Dish

For most of my years in elementary school I went home for lunch, as the church school I attended was only a few blocks away. Some of the kids brought their lunch; others ran the three-quarters of a mile to get a “hot lunch” served across town at the public school.

Mom served my lunch in front of the TV. I will still eat in front of the TV once in a while but now its supper, not lunch. But last week there were problems. The satellite dish had been malfunctioning for several days.

All of the suggestions for trouble shooting were followed (except shooting it): unplug the receiver for 10 seconds (I went for 11), clear any obstructions away from the dish (there were none), check to see that the sky was clear (whatever, it’s November) and to make sure the TV was tuned to the right channel (of course it was). I finally grew frustrated enough to call.

After about 20 minutes on the phone they promised to have a technician come over the following day.

“Would you prefer to have the appointment between the hours of 8 a.m. and noon, or noon and 4 p.m.?”

“Can you be more specific?” I asked.

“You can choose to have a morning or an afternoon appointment.”

“So, it’s one or the other huh?” I said.

“Or you can choose another day.”

“Will that narrow the time field?”

“No.”

“Morning.”

The next morning I called my office to say I would be in sometime between 8 and noon. Thus, I began to wait for the arrival of the repairman. I tried to position myself so I would have a clear view of the road in both directions. When I discovered that this was not possible, I stood by the window and kept my eye on the driveway.

I grabbed a book to pass the time but found it hard to concentrate. So I busied myself by walking around the house and looking out the windows. I was going to sit and watch some TV while I waited until it dawned on me – that’s why he’s coming. So I and Grandfather clock ticked away the morning wasting time waiting for a guy to get my preferred time-wasting activity back on schedule.

He finally showed up about 11 o’clock that morning and did some stuff for about an hour. He left confident that he had fixed the problem. That night the TV went blank, and I was back on the phone – flustered. They apologized and offered to waste another one of my mornings. After a few minutes we came to an understanding, and I was assured that my house would be the first stop the next morning.

Time flies, it is fleeting, it’s money, on our side, of the essence, only a matter of, and there is none like the present. I was ready to be firm with the second repairman and let him know a thing or two, but according to Emerson “Life is not so short but that there is always time enough for courtesy.” So I was courteous and, as far as I can tell, he fixed the trouble.

On his way out the door we talked a little business, and I gave him my card. I told him he could call the office to make an appointment. When he does, I will give him a choice: sometime between 8 and noon or noon and 4. “Revenge is a dish best served cold.” I saw Khan say that to Captain Kirk on TV.