03.02.07
Mitch, The Window Man
by Dee Andrews
I met Mitch last week when I had a problem and he saved the day and greatly blessed my life in doing so. He was a Grace Note to me and I let him know that.
We’d had a broken insulated lower window pane here in our apartment since the first week of December and it took forever to find out what to do about it and how to get it repaired. We’d lived with the window for nearly three months through some very cold weather with just a big piece of cardboard over it with lots of clear tape.
That didn’t work too well and lots of cold air seeped in right here next to my desk and computer where I spend so much time. I was anxious to have it repaired.
A couple of weeks back, Tom figured out how to get the entire bottom half of the window out, which all needed to be replaced, after much aggravation and some big doses of WD40. I took it to the glass place, got it measured and ordered the new window insert.
Last Friday at lunch, it was a fairly warm day so Tom took the window back out for me to take in to have replaced. By the time I made it to the glass place it was about 2 p.m. on Friday. They were extremely busy. It was hectic. Two people had quit work last week and they were very short handed.
They told me I would have to leave the window until Monday. I protested, "Oh, I can’t do that because it’s cold at night and this is the window in our apartment and we must be secure." Of course, that was as secure as a broken window could be.
I mean, it’s a quiet neighborhood, but still . . .
They tried to be accomodating so went in the back to see what Mitch could do. I told them if I couldn’t get it back that afternoon I would have to bring it back on Monday, which I would have done, but it was a big aggravation trying to get it in and out because it’s fairly old and not easy to do to begin with.
But they finally came back out in the front and and said that Mitch promised to have it done before Friday afternoon was over with. That was another three hours so I decided not to wait (of course), but to come back later. I needed to go get groceries, but the trunk of my car was half full already and with the good sized window in there, no room was left.
I didn’t really feel like putting all of the groceries on the nice back seats of the car and it would have been a pain to lug them in and out that way so I just sort of stood there a minute or two thinking.
The two ladies in the front who were helping me seemed very nice and since I was dawdling, I struck up a conversation with them about what now, I know not. But anyway, we became rather engrossed in our talk and about that time the phone rang and the younger woman had to go in the back to talk with the workers.
She came back out and said, "Mitch saw you still out here and is working on your window. He said if you can wait another 10 minutes, he’s got it half way apart already and will have it fixed for you."
I was stunned. Mitch took it upon himself to help me out, someone he’d never met and did not know because I struck up a conversation in the front and he could see me through the glass window in the door to the back room where he was working.
I asked them about Mitch and they said he had been with them a couple of years, at least, and was a hard and dedicated worker. I praised him and said he must be a Christian. We talked about being Christians and as Mtich brought my newly repaired window out and put it in the trunk of my car I told him, "God bless you for helping me like you just have."
He beamed at me shyly and thanked me and I said, "Bless your heart."
Mitch, this blue collar worker not making much money here in poor south Mississippi who may or may not go to church, the ladies didn’t know and I didn’t ask, did a great service for me - a stranger - and for that I thank him for being such a Grace Note in my life.