The new cooling tech looked like a storybook sailor with tattoos and piercings.
When the homeowner solutions company owner introduced him as the new cooling workman, some of the cooling specialists did not take him seriously.
They thought that he was all about looks and nothing to show. The first call to come in after his arrival was for a smart thermostat installation, and as tradition would have it, we assigned the job to him. Later in the week, we had a dual fuel system installation, and he was part of the team. He handled the heat pump installation with such finesse that we were all convinced that there was more to the exterior. The following week an old lady we were all well acquainted with called the home comfort business for the fourth time that week, saying that the energy-saving help tips we gave her were not working. She also said that she needed help adjusting her thermostat because her house was too warm and not cooling. The lady would call the office so often, saying that her quality HVAC had a problem or had broken down, and more often than not, the problem was nonexistent. Since the rest of us knew her history, the new guy took on her house. We always responded when the lady called when in need of home services or help with indoor comfort, but we did not look forward to it. We expected him to complain when he came back, but he didn’t. We found out from the new technician a month later that she called so many times because she had lost her husband and lived alone at the time, and she was trying to fill the void. From then on, we took turns visiting her thrice a week after work.