They were heading into their third day of no power thanks to Commutagedon which had arrived in the DC area a couple days prior. Sleep had been cold and fitful that night and the three boys looked like even school would be preferable. There were a number of things that needed done that Saurday morning, but the first item on the agenda was to deal with the fact that the woodpile was getting very low--too low to make it another 24 hours. So the husband prepared to go find fuel. "The Home Depot for a generator perhaps?" suggested the lovely but tired wife.
"Come now, we just need to make it a little longer--the power has to come on soon" responds the stubborn and not-so-straight-thinking husband.
The husband heads out and returns with a load of wood that should carry the family through another day. "Didn't you go to Home Depot?" asks the wife. "Yes, but generators are really expensive and I talked with a friend who made me realize it would be quite a bit of work to get it hooked up to run the furnace. And did I mention they are expensive?" replies the husband.
After a few minutes had passed. "Let me ask this" the wife asserts more than asks. "If we had the generator could we at least run a space heater or two and couple appliances to get by so we don't have to sit by this fireplace and breath smoke* for another day and then when it is warmer get it set up so the next time the power goes out we are ready? Could we do that? Could we?"
"Get your coat son" says the husband to his eldest boy. "Why? Where are we going Papa?" he asks.
"To buy a generator, son . . . to buy a generator."
"But I thought you said they were expensive and by the time we got it working . . . "
"Get your coat son."
And the family lived happily ever after as the generator was purchased, hooked up (with friend's help) and the heat began to flow.
The power was restored three hours later. The husband smiled.
So did the wife.
___________________________
* This is not to case aspersions on our fireplace, which is beautiful and efficient and kept us toasty through most of this ordeal.
You know, that "the power was restored three hours later" is basically an "I told you so," which undoes the whole "I'm a good husband because I bought my wife a generator" move. You were so close. So. Close.
ReplyDeleteFair enough--added a little new ending as of course the goal was not to either say "I told you so" or to establish me as "a good husband" (lost cause), but rather to capture decision-making procedures in our house which so often involves this pattern. The power coming on was predictable. The purchase of the generator was the right decision, just late--and I believe we know whose fault that was!
ReplyDelete