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I stood there at the window, up to my knees in heat radiating from the parking lot.
“Honk when you drive up,” said the sign.
I knocked on the window instead.
Five seconds later, the eyeglass repairman slid open his window.
“It’s a drive-thru!”
“Yes, I realized that when I got here. Anyway, I called you just a few minutes ago about these eyeglass frames.”
I placed the frames on his counter.
“I didn’t realize how hard it would be to get the screw back in a spring hinge!”
“Why did you take it out?”
I could give him a complicated answer, but sensed he was after something else.
“I’m a do-it-yourselfer, but sometimes I’m just old and stupid.”
His face softened.
“I’ll be right back.”
As he pivoted and disappeared into his workroom, I slid the window closed on its smooth track.
“His shack must get hot on days like this,” I thought. “He might as well keep his cool.”
Less than a minute later, he reappeared at the window, slid it open, and stood there wiping the lenses clean.
“It takes a special tool to depress the spring.”
My smile hid a correction: “He means ‘extend the spring.’”
“Thank you! What do I owe you?”
“Nothing.”
“I’ll give you a good review,” I said.
And I will.
— Brad Hepp, 8/4/2023
#roadtocanossa #humiliation #henryiv #popegregoryvii #eyeglassrepair #texasheat
