When Margaret and I climb up on the roof along with Guillermo we are met by a MasterCool tilting off to one side, its roof stand completely rotten. That plus a broken float allowed water to spill over the side of the cooler, onto the roof and in through the ceiling into the hallway. We take stock on what needs to be done and then climb back down to talk things over. Maria and Guillermo are both completely deaf, but this doesn't stop conversation. As we work, a lively mix of Spanish, American Sign Language and English fly around the house.

The cooler looks bad, but determine that it would be salvageable with a new roof stand, a new roof jack connecting the cooler to the ductwork, a new set of cooler pads and a few electrical tune-ups to the cooler itself. So we dive in to get started before the heat of mid-day sets in. As we work, Mexican folk music sings out from the house, accompanying Maria and the family as they clean and cook. Before long, the heat is coming on, but Maria's daughter Maria climbs up on the roof with Gatoraid and a big jug of ice cold water. "You're not going to get dehydrated on my roof," she tells us.

Over the course of the next few hours Margaret and I are able to repair the roof and the ductwork, replace the roof jack, re-set the cooler and start it up. As we finish the paperwork and prepare to leave, Guillermo takes us around to each room of the house to feel the cool air blowing through the ductwork. At each stop he signs, "Good. Very good." He's like a child re-discovering a favorite place. We feel the cool air with him in each room, then shut down his furnace for the summer and finish up our exit interview. Even as we leave with a plate of Maria's warm chile rellenos they can't stop making a sweeping motion with their hands from their mouths down: "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

by Kristi Bowman, CHRPA volunteer
May 17, 2009