Delivering a Shower Stall Takes Coordination and More Than One Good Neighbor.

We built our home over a period of years (okay, close to ten years, with a two-year lapse. We were doing it ourselves.). The picture is from several years ago.

We were at the point that we needed to gather toilets, shower stalls, kitchen cabinets and such. So we ordered the shower for the master bath and had it delivered to the new house, saving us from having to pick it up locally, put it on a trailer, and drive it out there.

We get terrible cell service at the new house, so my husband left to wait for the delivery driver, and I stayed home to take the call when the driver was close to the house. It’s a two-hour drive. I would then text my husband. He planned to climb a ladder now and then and check his phone.

The driver called for directions, and the honest fellow informed me the stall is damaged, and he doesn’t think we’ll want it. He wanted me to meet him in town to refuse delivery rather than have him drive down the narrow country road to the house with an 18-wheeler.

I can sympathize, but I told him why I wouldn’t be driving out to meet him. I’ll call my husband, who’ll call him, and they can arrange a meeting. After explaining the cell service issue, I told him I’ll call him if I run in to problems reaching my husband.

I run in to problems. I can’t get through to my husband. However, I know I can reach the neighbor down the road. So I call him; let’s call him Pete. He’s very understanding while I explain the issue. Unfortunately, Pete is hours away from home, visiting family.

Pete has a solution. Why don’t I call Sam, who lives the other way down the road? He gives me Sam’s wife’s number, who will inform Sam, who will run down the road and talk to my husband. Just in case, he also gives me Jimmy’s (also down the road) number.

Armed with numbers, I call Sam’s wife. She does not pick up. No point in leaving a message, so I call Jimmy. He has a service which screens his calls. The service will send him my message, and if he wants to return the call, he will. I leave the message explaining the situation.

Not to be left waiting, I recall I had recently been in conversation via text with Jane (who also lives down the road). We’ve never met, but her pastor needed a dog kennel and we had one we didn’t need, so we donated it to her pastor. Long story. I have Jane’s number.

I call her. She didn’t even say hello. Jane’s first words were, “Do you need me to run down and check on him?” What a lovely woman. I explain my dilemma. She runs off cheerfully delivering my message to my husband.

In the meantime, Jimmy calls, but the phone cuts off as soon as I answer.

A few minutes later, Jimmy texts to inform me he ran down to talk to my husband, but the driver was already there. I explained how the phone hung up when I answered. He assures me I am now on his favorites list and will be put right through to him if we have any more problems he can help with.

End of story: shower refused due to damage and reordered. At least, the driver will know how to get to the house, and I have many numbers to call when I can’t reach my husband to tell him the driver is on his way.