Friday, January 20, 2023

A Plumber or a Barrister ?

 So back in the day when I worked the airport a flight came in from Spain late at night a woman and 2 small boys got into the taxi heading for Foxrock.

In an instant the boys were asleep that seemed to hit an on switch in her head.

This has been a hell of a holiday she said. Years ago I met this good looking lad from Crumlin, he was a plumber Jimmy was his name. One day he came to our house to collect me and my dad told him about a hot water problem we were having. No hot water in the tap and the tank in the attic is full of hot water.

No one can fix it said my dad. I can fix it without looking any further.

Either £5 or £150, take your pick.

He turned up the next day and put a one way valve on the hot water pipe. The mixer tap was faulty and the cold water pressure was pushing the hot water back up into the attic.

My dad said to me "Marry that lad" 

But my mother had other ideas and sent me off to school in England. There was some contact and then Jimmy went over to the USA where a relation had a big air conditioning and refrigeration company. By the time he came back contact had been broken and I had met my future husband and barrister and we both got on with our lives.

Many years passed and we had children and grandchildren.

Then I went on holiday with my 2 grandsons, on the second day at the hotel. There was great excitement as Jimmy arrived and was warmly greeted with all of the staff in the reception and 4or 5 small kids danced around him. When he saw me he was totally shocked, like he had met a ghost. Jimmys wife came over and he introduced them to each other.

Over the remainder of the holiday Jimmy came and went and his wife really embraced the three of us. Over the time I found out what had happened over the years. Jimmy had set up a plumbing business with his 3 brothers. Jimmys sister set up a wholesale business.

The family are very loyal to each other and that goes for cousins as well. Jimmy got sick and the cold damp air of Dublin was not doing him any good, one cousin owned an apartment in Spain so Jimmy came to recover his health.

After a while he started to work and he found that the jobs that he came to were all sub standard, so he started training people, little by little he started things moving. 

He bought a house, 2 stores doing bathrooms. a really big air conditioning business.

Then I found out from his wife as she drove us to the airport that all of our meals at the hotel had been comped. Then she looked at me Why not? he owned that hotel and another on on the other side of the island.

Carmel his wife told me that Jimmy is a very private person and he would never have told you that, so keep it under your hat.

On the other hand I now return to my legal eagle husband, stinking of whiskey. I wonder and wait for the next repossession order for the house will come from the bank.

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