A cabinet job I did a few years back
A woman asked if I still did little house calls because her cabinet door would not stay shut. I said I am not a real contractor, but I can look at a small thing if it is making a house unhappy. She said that was exactly what she needed. That sounded normal to me. People like NORMAL until a screw starts lying.
The setup was late evening, clean jeans, hair still damp from somebody else’s shower. She had tried once herself and quit because it felt wrong. I said quitting before damage is a skill. In the kitchen, the catch plate told most of the story. It was loose, or maybe overconfident. Those are cousins.
I loosened it, shifted the angle, and gave it a careful turn. She asked if she should hold it. I told her to hold steady if I said so, but not to push. Too much help at the wrong moment can make a tight spot worse,, and then everyone feels responsible.
After a few tries it seated right. Not perfect like a magazine. Better than before and FIRM enough for daily use. She touched it after I did and said, quiet, that she wished she had called sooner. I told her hardware waits until you notice it. That is why notes matter. I wrote CABINET DOOR - THE CLICK CAME LATE BUT IT CAME.
I did not think about why she called me for something easy. I thought she trusted my patience. Maybe that was part of it. Maybe a woman alone in a house wants somebody who will come over, handle the pressure, and not make her feel foolish,, which is a decent job if you can get it.
Comments are turned off for now. I had a form here once and I do not know where the messages went,, which is not a system.
Originally posted on the old Blogspot site.