(NOTE: This is an excerpt from an on-going manuscript of a group of retirees who meet each morning for coffee and conversations with their Moka-House friends. They are of various ages and careers ranging from 57-88. Their opinions don’t always agree. The book is tentatively titled “The Moka-House Gang.”

“You know the one word you never want to hear a repairman utter?” asked Henry Goldman, as he put his cup of mocha latte on the large round table where Charlie Swanson and Annie Loo were already enjoying their coffees and pastries.

“Bill?” laughed Annie.

“No, ‘whoops,'” was the morose reply. “Goodness Henry, what happened?” Annie asked in a concerned voice. “Plumbing problem,” Henry said succinctly.

For a moment, only the sounds of cups returning to its saucers and jaws enjoying the Moka-House pastries were heard. Violet Whitfield and Walter Young both made places for themselves and their coffees at the round table.

“Uh-oh, I heard the word ‘plumbing'” Walter said sympathetically.

“Plumber,” said Henry. “Young one,” he added solemnly.

“Young doesn’t necessarily mean ‘inexperienced’,’ Violet commented.

“It does when Senior figures Junior can handle the simple problem of replacing a filler valve.” “Uh-oh,” Walter murmured, knowing what would happen.

“I could have done it but my hip doesn’t allow me to squeeze into that tight space to turn off the outside water valve,” Henry explained.

“Did he forget that important step before he drained the tank first?” Annie asked with a grin. “Yep,” was the succinct reply.

“Oh my,” Violet commented.

“It was a good thing I insisted the kid put a bucket where it was needed, otherwise there would have been much more mopping to do. Being young and thinking he knew it all made his learning experience a very wet one!”

“Well hopefully Junior changed his attitude and chalked this up as an experience never to be repeated!” Violet huffed indignantly.

“You know,” Charlie said thoughtfully, “we all tagged this youngster as inexperienced as soon as Senior called him Junior. Well Junior definitely has his own interpretation of a white-haired senior who tried to tell him about the shut-off valve. After all, who’s the real plumber here?”

A moment of silence followed while everyone munched the last bites of their danishes, brownies and Charlie’s wise observations. Then Violet spoke.

“I sympathize for you , Henry. It must have been a very trying experience. I hope Junior ventures forth on his plumbing career with an enlightened attitude towards seniors.”

“And I hope he does change his attiude as he won’t make it far in his career. There’s an awful lot of seniors needing the services of a plumber in the immediate future. If a smart-aleck-know-it-all lands on my doorstep, I’m not sure I have the patience to deal with him,” Annie added.

“I can understand the ‘whoops’ part,” Walter added, “but what did your plumbing bill actually come to–especially with the mini-flood in your bathroom?”

“Senior decided the work was free gratis. Junior confessed he had ignored my suggestion about the turn-off valve. Senior actually rechecked his son’s work and it was all fine–just that one wet mistake!” Reflecting a moment, Henry added, “Junior definitely changed his attitude and apologized for his mistake. I think he’ll do just fine despite this mishap on his first solo as a plumber.”

“Well, I’m glad all’s well that ends well,” Charlie commented. “At my age, everyone is a youngster. By the time I use their services, they are all experienced. After all, we were all in their shoes once too.”

Gathering up his newspapers and popping his cap on his head, Charlie nodded his goodbye to everyone as he headed out the door, fortified with coffee and conversation to start his day.