Well after Gran jerked and sucked me off, I went back to the house to grab something to eat. Was it the munchies?
"Randy," Says Mom. "I forgot to ask you to go to Gran's, apparently she got a bit of a nasty shock putting in a light bulb for the light by the garage and wanted to know if you might know why and how to fix it."
I'm wondering why she didn't say anything but I don't want Mom to know I was there today. "When did that happen, Mom?"
"Wednesday or Thursday."
"And I'm just hearin' bout it now?"
"Don't make a thing of it," says Mom in a slightly mad sort of way.
"You're the one who said it was a nasty shock, Mom."
"Oh, she makes a big deal out of everything."
Well, that didn't sound nice at all I am thinking to myself. I felt like saying it was her who got the shock, not you. but something told me to keep my yapper shut. Apparently, there is a cold blast from Mom heading East as Gran lives a few miles East of us.
I am not an electrician, but since I do fix generators of all types, well the ones you get at 'Northern Tool & Equipment,' and other such places, I have a pretty good idea of how homes are wired so I could safely hook up a generator in case of a power failure.
Not liking Mom's attitude I say fuck the san'wich I'll hit up a burger thing. I have my electrical stuff in an olive drab tool bag I got at a war surplus joint and ride that old Harley Sportster 1200 over to Gran's.
It is about three in the afternoon when I show up at Gran's place.
"Randy?"
"Yeah?"
"Why are you here?"
She isn't mad or I hope not but it is like my being here is not the best idea going.
"I heard you got a nasty shock the other day."
"And you're just coming over now?"
"Gran, I just heard about it!"
"Your mother just told you about this?"
"Yes Gran I was going up to make a san'wich, Mom told me, I forgot to tell you Gran got a nasty shock."
"I have no idea what bug crawled up her asshole," said Gran.
It was weird how Gran lovingly got me off as of late and refers to her daughter in a roundabout way as an asshole.
Come on in Randy, I am sorry I am cross, I was cross with you too."
"When?"
"After you left, after what I did for you, lovingly and you didn't say anything about fixing that lamp for me."
"Gran, I am sad you feel that way. Like I said I just heard about it half an hour ago. I have my arms
around her."
Gran stares into my eyes, looking for the truth maybe?
"Really Randy, you're telling me you just found out?"
"Yes Gran, I asked Mom 'When did this happen?' She told me, Wednesday or Thursday."
"She can be a fucking Ditz at times, it was Wednesday I told her, and asked if you could check it out."
"I would've checked it out Wednesday if I heard about it."
Gran got softer and warmer towards me.
"I turned the light switch off before trying to put the bulb in but just touching the frame, it was not nice at all.
"Too bad the code does not include outside lamps, it covers outside plug sockets.
So I dive into her box, the one with two switches next to the front door and I see what was done, something quite dangerous, using a piece of Romex for two different circuits and using the ground as the neutral, any current drawn will show up on exposed metal of say a dishwasher, toaster oven, anything electric with metal on it as a jacket and touching that and standing on the ground – so not good. It took a few hours and a step ladder but it is all fixed and tested.
Gran walks toward me, her gold half-square style glasses twinkling at me. Love is in her eyes.
"I'm sorry I was crabby with you Randy, the ditz told me she'd tell you as soon as possible. I guess I figured you'd be here sooner and somehow I got all worked up over it. So she told you today, three days later. I kind of knew something was up with her. She wanted to borrow a grand but never paid back the three hundred she borrowed."
"That's not the best way to get one's credit rating up, better off to borrow at times and pay it right back after you borrowed it.
"You have more sense than she does. Sit down Randy, next to me."
Gran sounds quite sad all of a sudden, I know I love her very much. I don't know a lot about her, but I know that if I can make her feel better I will. I take Gran's hand in mine. "I love you, Gran."