A Very Unhandy Man

The last place I lived I had to evacuate be-

cause of fire and smoke. Escaped with my

wallet, my computer and the pups at 2 AM.

Lucky to make it out alive. Left most person-

al belongings behind. What the blaze didn’t

claim, torrents of water from the firefighter

hoses did. Again, in the ruckus and confusion,

lucky my pups and I were able to escape

with our lives. Funny thing is, that until the

time came for a particular thing, I hadn’t

noticed it missing until the need arose, days,

months, even years after the loss. Damn it!.

To loosen a stubborn screw or to tighten one

which required fixing, I realized my box of tools

was lost that fateful day of my sudden eviction.

A simple Phillips screwdriver or any other tool

I may someday need was no longer available

to me. Nowadays, I don’t fix or repair things

anymore. Either buy it new or leave it be.

That’s simply how life is lived as the unhandy

man I’ve come to be. Should the need for a

standard screwdriver be confronting me, I

can more easily try to apply a butterknife.

I have a need for one of those to butter my

bread at mealtime most every day.

-30-

Chris Hanch 1-2-2020