Tuesday, May 04, 2004

The Further Adventures of Delivery Guy!

I had just taken off my jacket this morning (it was chilly here) when I was asked to put it back on and head out on a delivery. My first thought was of cabinet-making class tonight. Don't want to miss that. I received assurances that we'd be back by 4 pm.

So off we headed. It was me, Driver Guy, and Zen Boy. First stop was Totowa, New Jersey. We dropped off a few light cabinets without much of a problem. Then, we headed north--way north--to the farthest reaches of the Connecticut coast. We were dropping off cabinets at the showroom of a dealer. As in, these were the cabinets that were going to inspire someone to plunk down tens of thousands of dollars to have something similar in their own homes.

We backed up the truck to the door, and started unloading. We got to the second cabinet when the dealer asked to take a look at it.

And here begins the tale of woe.

Right away, in the bright Connecticut sunshine, a few flaws were evident. Some orange skin, the primer showing through, a drip.

This was bad. Ditto for the third cabinet. And the fourth. And the fifth.

This was unacceptable. Clearly.

No idea what the deal was with these. It's definitely an anomaly. Never happened before. Perhaps in the bright sunshine, as opposed to the flourescent lights of the quality check table, the slightest flaws were evident. Perhaps it was just a screw up.

Whatever the case, it was a dark time for our heroes. You can't help feeling bad. But the cabinets went back on the truck. We'll make them perfect.

On the way back, a lengthy philosophical discussion ensued. I mean, really really great conversation. Given the diversity of our backgrounds, there was some wonderful commonality. Just three guys talking. Sweet.

We stopped for dinner at Wegman's in Somerset County. While Buddhist Boy was in the bathroom, Driver Guy made a point of telling me that the guys I work with at the sanding table are 'really impressed' with me. I have their admiration and respect. I replied that I have nothing but admiration and respect for them. And given the fact that they could easily be my offspring, that's saying a lot. They're bright, dedicated, and good guys.

But gosh. I'm really moved by that.


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