So I’m lying in bed about 7 AM this morning, arguing with myself about whether I can avoid the treadmill for another day, when suddenly I hear water gushing in our bathroom.

I knew present wife Ellen had left (she doesn’t even question the sanity of getting up early to exercise!), and therefore I couldn’t imagine what was going on in the bathroom (recently redone).

Had Taku the cat turned on the water?

So hero that I am, after carefully considering my options (there was no one else to send in), I ventured, with great caution, into the bathroom and found water pouring out from under my sink.

And I couldn’t find a cut off valve as the fancy carpentry hid said valve.

All I got from the plumber (‘Uneeda Plumbing’) was his answering machine, and I only had an approximate idea of where the house shut off valve was.

Just as I was entering our basement apartment and fighting off the huge, attack dog that guards our tenants’ apartment, the plumber called back and walked me through the shut off process.

Can you imagine what would have happened if I had been exercising?

At least another 50 minutes of water pouring out from below the sink and through the house.

Incalculable damage.

As it is, our sun porch looks as if there’s been a hurricane inside the house.

And imagine if I was not retired and had left for work?

We would have had at least 10 hours of water damage and no doubt flooded out our tenants, to say nothing about what would have happened to their dog.

The kids’ inheritances would have been diverted to pay for the water damage, rebuilding, and the lawsuit.

Grand son Eli would have been left to his own parents’ largess.

So glad I didn’t exercise this morning.

And God forbid if I was still working.

                                                                Papa/Grand Papa the Hero