Stepping Outside Of The Lines

 It's Wednesday, March 5, and I need to write about how the ceiling in my condo is leaking and I was told there was nothing to be done about it. Too dangerous to get onto the roof above and remove the snow. I was told to “be patient.”  Standing there watching the drips plop into my roasting pan I found patience hard to come by.

I want to write that the roof above my condo was “redone” only last year. How well I remember the hammering and the clomping of feet. Redone? How exactly? The flashing that was supposed to drive ice off the edge—or something like that--apparently didn’t flash sufficiently because the pile up of snow and ice on this high roof is visible from the street.

I want to write that friends of mine moved the couch I could not budge, away from under the fissure that now runs across the entire ceiling of my TV/library room. I am so grateful!

I want you to know that after placing yet another roasting pan under the new drips at 2:00 this morning, I resolved to call the contractor who did my renovation when I moved in some years ago. As always, he called right back—God bless him—and told me that it was a difficult, not very well designed, high roof and that most roofers were busy fixing everyone’s else’s roofs, but that he would take a look and make a few calls.

Later in the day, a friend gave me her contractor/roofer’s name and I put a call into him. Not heard back yet. I’m carrying my cell everywhere with me just in case.

I informed the management of my condominium association of my moves to solve the problem.  That did not go down well. I have stepped outside of the lines. For insurance reasons, I was told, I am not allowed to independently hire anyone to work on the outside of the building. Never mind that the association had no person of their own to offer.

Where is the success in this story? The leaks continue but at least everyone is awake. Trained well by Bridgehampton contractor and good friend, the late Rock Hildreth, that the “squeaky wheel gets the oil,” I have been a rabble-rousing, giant pain in the ass. And a couple of hours ago I heard from the unfailingly nice super here, that maybe, just maybe, they have found someone who will dare to go up on this roof. It turns out that there are nine condos at the moment with leaky parts.

Meanwhile, I am instructed by management to “contain” the water as best as I can. Does that mean get better containers? More buckets? What?

Oh ho! The ding-dong of the doorbell just interrupted this writing and the condo super brought in and introduced me to a strapping, rugged-looking man, who tomorrow morning will take the snow off my roof. Saved!

May all the rest of you with leaking roofs resulting from this snow laden, ice frozen, non-stop winter, be "squeaky wheels" and equally fortunate.