 |
|
|
Jim hesitated just for a moment as he headed outside. Man, is it hot! Though it was just mid April, the sun shone brilliantly in the clear blue sky and it felt more like a day that should be spent by the pool. Yet he knew if he didn’t finish looking over the air conditioner now, he’d never get it done. His wife had been pleading with him for the last two weekends to take a look at the air conditioner before it got too hot.
She’d had no trouble reminding him of last summer when they’d had to spend several hundred dollars to call out a repairman to change the belt in the overwhelming June heat. The man had told Jim the belt was something easily checked and always ought to be done before the summer to avoid such emergencies again. Inevitably it was that memory that drove him out into the yard and toward the ladder.
The heat baked the earth and made Jim feel like he’d stepped into an oven, but it was still better than the stuffy attic where he’d just been examining the cooling ducts. Up the ladder now and onto the roof, Jim felt his strength draining even though it was still fairly early in the day. The desert breeze tousled his deep brown hair, yet gave little relief as he carefully removed the cover for the air conditioner, inspecting the motor and the belt. Sweat dripped from his face and arms. It ran down the back of his neck like a river, soaking through his thin T-shirt and dripping onto the asphalt shingles.
A sigh suddenly broke the silence from behind and Jim turned, almost knowing what to expect. He grinned at what he saw: a pair of curious brown eyes, a freckled face, and quirky smile poking up over the top of the ladder, watching his every move.
“You said you’d come play ball with me Dad.”
“There’s something I have to finish first.”
“But that’ll take forever! I wanna play ball now.”
“I’m sorry son, but if I don’t do this now, you’ll be a lot more miserable in a month or so.” Another sigh was the only reply Jim received and his grin grew into a smile. He almost chuckled. “I promise, as soon as I’m finished here we’ll play.”
It wasn’t long before the chore was done and Jim was back down the ladder and in the yard, playing ball. It was still hot, but he felt much better now that he knew the air conditioner was in working order.
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be right now. CLICK HERE
JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.
|
|
|
