Downward Spiral - The Coconut Chronicles: Two Guys, One Caribbean Dream House - page 169

“We want a spiral staircase like the one at Jack's Coffee House ,” I blurted out.
“Hmm,” she responded hesitantly.
“Do you know Alfredo?” I plunged ahead.
“Junior or Senior?”
She really did seem to know everyone on the island.
“Not sure. Who does ironwork?”
“Both of them.”
“Who built the staircase at Jack's?”
“Probably Senior, but I'll find out.”
She found out. It was Alfredo Senior, but he couldn't build our staircase, at least not for
a while, because his wife was seriously ill.
“How awful,” I murmured sympathetically, adding in the same breath, “could Junior do
it instead?”
I wasn't sure I liked myself anymore.
“I'll find out.”
Alfredo Junior couldn't do it, but Senior decided he could. He needed to keep busy, he
explained to Jane through her sidekick and translator, Pablo. And anyway, he could use the
money to pay his wife's medical bills.
First we asked for an estimate, including installation. This took three weeks. When it
came, it seemed high. But then everything seems outlandishly high or low when you lack a
frame of reference.
So we went online and got a general idea of how much metal spiral staircases cost in
the U.S. Then we took a second look at Alfredo's estimate and decided it was more or less
reasonable (for Vieques anyway).
We gave Jane the green light.
A month later Jane called to say that Alfredo needed to come out to measure the space
again.
“But that means he hasn't done anything yet!” I wailed.
“Could be,” Jane responded in her matter-of-fact way. “Should I tell him not to come?”
She had me there.
“Of course not,” I said, “but tell him to hurry.”
She paused for effect.
“I'll get right on that.”
A week later she called to report that the staircase was ready. I dashed into the other
room to tell Michael.
“It's ready!” I gasped histrionically.
He looked at me as if I'd lost my mind.
“The staircase! They're installing it tomorrow!”
“Seriously?”