The
Parable of the PlumberThe
Parable of the PlumberJohn Smith stood in his basement, ankle-deep in water, and watched as fountains spewed from every pipe. Steaming water cascaded from the hot-water heater; a spray of ice-cold water erupted from the vicinity of the sump pump; the poodle doggy-paddled gracefully across his path. Disaster!
Just then the plumber arrived. He was a small man, dressed in grimy overalls, with bushy eyebrows and a piggish little nose...but Smith had never been so glad to see anyone in his life.
The plumber stood surveying the chaos for long moments, stroking his chin; then at last he nodded. He pulled a wrench from his back pocket, waded through the swirling current, and stood beneath one particular junction of pipes. Then, ever so gently, he reached up and tapped the wrench against a pipe.
Instantly, the water stopped flowing. The hot water heater gurgled happily and settled down. The sump pump sighed, then started chugging away and in only a few heartbeats had the worst of the flood cleared away.
"Th-that was amazing," Smith said, shaking the plumber's hand. "How much do I owe you?"
The plumber returned the wrench to his pocket, pulled out a calculator, and punched furiously. Then he lifted his face to Smith. "Two hunnert and seventy-five dollah," he said.
Smith was appalled. "Two hundred and seventy-five dollars, just for tapping a pipe with a wrench?"
The plumber, with a long-suffering look of patience, said, "No, sir. For tappin' a pipe with a wrench, only five dollah." He took a heavy breath, then continued, "Two hunnert and seventy dollah, that's for knowing where t' tap."
