The mansion was old and so was it's boiler system. The old behemoth from the nineteen twenties was not only ugly but inefficient. A new high tech model was to be installed. It was one twentieth the size of the original and I was awestruck at how a tiny furnace could heat a huge home.

The house was full of priceless antiques and valuable paintings and the heating system was needed to preserve them. The transition went perfectly and by six o'clock the new boiler was in place. There was a problem however, and the system was loosing pressure. There was a leak in one of the lines somewhere on the estate. The plumber and I looked everywhere for water. Nothing was obvious. We looked in every nook and cranny of that old house looking for some sign some hint of where a broken pipe could be. It was extremely difficult because we could not turn the water on and let it run because huge amounts of damage could be done before we found the leak. We emptied closets, we checked the heated garage, attic and basement.

The plumber was baffled. There was a possibility the broken pipe was located under the concrete floor in the basement. It was about ten p.m. with BattleAxe having a fit, terrified her precious belongings could be damaged if the leak was not found.

I came across a small door in the basement that had a pad lock on it. Of course, no one had a key. I took it upon myself to break it off to see into the storage space. Inside were boxes upon boxes of Napoleon Brandy. I asked permission to move them to check the area for the leak. The plumber and I worked for an hour emptying out the area. At the back was a tiny hatch I could barely crawl through. The floor was dirt, there was no light but I found a pipe.

The plumber soon followed, the leak was located, the system turned on and all was well. Battle Axe was so happy she told me to grab a box of brandy and bring it upstairs. Party was on. BattleAxe was having the time of her life sitting on the granite counter top, singing and swaying her brandy glass in the air like a Hollywood starlet past her prime. The house at this time was still under renovations and she had to go back to her previous residence for the night.

At about two a.m. she asked me to drive her home. On the way there she sang me her version "Anything you can do I can do better", from Annie Get Your Gun. She asked me inside so she could give me something for helping her. This home was literally an art gallery. People from all around the world would visit this house to look at famous art works. BattleAxe removed a famous A.Y Jackson painting from the wall and told me to take it. I refused, and told her I could not accept it at this time, under the current circumstances. She looked at me dumb founded and then her big black eyes started rolling back. I carefully sat her down in a big leather chair and put the painting back.

The next day she thanked me for what I did. 
 Night, Pine Island A.Y. Jackson