Of roofers and handymen

NORTH BERWICK, Maine -- Life here in rural Maine has its own cadence. Kathy and I, neither of us native-born Mainers, have not quite figured it out after living here for more than five years. I'd say we're learning, but the evidence that we are is slender –– unless, that is, you count accepting things as they are as a form of education. Sometimes, we've come to realize, that's the only choice available.

A lot of it has to do with how things around here get done--or don't get done, as the case may be. Take our roof, for example. Nearly a year ago we contracted with a reputable local company to install a new roof on our house. Hours into the project, we discovered that the roofers were not installing the kind of roof we had requested. We called our contact at headquarters; he instructed us to let the crew finish the job, since they were already well into the project, and we'd deal with the mismatch later.

"Later" is almost a year now. We've withheld a $3,000 final payment until the job is done to our satisfaction. The contractor has stopped to look at the roof twice, with little comment, but has taken no action and does not appear to be in a hurry to do so. Strangely to us, he has not even mentioned the outstanding balance on our bill, which is the only real leverage we have in the situation. But what kind of leverage is it if no one seems interested in getting paid their money? Meanwhile, we live with a roof we don't like or want, and the contractor is nowhere in sight.

But, it gets stranger. Even before our roof fiasco began, we hired a handyman with good credentials to do various odd jobs, including installing a new dishwasher. He worked diligently for two days, finished the dishwasher and some other electrical work, and all appeared to be going according to plan. On the third day, he showed up as usual in the morning and, when he left at noon for lunch, we thought nothing of it, figuring he'd return in the afternoon to finish up.

It's been more than a year, and we haven't seen or heard from him since he left for lunch. We never paid him a dime and have received no bill for payment. In fact, we really have no idea what the bill might be, although it surely is in the hundreds of dollars. We've tried calling him on several occasions and left messages, but he has not returned our calls. We're very happy with our dishwasher and the work he completed. But now we live with the fear that some day in the distant future, he's going to return and present us with the mother of all handyman bills, including interest.

And then there's the bookshelf maker who took all the measurements for built-ins in our living room and said he'd start work the next day. That was two years ago. Or, shall we mention the road improvements in front of our house that were scheduled to begin a year ago? It now appears that they won't get done this year either. (Unlike our roofing and handyman bills, we have paid our taxes, I hasten to add.)

So, that's life in Maine. Things take time. Lots of time. No one appears anxious, and money doesn't seem to be the driving force, at least not in our small neck of the woods. It's different, just different. Sure, we have twilight zone moments when we imagine our roofer, handyman, bookshelf maker and the entire North Berwick road crew all sitting together at a bar in some alternate universe to where they've disappeared. It's a comforting scene, actually, a place where the stress of time and money seem somehow far removed from the humdrum and struggles of everyday life.

Then again, maybe that's just the way life is in Maine. Just don't ask Kathy or me. Hmmm, speaking of Kathy . . .