Texas
Not knowing what I would do in Texas but thankful of my family, although I said work on starve, my family was a safety net I never saw them in that way and therefore I never asked for anything, but then I never had to, they were just there for me when I fell, without them I don’t know what I would have done or where I would be? I only know that I will not quit. I love my family and I am very thankful for all they have done.
I was picked up from the airport and taken to Will and Kate’s I was a little embarrassed no-one thought I should have allowed Daisy to stay in the house, but it is what it is. Now I had to get back to work, I only had one hand? I had free bed and board, but I was still messed up in my head.
I now needed a car in order to look for work, my nephew offered to buy me a car and my sister took me to see a Citation which I brought but sadly on a run the transmission gears sheared off, it had a small transmission fluid leak and so I had to have a rebuilt transmission again paid for by my nephew. Arizona had wiped me out; I was back to square one, my family had invested in me and I fully intended to not only make them proud but also to repay them for all they had done.
There was a get together and friends of Will and Kate’s came this is where I met Gary and Louise he worked installing commercial ductwork and there was a job going he was willing to put a word in he for me he was a long term employee and therefor well known, he arranged for an interview and I attended with no bandages, I was trying to hide my hand, I was delighted when I passed the interview and I got the job, then we went to shake hands, it is then that the boss noticed I was one handed, he called Gary and said to him he’s only got one hand, and Gary said that’s all he needs, I was amazed I still got the job.
The guys at work were great and they helped to carry me through, they never had to do this, I never knew them, this was community spirit at its best,
Commercial ducting is often overhead and large this meant we worked in teams of two or more, I was teamed up with Gary, we installed all types and sizes of ductwork in many different scenarios, I would be up on trestles balancing ductwork on my shoulder and screwing it together with my left hand, the guys would climb up the trestles to support me all the way as did Gary, I had a group of guardian angels.
Daisy had got her car running and was back in Seattle with her kids and it was time for me to drive back and get my tools from my sister, I set off in my Citation through the El-Paso border not a problem I got to Phoenix went to see my sister and Ross and picked up my tools he gave me the key to the house which was now vacant, I was going to spend the night there because I had things to collect, I arranged to leave the keys for Ross on my way out in the morning before I headed back to Dallas.
When I arrived at the house I was shell shocked all my Apache Tears, Dream Catchers, Geodes, and I had some lovey geodes everything was gone, even the ladders I had in the van in the yard, I couldn’t understand why she had done that but she had put an end to any export dreams I may have had, and so I did what I did best, I went the bars, the next day I went to visit a restaurant that owed me some money for work I had done prior to me leaving for Texas, and they paid me no problem, I had a few drinks at a bar and then I set off back to my new life in Dallas Texas.
I arrived back at my sisters in Garland a suburb of Dallas, I had my tools which I had been adding to over the years and had built a comprehensive collection they were my livelihood. I had a good job however it was still not where I wanted to be, I forgot about any plains regarding Import Export, that was not going to happen, I did still had a drive for my goal, but I did have a drink problem that I never recognised at the time, I thought I could man-up and just got on without any affects not realising they can be lurking in the shadows buried within, I was so caught up with my situation and totally naive of any mental effects.
There was a job going for assistant maintenance at a luxury apartment complex and I applied and got the job, you have to have your own tools when you apply for employment, and so my tools were everything to me, however I was now a maintenance man, this was no disrespect to Gary and the guys who supported me but this is me, and the management of Jaguar cars know, I will push and not except mundane or repetitive work, challenge me.
This was a whole new ball game and certainly a challenge, not only did we do the basic stuff, I had the swimming pool to maintain which I had to get my certification for, so I could read the levels and know how to treat it.
There was the exterior lighting, electronic security gates, sprinkler system, microwaves, washer dryers, dishwashers, garbage disposals, heating and air conditioning, fridge freezers, ice makers, plus the boiler house.
Andy was the lead man and we hit it off great, I got on well with Liz the manager, and the owner of the company Doug and Marie, we had some nice chats.
As assistant my prime work was the make readies, turning vacant apartments around for new residents, so painting, touch-up, tiling and wallpapering, making sure all appliances worked and if not fix them, and also helping Andy with whatever was needed, I was learning air conditioning and heating, the office would give work orders and then me and Andy would sit and sort out who would do which job and which ones needed both of us.
We were more of a team we drank together and started doing side work; there was the possibility of a sub-contracting contract with a company, we were getting our own thing going on the side, he had a pickup truck, I was moving up again but with someone else, our first job was to reshingle and re-front a garage, I worked every hour God sent but I still played just as hard, just more responsible, I was on 24hr call out at times and was armed with a pager.
Our workshop was upstairs which is ok until you have to get washers and dryers up there, which is what we had to do for major repairs, the idiot went and broke his leg, and so now I had to keep the property going, they did have a sister complex elsewhere who I could call on their maintenance man for help but it was smaller and a lower spec than ours, and so he had no idea and I often helped him out, my property was high class.
Andy wasn’t coming back although I would see him every day because he lived on site and was living with Liz the manager, however Doug and Marie decided to get a new lead man, they didn’t think I was ready, I was also a brit which meant I was not conversant with American ways, the new lead Dave was a total waste of time, he just could not do the job, It had become law that to work on any appliance containing refrigerant a person had to be certified, my employer put me on the course and paid for it, I got my certification in June 1995 I was now an official air-conditioning technician and allowed to buy Freon, and so Doug and Marie offered me the job of lead maintenance, and I got a good assistant to do the make readies. My work on the side also continued.
I was still staying at my sisters, I could have got an apartment where I worked but it was well above my paygrade, my nephew was going to be married and guests would be arriving and some would be staying at Will and Kate’s and so I went to stay with my nephew for a short time, he had a very nice apartment, nothing out of place with him it was spectacular, he was a neat freak which there is nothing wrong with, I told him I was going to do my laundry and drove to a laundrette which had a bar next door, I put my laundry in the machine went into the bar and started talking to a lady and we hit it off, somehow we started talking about food and I told her I could do a mean omelette, and it ended up that I had to go with her and prove it, so when my clothes were finished I followed her to her apartment where I did make a good omelette, I never made it back to my nephews till the next day, he told his mum and dad you can’t keep track of Peter he goes to do his laundry and doesn’t come back, it became a standing joke about the laundry lady.
I continued to visit her from time to time but there was no actual relationship it was purely a physical arrangement.
Will and Kate lived in Garland which is a dry area which is a good reason to have your own bar, a dry area means there are no pubs in that area, it was known as the Bible belt between the Baptists who were in control, therefor if you wanted to go out for a drink you would have to go to Mesquite.
On my way home from work dressed in my leather jacket I decided to go for a drink in Mesquite, while having a drink this girl comes in, she had no cash and the bar did not except cards, she asked if I could buy her a drink, I obviously thought it was a scam but I didn’t mind buying her a drink she looked like a totally decent hot chick.
I liked to shoot pool and so I gave her a game, she could shoot pool and easily beat me and was beating all the challengers also, she became the one to beat, the guys did not like being beaten by a woman and she was burying them all, I just walked away and left her to it and went to sit by the dance floor, after a short while she came over to my table, we got on well, her name was Andria, she told she lived in Duncanville she was over visiting her mum and so was staying there for the night, to which I told her I was staying at my sisters.
We danced and I brought her a few more bears which I didn’t mind because I was enjoying the evening she was good company and enjoyed having a dance, and so it was worth it to me, I expected nothing in return I also enjoyed being the envy of other guys who had got there arses kicked by her at pool was only a bonus.
While on the dance floor we discussed what we would do next, she nearly blew my socks off when she said “you supply the beer and I will pay for the Motel room” I said ok that sounds like a deal and so we left, it is now 2am, we went into the parking lot and she said we can take my car, I was impressed it was a Bronco or Blazer the type of vehicle I would have loved at the time, it left my poor Citation in the dust, it was even better when she gave me the keys and said you drive, she was a genuine person.
I had to go by my sisters first because I had a pack of beer in the fridge in the garage when I arrived at my sisters and entered the house the alarm starts beeping, shit I can’t remember the code, I am desperately trying different codes but I had totally forgot and then the alarm goes off, oh boy out comes Will in his boxer shorts, he was not a happy camper, I said I’m so sorry I forgot the code, the alarm company called and he gave them his answer to their security questions and explained it was a false alarm he then went back to bed, I was in the dog house again, I got the beer and hightailed it back to the car, reassured Andria that I was not a burglar, the police did stop us on route to the motel and the officer asked a few questions, he looked over at Andria who owned the car, I got the impression they knew each other but maybe not, everything was fine and we continued on our way, we got to the motel and good to her word she paid for the room with her card and we had a very enjoyable night.
I was now lead maintenance and Doug and Marie took on another property just around the corner within walking distance, this was a whole new kettle of fish, it was run down with no security gates, some of apartments were being used as crack houses by gangs therefore we could not attend calls after dark without first being met by armed security, it all had to be rehabbed and contractors were do all the construction work, new maintenance staff were needed however I became lead over it and so now I had two properties to oversee, and was tied even more to my pager on 24hr call for two properties.
I had a brought a selection of repair manuals because of the amount of appliances I was responsible for repairing, the microwaves were built in with cookers and so I could not just take one and exchange it for another, I would sometimes have to go into a vacant apartment and strip the microwave for parts, and so much was trial and error, I also had the cookers themselves plus washers and dryers which when major repairs were needed had to be done in the workshop which meant taking them upstairs, then fridge freezers with ice makers, dishwashers, garbage disposals, sprinkler system, security lights and gates, heating and air conditioning, not to mention regular maintenance such as plumbing, electrical etc. most of which I had never encountered in the UK so I had a heavy work schedule already.
I did like the floor plans in these apartments despite the gang and vandalism, the fact that we were not allowed to go on a call after dark without calling the armed security, didn’t put me off although I had made the call a few times and would be met there, on one occasion the taps/faucets were left on in and upstairs vacant apartment which flooded the people living below, this floor plan had a sunken area in the living room which was now full of water containing there sofa, it was a tough property, everything was a challenge.
I liked the ones with a loft bedroom that overlooks living room, and so I asked for an apartment there, my request was of concern to Doug and Marie who feared for my safety, I needed my own space and so reluctantly they agreed and I moved on-site, it was so good to have my own place again.
I was still seeing Andria she invited me out to her home and I met her son, a great lad she had a lovely house, She had told me she had her own house in Duncanville and had a son but I paid no notice at the time, she was on the level, she was not only younger than me but she could buy and sell me many times over, I was pleased that I had taken a chance on her.
She stayed over at my apartment a few times, I took her to meet Will and Kate who had invited us to a barbecue, they both seemed surprised that she was so lovely looking and a little younger, I think she worked for the courts so maybe she may have known the police officer, I never asked and she never said, we got on well but it was not meant to be and after some months we split.
My apartment was robbed by gang members, I suppose it was to be expected, I never went to the police but had to tell Doug and Marie that I had lost my pager and I did a lock change, then I went to a gang member, and then there leader came to see me with some other members I invited them into my living room where we had a talk, I had no more problems after that because I gained there respect in going to them and not to the police.
I would walk up to the Filling Station on Upper Greenville I got on well with the manager a really nice lady we would often talk and have a laugh, I had been pondering the idea of installing mist systems in Dallas and so I told her my idea about the mist systems and asked if she would be interested in having one installed on there patio, she told me I would have to see the owner and would arrange a meeting with him, true to her word she did, and he seemed impressed with me and my idea, I did some work for him at his home, where I had pitched a deal to him concerning mist systems.
There was nothing like that in Dallas but it was also more humid in Arizona and so the system may not work as it should, it could all blow back in my face so I needed a test site and I wanted the use of his restaurant, or at least the patio, I got on well with the manager and she vouched for me and he liked the work I did for him at his home but was still undecided and so we discussed over lunch and he agreed.
Now I had the location all I needed were the systems I went to Home Depot in Mesquite but they didn’t know what I was talking about, mist systems were unheard of in Texas at that time, I had to explain to them what they were and that there Arizona stores carried them so could they order them for me, I know I should have probably contacted the company themselves but no-one thought they would work in Dallas because it was more humid, the big risk was would the water simply soak the customers? I had no credit rating and was unknown; Home Depot ordered some systems for me.
The other minor problem was there was nowhere to attach it to I needed to make a frame, the patio was open with just a low small iron fence, I invited my neighbour around for a beer who was an electrician and come up with the idea of making a frame out of electrical conduit and he agreed to help me, this was only a test and so everything I did had to be removable, I had been given free reign by the owner so I started drawing up the plans for the project, the spacing of the frame and the water connection all had to be right, I couldn’t have an eyesore and it had to be safe.
Home Depot got me a couple of systems from Arizona, me and my neighbour built a frame with the electrical conduit attached to the small iron fence, I assembled the system connected to an isolation valve and we had blast off.
Blow my socks off it worked customers liked it the patio was cooler, I noticed some dripping from the parasols which could be sorted, the big boys were on the scene in a heartbeat mist systems were the new thing, Home Depot was now carrying them and I made the Dallas Morning News August 18 1994, it said Dallas spraying cool, it did mention about the humid conditions however they were working. I had no chance of competing with the big boys and so I moved on, I was still the one who paved the way.
My brother in law Will and my nephew played darts for the London Tavern I use to go and watch them play and there came a temporary vacancy due to a team member being ill, I can throw darts but not as good as the guys, unless I have a good day which was not that often, but it was better than forfeiting a game, and so I stood in and became a member of the team which meant travelling to many different pubs, we made the play offs and so I have two wall plaques from 1994, one is the league winners and the other one is runner up.
There was a temp manager at the main apartments where I worked and she told me she had a friend that I should meet, her name was Shree she was from Belgium and she sounded nice and so I agreed to meet her, she arranged things and I was off on a blind date.
I was to pick her up from her apartment and so I arrive knock on the door, she answered and welcomed me, then she invited me in, her daughter was there Sophie was her name and she was well pregnant, her husband was in the military and she was to be our chaperone. This was fine with me and sensible on her part, she was five years my senior but age makes no difference, she was beautiful on the inside and the outside, looks are not what is important in life, it is who we are on the inside and that is what got me, yes she was easy on the eye but it was her inside that got me, looks had nothing to do with it although she was a stunning woman.
Her sense of humour in her Belgium accent, although we were from different sides of the world we had so much in common, this was my type of girl and I wanted to know her better and she wanted to see me again too, we met a few times with her chaperone who was also great and fun to be with, there was nothing uncomfortable about our dates albeit a threesome. Then on this occasion I was taking her to eat at the filling station so she could see the mist system I had told her about, there was no chaperone and it was very nice, she said that she had told Sophie to stay at home tonight, we were getting close, very close.
Shree had stayed over at my apartment but the luxury apartment complex needed a new cleaner and so I got Shree the cleaning contract I would help her clean in the evenings, we would get a subway and eat it in the apartment, I was also on hand for any call outs.
My career was also taking a turn the property I was living and working at was looking good the crack houses had been closed, security gates had gone up, the name of the complex was changed and it was now a nice place to live, I was approached by another company with a 700 apartment complex with a clubhouse and also covered some commercial properties, they needed an a/c tech, this was a good opportunity and so I excepted the job.
This meant I would have to leave my current apartment due to it being linked to my job and so I got a very nice apartment right by a creek, my patio faced the trees just like living in the country, very peaceful, I had sold my Citation and got an old van which was much more practical, the complex I had moved to was so big I had to drive from job to job unless they were obviously in the same location, the complex was divided by a road, the commercial properties were just outside the main gate, also had Fitness Centre, Recreation Room, Five Swimming Pools, 3 Laundry Facilities and a Community Clubroom.
A very nice complex but it was totally run down and in disrepair, it was a very hot summer and the a/c’s were going down like hotcakes, at least the units were on ground level unlike the last place I worked which were rooftop units, it was a long hot summer but we made it through and I was awarded a certificate in 1996 for outstanding achievement, and I was also promoted to Maintenance Supervisor.
Who could have believed a guy from Coventry whose fist experience of air-conditioning was a swamp cooler in Arizona could achieve all this within four years?
Shree was having problems with her teenage son Louis he was insulting and aggressive towards his mother, she also had a great dog called Vic, she wanted out and so I offered them (her and Vic) to came to live with me in my apartment by the creek, she let Louis live in her apartment.
Shree worked as a nanny for some very nice people who were pleased she had met someone, she was more like a member of their family, I went out and met them and their children things were looking good, I asked Shree to marry me and she agreed.
I was also trying to build a rapport with her son Louis I did take him and his friend with me to a darts match and introduced him to the lads, and I had a job to do which involved taking out windows and installing French doors and I employed him and his friend to help, I wanted to include him, he had been giving his mum a real hard time even before we met, his mum had gone through a divorce maybe this was having an effect on him?
He had to leave his apartment because the company wanted him out and so we decided that he would move in with us, there would be ground rules, and number one was his mum was not shit, he had a big attitude problem so we had a few run-ins and we got through them.
I needed a two bedroom apartment and Shree liked the luxury ones dogs were allowed and so Vic was able to come with us, so we took an apartment there as regular tenants Doug and Marie had agreed, I would walk Vic around the complex but the demon drink was lurking in the background, I would keep beer in the van and get a can or two while walking Vic, I was now my own worst enemy drink had taken a hold, Louis had left the other apartment in a mess the bedroom was painted totally black, Shree was in distress the apartment company were not happy and so I agreed to sort it out but Louis had to do his bit and help me with it.
We arranged a date for the wedding, my mum and brother Merlin came over from the UK and Shree’s dad came over from Belgium and was staying with us while my mum and brother stayed with my sister Kate, I was taking Merlin back to Kates and he asked me about the pole dancing bars, he was curious about American bars and so I said we were passing one on the way and I would take him but keep it to himself, I know there are many views on these bars and they do nothing for me, I was taken into one when I arrived in Dallas by a person I won’t mention who told me this was where he took his clients, it was called a gentlemen’s club, very posh and expensive filled with corporate/business people, and so it was a done thing.
This meant I was late getting back to Shree and her dad, when I arrived she was very annoyed, Will had phoned her and told her I had taken Merlin to the bar, he had gone straight in and told Will and Kate where we had been and Will was quick to tell Shree, so what impression her dad had of me, it was not even my thing, I had no interest in them bars but now everyone thought I did, all thanks to Merlin.
Shree myself and some others went out for an evening things seemed to be going ok when suddenly Shree came over and threw a drink over me, something has obviously been said, no-one would ever tell me anything and so on the way home she was driving and I removed my seat belt and threw myself out of the car, I know my head hit of the road and a lady said the car behind had driven over my chest, I spent the night in hospital and returned home the next day, what on earth way going wrong? We were so good together, the wedding was still on.
Shree’s dad owned a construction supply company in Belgium and had sons who wanted to buy Shree out because she had no interest in it, her dad wanted me to sign a prenuptial agreement in order to protect his company, which I understood and had no qualms about signing it, I knew that Shree and her ex had a bakery and that she had her own money which was none of my business and which I had no interest in and so I had no problem in signing any agreement, God knows what he must have thought of me, anyway I was not the makings of a good son in law.
I did buy a better van, this was bigger with more seating, I removed the back seat giving plenty of room for tools plus it had another rear seat with sliding doors so I could still carry five people.
The day of the wedding arrived Shree’s friend had got us the use of a clubroom with a lovely surroundings the wedding was to be outside, I was going over in the morning to decorate the room, it had been arranged for others who had volunteered to help me but when I arrived no-one showed up. I was disappointed but not surprised, I had noticed change in my environment for no apparent reason, I had not upset anyone that I knew of, this was my wedding day and I was on my own, the room looked like a daunting task, I was supposed to get my hair cut which was not going to happen now and so I brought a pack of beer and started doing it by myself, I filled balloons with helium and tied them to the chairs, I had no time to eat or do what I had intended to do beer was having its effect.
I had to go and get ready, my nephew was my best man and I went there to get ready, and then get back for the ceremony we are waiting for the bride and we had a swig from my nephews flask like we did at his wedding only I had already been drinking on an empty stomach, and so that swig was the finale punch, I was now wobbly.
The minister was saying his thing and I was swaying when it came time to place the ring on her finger my nephew had to help me, he had been propping me up during the whole ceremony.
Then we headed back in for the reception I was drinking soft drinks and eat some food to try and sober up my wife was wonderful she looked great, her dress was in to parts and so when it came to dance time the bottom came off to reveal a shorter skirt, she made a lovely bride, she just needed a better groom.
The reception went well my mother said she enjoyed the ceremony outside apart from the bloody ants eating her feet, I remember thinking what ants? There were no ants, even when I’m drunk I notice things I tend to pick up on comments or things out of place although I don’t comment, I was self-destructive without any physical reason, I had made it through the bad times and now things were good something was wrong, I had the perfect woman for me I loved her to bits and I did everything I could to please her, but still messed up on her special day.
I was asked by the lead man at the complex where I was living if I could help out with an apartment someone was moving in and needed some help, she was a young student her mum was with her and wanted a rail putting up for window coverings I agreed, and while I was up on the steps she and her mum were sitting on the bed quietly discussing my butt, and saying how nice it was, I simply pretended not to have heard anything, I just paid no notice and then the next day I was asked to fix her dishwasher, she was on her own this time as it was her apartment after all, I am on my knees with the panel off the dishwasher and she walked into the kitchen in denim shorts, she walked right up to me and said “are you happy with your wife” I turned and my head which was level with her crutch, I looked up to her face, she had this wonderful smile, I replied “yes I am” and she turned and slowly left the kitchen, the offer was clear but I had no intention of cheating on my wife, I was not interested in playing the field, enjoyed the company of women and I certainly would flirt and maybe I gave that impression.
I asked Jenifer the manager at the 700 unit complex where I was working if I could have a two bedroom there it would save the commuting she agreed and so I was moving again, Shree did like these apartments and Vic could come too and we settled in well, I use to have a drink with Jenifer and so I introduced my wife and we would all go for drinks, we were all friends but having to carry a pager there were times I would be paged while out and where possible I would call the resident and see if it could be done in the morning, however there were times when I would have to leave.
My wife and I would go to the British Rose pub it was a great bar with steel darts, pool table and karaoke at weekends and was located by O’Riley’s bar which had live bands at weekends.
I no longer played darts for the Albion from the London Tavern and Shree was up for anything, she liked her red wine, loved to dance and would have a go at shooting pool which I tried to teach her, and she liked throwing darts she could hit the board sometimes, and the British Rose never had a dart team and agreed to host a team, now we had to find dart players.
We got a great team of misfits together which included another couple, we were a crazy bunch we had to come up with a name, I always liked Dolphins and they liked the name and so we became the Dolphins, I love Dolphins but in hindsight the “crazy bunch” would have been better suited.
We joined the league and the other teams enjoyed playing us because we were fun and they knew they were onto a winner, there were only two of us who really knew the game, the ladies just threw the darts and hoped for the best, they were brilliant though and gave their best we had fun, we never expected to get anywhere.
Karaoke night my wife and I together with the other couple decide to give it a go, we ended up singing two songs I can’t remember the first song but the second one was Proud Mary, us guys sang lead while the ladies sang the backup, the people seemed to like it and so all was well.
I went with my wife to her fr