I CAN'T TALK MORE ABOUT THIS HOUSE WITHOUT PAYING TRIBUTE TO COUSIN VITO. IF IT WASN'T FOR VITO WE WOULDN'T HAVE MADE IT THROUGH EVEN OUR FIRST WEEKS OF HOME OWNERSHIP.
BEFORE ANY BANK WOULD EVEN GRANT US A LOAN, THIS HOUSE HAD TO PASS A HUD INSPECTION. THERE WERE ONLY TWO OR THREE FUSES IN THE FUSE BOX TO RUN THIS THREE STORY, FULL BASEMENT HOUSE. THE ELECTRIC HAD TO BE UPGRADED. THE SELLER REFUSED TO PAY FOR THE UPGRADE, SAYING THE HOUSE WAS FOR SALE "AS IS", WHICH WAS VERY UNREASONABLE.
THE TWO REALTORS INVOLVED IN OUR PURCHASING 'THE PIT' CHIPPED IN AND ALONG WITH US THE THREE WAY COST OF THE UPGRADE WAS PAID FOR.
THIS IS WHERE VITO FIRST CAME IN TO THE PICTURE. THE GAS COMPANY WAS CALLED IN AND THEY COULD NOT TURN THE GAS ON. EACH TIME THEY TRIED THE METER WOULD SPIN LIKE THE BLADES OF A WINDMILL BLOWING IN A GALE FORCE WIND. COUSIN VITO STEPPED IN AND FOUND THE LEAK WAS UNDER THE ATTIC FLOOR. THE ORIGINAL TONGUE AND GROOVE WOOD FLOOR HAD TO BE TORN UP IN PLACES AND STILL THE LEAK COULD NOT BE FOUND. VITO HAD TRACED THE PATH OF THE GAS LINES AND THEY WENT FROM THE BASEMENT UP TO THE ATTIC, ACROSS THE FLOOR OF THE ATTIC, DOWN TO THE SECOND FLOOR, ACROSS THAT FLOOR, DOWN TO THE FIRST FLOOR AND ON TO THE BASEMENT METERS.
I THOUGHT ABOUT IT FOR A WHILE AND ASKED VITO IF HE COULD RUN NEW PIPE ACROSS THE CEILING OF THE BASEMENT, UP TO THE FIRST FLOOR AND ON TO THE SECOND FLOOR. SINCE WE ONLY NEEDED GAS TO RUN THE STOVE IN OUR FIRST FLOOR RENTAL AND IN OUR SECOND FLOOR KITCHEN SPACE, VITO SAID IT WOULD NOT BE A PROBLEM. HE DID THE WORK AND WOULDN'T CHARGE US. VITO WAS REALLY GREAT TO US AND BELINDA TOO, THEY BOTH STEPPED UP TO THE PLATE AND MADE US FEEL LIKE WE FOUND A HOME, THERE ON STATEN ISLAND.
THAT WAS ONLY THE FIRST OF MANY THINGS VITO DID FOR US. HE ALSO DID SOME PLUMBING WORK SO THAT WE COULD AT LEAST FLUSH TOILETS AND RUN WATER.
THEN, WITH OVER THIRTY INCHES OF SNOW ON THE GROUND, WE GET A LETTER IN THE MAIL FROM OUR HOME OWNER INSURER (PRUDENTIAL), STATING THAT THEY WERE DROPPING OUR INSURANCE. WE WERE ONLY IN THE HOUSE LESS THAN THREE MONTHS AND ACCORDING TO THE New York State BOARD OF INSURANCE, PRUDENTIAL WAS ALLOWED TO DO THIS. WE SCRAMBLED TO FIND A NEW INSURER AND FOUND A HIGH COST ONE WITH AN INSURANCE BROKER.
OUR NEW INSURER, WITH SNOW STILL ON THE GROUND, SENDS US A LETTER SAYING WE HAD TO REPLACE OUR FRONT SIDEWALK OR THAT WE WOULD BE DROPPED. WE SENT A LETTER OF COMPLIANCE AND WHEN THE SNOW MELTED AND THE GROUND THAWED, VITO ONCE AGAIN STEPPED IN FOR US. I BROKE THE EXISTING SIDEWALK UP AND WHEELBARROWED IT TO THE BACKYARD, WHERE I MADE A PATIO WITH IT. ONE HUNK OF SIDEWALK WAS AT LEAST THREE FEET THICK, IT WAS AT THE FOOT OF TWO CEMENT STEPS LEADING TO THE FRONT WOODEN STEPS. VITO BROUGHT A SMALL JACKHAMMER AND DID IN THAT THICK SLAB. HE KNEW HOW TO JUDGE HOW MANY YARDS OF CEMENT WAS NEEDED FOR THE JOB AND MADE THE ORDER. WE PAID FOR THE CEMENT AND VITO MADE THE FORMS AND WITHOUT HESITATION JUMPED IN, RAKED OUT AND SMOOTHED OVER THE NEW SIDEWALK. ONCE AGAIN HELPING US OUT AND NOT EXPECTING ANYTHING IN RETURN.
I ROPED THE WHOLE AREA OFF AND PUT GARBAGE CANS AS A BARRIER. WOULDN'T YOU KNOW IT, ONE YOUNG NEIGHBORHOOD GIRL JUMPED OVER THE ROPES AND INTO THE CEMENT WEARING HER BRAND NEW SNEAKERS. I SMOOTHED OUT THE CEMENT WITH A JOINTING KNIFE THE BEST I COULD AND THE SIDEWALK HELD UP JUST FINE FOR ALL THE YEARS WE WERE THERE. THANKS FOR THAT AND ALL YOUR OTHER HELP. WE LOVE YOU MAN!
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