Like Wardell, she just needed a little encouragement. Also known asego stroking.
With a deep sigh, he leaned forward, elbows on his knees, and looked at me more directly. “APS is strict. We gotta go by the book if we want them to approve the work. You got a certified electrician for the oven?”
“Yes.” I nodded.
Wardell stood up, stretching his arms out as if shaking off the reluctance. He rolled his shoulders back, planted his feet firmly on the ground, and looked around the room like he was surveying his new domain. He let out a grunt as though inspecting possible NFL draft picks.
Gabriella covered her mouth, apparently stifling a giggle. I shushed her.
“All right,” he said, clapping his hands together once, the sound sharp enough to get everyone’s attention. He hooked his thumbs in his belt and gave a slight nod toward me. “Joyce, tell me specifically what’s on the list of stuff we need to fix.”
I handed him a printout of the paper Anya had emailed me, and he scanned it. His eyes narrowed as he scrutinized the paper. After a moment, he exhaled, clearly taking stock of the situation.
“Okay, here’s how we’re gonna do this.” He began pacing a little, back and forth across the room, his eyes flicking from one person to the next, as though mentally assigning tasks. “We’ll break this down into teams. Plumbing’s gonna need at least two people; the water heater team needs strength. That’ll be me and Richard.Caulking and sealing—that’s anybody’s game. And of course, we’ll leave the kitchen wiring to the pros.”
Lupita asked, “What materials do we need? I have a hookup at the hardware store.”
“If you give me your number, I’ll send a list.”
Christine intervened, “I will handle the communication.” The woman knew her husband had no business adding women’s phone numbers to his phone.
Gabriella said, “And I’ll work on a menu for the celebratory dinner, when we’ve finished the work and this is all behind us.”
Valerie raised her hand. “May I request more of the black bean and sweet potato taquitos? I swear, I can’t even sleep through the night without thinking about them.”
“Sure thing,” Gabriella said.
Wardell’s stern face took center stage again. He crossed his arms and glanced around the group. “Y’all better go home tonight and watch some of my YouTube videos, because I’m not explainin’ every little thing again.”
A few more chuckles rippled through the room, and Wardell nodded, seeming satisfied that he’d empowered his teams. His tone had softened, but his direction was clear. He was stepping into the leadership role. He was the boss, and we were his underlings. Gladly.
I couldn’t help but smile at that. Even though Wardell grumbled, there was a part of him that enjoyed this—leading, organizing, showing people what to do.
So be it.
“Young lady”—he pointed at Gabriella—“can you go on the internet and send my videos on caulking to everyone? My wife will give you my website name.”
“I’m on it.”
Valerie announced, “I’m out. Looks like y’all are about to start moving around. I’ve got a bad back; can’t risk injuries. My prayers are with you all.”
Wardell nodded. “Sounds like a good idea. Don’t want you getting hurt.”
Valerie tipped out, throwing kisses and hope at us.
The door had barely shut behind her when Wardell barked, “The rest of y’all start watching. Joyce, show me and Richard to the water heater.” He gestured for Richard to follow along. With a third party present, I felt safe leading Wardell to the tiny closet closest just beside the laundry room.
The water heater was slightly off-kilter, leaning a bit to one side. It wasn’t drastic, but enough to catch the eye. There was some wear and tear, rust around the edges, and the pipes were older, though nothing seemed immediately dangerous.
Wardell knelt down, inspecting the base and pipes. “It’s tilted, but it’s nothing we can’t handle. The base might just need leveling. We can fix that with some cinder blocks and shims, no problem. And these pipes”—he pointed—“we’ll swap them out with flexible copper ones. That should hold it steady, rectify the problem, and pass the APS inspection easily.”
I nodded, feeling a bit of relief. “So we don’t need to replace it?”
“Nah, not yet. This thing’s still got some life in it. If we stabilize it and update the connections, we’ll be fine.”
I nodded, trying to absorb the technical details. “I don’t know half of what you said, but the half I do comprehend sounded good,” I said. “Thank you.”
“We should take before-and-after pictures,” Richard said. Hetapped his pocket. “Shoot, I left my phone in the car. I’ll be right back.” He dashed off, leaving me alone with Wardell.
