It all began with a flaming corn dog. However, let me take you back...Last week, on Black Friday, I was up in Huntington visiting my buddy Chris. It was a cool day and we were deeply involved with a game of Halo 3 on his new X-BOX. And then, in the middle of a mission to liberate a small air base, my phone rang.
Another buddy of mine, Josh, was calling from just outside his apartment. It was somewhat that he called since it was barely 3 p.m. and he usually works (at a bank) until 6. (BTW: He's a collections agent for the bank. Talk about evil.) He was calling me to ask for a favor; I could tell by the sound of his voice.
He asked if he could crash with me for the weekend.
It was no big deal for me since whether the house is known as the "Lime Green Leisure House" or the "Khaki Shack" it's still "Tomcat's home for wayward guys". So I told him how to get into the house (since I was still in Huntington and wouldn't be able to get back in time to let him in myself) and figured that I would get the whole story later that night.
His story begins with a tale of a Corn Dog.
The older man who lived next to him in his apartment complex was a bit absent minded. He was attempting to cook some corn dogs in a skillet. However, he walked outside to talk to the complex's handyman. After a few moments, a lady who lives above the older man came outside to say that she smelled smoke in her apartment. Within a few minutes, they had deduced that the old man had left the corn dogs cooking in the skillet when he went out to talk.
The old man's apartment was gutted.
The apartment above his was severely damaged.
Josh's apartment had the adjoining wall get scorched and a lot of soot damage. Everything smelled of smoke and he had to get most of his stuff out because the fire department obliterated his front door and windows.
The weekend became the week because the apartment complex couldn't find him a new apt to move into until later. So we spent the week washing everything he owned and then this weekend I went back up with him to move him from one building to another. This gave me the opportunity to grab pictures of the damage to the apartment next to his.
So a week with a house-guest, about a dozen or so loads of laundry and a visit from the 'Amazon Moving Company'.
And all for a damn corn dog.
-Tom
1 comment:
Good luck to Josh with all of this.
Back when I was about 7 or 8, we had a house fire. Most of the damage was in the living room, but the smoke damage to everything was what was the REAL kicker.
Items that were smoke damaged weren't lost in the fire, so there wasn't much recovered there insurance-wise. BUT... The majority of my stuff, (clothing, toys, furniture, etc.) was permanently discolored, made somewhat more brittle, and emitted a somewhat errr...Odeur Flambe!
I still have personal items that are discolored and smell like smoke, and that was over 26 years ago!
All the best!
-Dan
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