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Several years ago, after I purchased my mobile home on Baltimore Ave., I contracted with a local young man, looking for work, to do a roof renew with that tar process. This was after I got a price from him for the job, which I decided I could manage on my limited income. It was in the summer, so it was a beastly job, up there in the sun and heat! He took lots of breaks in the shade; I provided lots of water.
He finished after several days, and I wrote out a check for the amount he had told me. He refused it, and quoted an amount that was 3 times what he had said before. Unfortunately, I had not gotten it in writing, but I stood my ground, saying I wouldn’t have had the work done for this price, because I didn’t have that much money.
Right before my eyes, this friendly, nice young man trying to support his family turned into an ugly, scary hoodlum, yelling, screaming really, threatening he would be back the next day with his friends to tear off the roof he had just put on, and that I “needed to watch my back!”
I was shocked to my core, extremely shaken. I’d not often been yelled at to my face (except by my ex-husband!), with what very much sounded like threats of physical damage. Thought a bit. I’d only been in Seadrift about 4 years, but I’d garnered a goodly number of fans, with my newsletter “Livin’ on the Bay,” and had immersed myself into county activities, as well as volunteering at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge.
Sat down to my computer and fired off emails to every contact I had in the area: mayors of Seadrift, and Port Lavaca, and county commissioners that I’d worked with on community projects, realtors, advertisers in “Livin’ on the Bay,” Seadrift police, Calhoun County deputy that had been very helpful with a neighborhood dog abuse situation, community leaders in Port O’Connor I’d come to know, numerous friends. Got on the phone to those that didn’t do email. Explained the threat to me personally, and recommended no one else fall for that friendly “nice guy” image if he came around looking for work. At the very least, get things in writing!
I even took the initiative, and, accompanied by the best friends couple I followed to Seadrift, began driving around town, looking for my threatener
Well. I was amazingly rewarded with the response. My friends and fans charged to the forefront; I could scarcely make a move without stumbling over protectors in every direction! Several guys took turns staking out my house to be sure the hoodlum did not try to make good on his threat to tear off the new roof. Didn’t really think he would actually try to do that, but feared he would do damage of some sort.
Needless to say, never saw the guy again. However, after several weeks I did get an interesting tidbit relayed to me by a realtor friend. She said this guy with his wife came in to her office, inquiring about a house for sale he’d spotted. Hearing the price, he ranted that price was ridiculous, he needed someplace for his family, and Seadrift really needed to give him a deal.
My realtor friend calmly told him, “If you want a deal in Seadrift, you shouldn’t mess with CJ.”
I heard later he had moved out of town, because he couldn’t get work. Well darn.
