Mr. Fix-it (1038 hits)
Category: GeneralRating: 1.93 on 17 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by Precision (View user info) at 2004-11-08 23:57:58 EST
When I was young, my father could fix anything. Well, to a child, anything is a relative term. My dad was the neighborhood Mr Fix-it. People have even come to call him that over the years. If anybody had something that needed fixing, my dad was the one they called. He would fix stopped up drains, broken door locks, cabinets, air up a bike tire....you name it.
Dad has tools for everything from a flat tire on a bike to a faucet. Like I said, if Dad couldn't fix it, then it was time to replace it. (and of course, he would install it)
I can remember never having to look very hard around the kitchen for some kind of treat. The people that my dad would fix things for would always "pay" him with pies, cakes, cookies, homemade bread and the like. He would never accept money for his services, and many times would buy whatever parts or supplies needed out of his own pocket.
I can't remember a time when he ever told anybody that he wouldn't fix something. He would even go over to the old lady across the streets house and clean her gutters, and fix her fence - and she was a nasty old bitch, not just to us kids either, she was nasty to everybody. But dear ole dad would be over there from time to time fixing something.
He continues to fix these things, only much more limited now. He is retired, has back trouble, heart problems, bad knees, etc... But he refuses to stop helping people with their little problems. He still refuses to accept money for his work, and he still gets paid in baked goods.
Three years ago I moved into a house down the street from my parents. I bought this house because my mother was dieing of cancer, and I wanted to be close so I could help out. This neighborhood is not the same place as when I grew up. The old lady across the street died years ago, and now the nasty old lady lives next door to me...only she wasn't nasty when I was a kid, but she is now. But I digress.
This story comes to mind as I - now an adult with a wife and two kids - have just come in the house after fixing the chain on one of the neighbor kids bike. I have noticed that I too have been called upon to fix things as of late. Neighbors and even friends of neighbors will call or come by. Usually the first question I'll get is "aren't you Mr Fix-it's son?" when I laugh, and reply "Yes". They will ask me to fix something for them. I assume that people think that these mechanical traits are inherited. Maybe they are, I don't claim to be able to fix everything, but I do have the Knack I guess you'd say.
I can only dream of someday living up to the legacy that is Mr. Fix-it.
User Reviews
Submitted by EchoBoxing (user info) at 2006-02-17 16:24:54 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
i'm glad you won the contest, i probably wouldn't have read your posts otherwise, but this is good.
Submitted by MistressFist (user info) at 2005-12-15 14:58:01 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
My Dad can't seal a ziploc bag without an instruction manual.
Submitted by Shlongy (user info) at 2005-12-15 14:56:13 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Good title...good post.
Who the fuck are you again?
Submitted by Brdn_Nkd (user info) at 2005-12-15 14:48:00 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Kinda like my dad.
Submitted by joedaddy (user info) at 2005-09-16 03:33:14 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Why did you stop fixing the other things?
Submitted by DonovanMD (user info) at 2005-02-20 01:43:40 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I like it. Its a lot like my grandfather in my mind.
Submitted by Wazza (user info) at 2005-02-06 15:53:43 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Nice story, reminds me of my Dad.
Submitted by thricepalermo (user info) at 2004-11-30 21:40:07 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Very nice. Reminds me of my father.
Submitted by AwesomeJohnson (user info) at 2004-11-09 10:42:42 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I hope to be a Mr. Fix It someday. That, or the guy who's house you always go to to watch the big game because he has a 120 inch tv, a 15.1 surround system with 15 kinds of beer on tap and a make-your-own-supreme-nachos bar.
Submitted by wookie (user info) at 2004-11-09 10:33:51 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by IamNotTheWorldTradeCenter (user info) at 2004-11-09 10:29:14 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
That reminds me of my dad, Mr. Fux-it. All the neighborhood would bring their items: tires, old army boots, a '57 Chevy, a birdhouse, the nasty old lady, and he would . . . oh wait, nevermind. My dad's in jail as a sex offender. Sorry.
Good story, though, all transcendental and shit.
Submitted by BLITZKREIG_BOB (user info) at 2004-11-09 08:18:14 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I can relate. A lot.
Submitted by Ainkara (user info) at 2004-11-09 08:03:52 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
This was really sweet
Submitted by steph (user info) at 2004-11-09 03:41:47 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by Shroom (user info) at 2004-11-09 02:57:07 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I very fitting and loving tribute to your father, I'm sure. He seems a lot like my Grandpa who passed away in 2000. He was always helping people out and was very much a Mr. Fix-It himself. Our family wasn't ready for him to die, and we still feel the repercussions of that blasted heart attack that took him from us.
They say you never know what you have untill it's gone, though you are obviously the exception to that rule. So cheers to you for knowing what you have in your father, and for not taking it for granted. Cheers, I say. :)
Submitted by kai070169 (user info) at 2004-11-09 00:52:28 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
SON OF FIX-IT HAS ARRIVED........
Submitted by Tom (user info) at 2004-11-09 00:15:17 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
This was a pretty nice little short story. It's something I might read in a student essay (not putting you on the same level as kids, mind). If I may offer one harmless correction though, it's "dying", not "dieing".
Unless I am misinformed, then I'd happily correct myself.