Chris Rad

Leon finished up the boys room today. It looks really great. He did a few “extras” for me. He decided that the sconce that was in there was not up to par, so he went out and bought and installed a very nice one. He changed all the switch plates. He took the piece of wood off from in front of the closet to find that the carpet stopped short of the wood. So he took the piece of wood home, cut it in half, painted it and reinstalled it. He took care of the springs in the light fixture..you don’t have to bother. The two whites he chose for the room look great. So other than hearing that my boys have too much “junk” it was all good.

Other “extras”: I couldn’t decide what the hell to do with the dining room, paint or paper. I had decided on paint, but I could tell Mark wasn’t crazy about the idea (he was quite content with what was there). So Leon said to me this morning, I have some paper at home left over from a job, let me go get it, see if you like it. He brought me two different kinds. One I loved so much I decided to have him put it in my bedroom (not sure how I’m going to tell Mark that one). The other isn’t something I would have picked out, but it was such a beautiful paper I couldn’t pass it up. That will go above the chair rail, and a light cranberry paint will go on the bottom of the wall. He is GIVING me 5 double rolls for both of the rooms. He called the place he buys his wallpaper from so he could let me know just exactly the bargain I was getting. It would have cost $112 per double roll. I feel like Christmas came early.

Then, in typical Leon fashion, he cannot sit still. Imagine my surprise when I went upstairs, and there was Leon bleaching my bathroom ceiling! “You gut mold, I’m getting rid of it for you”. Okay. He also attempted to tighten my kitchen faucet, but apparently only a plumber has the proper wrench (or perhaps you?).

I thanked him profusely for the wallpaper. He said he wouldn’t give it “to nobody else. You’re a nice lady, I’ll give it to you”.

The nice lady knows a good deal when she sees it. The cost to paper the two rooms is what it would have cost me to have him do the faux painting in the dining room.

What one has to endure with Leon are conversations such as the following:

Leon: I did work for a couple of fags on Union Ave
Me: Leon, that’s offensive, don’t say that.
Leon: You know, men who act like women
Me: Leon, I knew what you meant. Fag is degrading, please don’t use that word.

5 minutes later:

Leon: My son Joe, what a sweet kid, everyone loves him, his teachers can’t get over how polite my son is.
Me: That’s a nice thing Leon.
Leon: I hope he’s not a fag.