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The Hubby Is On The Roof Again

He was supposed to call me from up there when he was done and he didn’t!

By Denise E LindquistPublished 4 years ago • Updated 4 years ago • 3 min read
The Hubby Is On The Roof Again
Photo by Zohair Mirza on Unsplash

There were things I wanted to get done a few days ago! Instead, I found myself holding the ladder for my hubby. He was going on the roof to do a minor repair. In the last rainstorm, we lost a shingle, and he wants to add some tar to spots on the roof and firm up some other spots.

My hubby is seventy-two years old. For the last couple of years, I have thought he is too old to be going up there. He told me yesterday that eighty is probably when he will be too old! Another eight years of worry for me is what I thought!

I made him promise to wait until I got home to hold the ladder and to be there when he was up on the roof.

He waited and I was hoping that he would have forgotten, but no. The ladder was in the grass by the house. The wind had blown it over. It was a very strong wind on that day. I asked him to consider putting it off until another day.

No, he couldn’t do that. He just moved the ladder to the other side of the house.

After he took the shingle up and did some minor hammering, he came down and then went back up with tar and a brush. He said, “I will call you when I’m done.” When I thought he was probably ready to come down, I went to look and the ladder was gone. He had hung it up already!

I hollered out the door when I saw him putting tools away, “As-Hole, I thought you were going to call?” and he said, “I said I would call when I’m done!” Not funny. I came in and slammed the door! I talked to two friends that said, they have/had the same husband!

What is it with men? So, I am waiting, don’t want to get into anything I need to do as I am waiting for his call. Again “As-Hole” Okay, enough of that. He thinks he is funny and that is one of the things I like about him is his humor, but this was not funny. I am missing something.

I’m not sure what I can do. Maybe nothing.

I talked about it not being funny. He explained what all he had to do up there. He talked about how strong the wind was blowing! I told him what about the calling me part. He grinned and had an expression that said, what call?

I said, not funny! He started to laugh, and I said again, NOT funny.

I then went into how I was waiting for the call. How I told a business partner that I had to wait for your call, so I couldn’t talk. I didn’t finish my laundry choir as I was waiting for the call. Then I told him, I wanted an apology. He apologized. Will he do it again next time?

Yes! He thinks it’s funny.

I ended with how there are so many people that we know even that have fallen off the roof or that know of others that are dead because of falling off the roof. Then it hit me!

My father died when I was ten years old on my birthday. He fell off a second-story building and landed on his head and neck. Then the tears came.

That is the real reason I get so upset about this every year! My dad was a lot younger than my husband and I think he may have been hungover as it happened on a Saturday and he was in the habit of drinking on Friday night after work and on Saturday and was in bed, reading the newspaper on Sunday!

Overall, good information to have! Just like because he died on my birthday I started to celebrate for the entire month, rather than on the date of my birth and his death. We will figure this out together, now that we know!

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First published on Medium.

trauma

About the Creator

Denise E Lindquist

Retired, working part-time as a Native American culture consultant. I have an MSE, and an ABD. I write on Vocal, and Facebook. Poetry, non-fiction mostly, and working on fiction. Wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother.

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    Written by Denise E Lindquist