me. I was called because you are having issues with your heater, is that right?” he responded and also asked me.

“Yes sir. I woke up, and the heater was not keeping up with the outside temperature, I guess, so it is colder than I would like it to be in here.” I told him.

I led him to the hallway where my thermostat is located and also showed him where the inside part of my a/c is located. After, I showed him everything that I thought he needed to know where it was.

“Well, I will let you get to what you need to do to check everything out. I will be in the kitchen. If you need anything, just yell at me. Also, I guess that you will let me know when you are finished and what the problem is, as well as any additional costs there are. Please let me know at any cost before doing anything. I am a teacher, so I will need to know what the costs are before you proceed with the work. That way I can see what my budget is.” I told him before I walked off and left him to his work.

I am in the kitchen finishing up with making my lunch when Mike walks in.

“Hello, there little missy. Ok I am done looking at your heater and it does not look good. Your furnace is completely shot. When was the last time that you had anyone out to service your unit?” He asked me.

I tried to think if there was ever anyone here to look at my a/c or heater before. “I am honestly not sure. I haven’t had anyone here to look at it in forever. But I have never had any issues with it before.” I told him honestly.

He looks at me thoughtfully. “OK, well you are looking at needing a whole new furnace. I have not checked out your outside unit yet, but if it is as old as the inside unit and hasn’t been serviced in as long. Then I think that you may need to have that replaced as well.” He tells me.