There are people you meet in life that have their own agendas. They'll steamroll over the top of you without a second thought. The only important factor in their lives is them and what they can get from you. Then there are the type that are exactly who they say they are, and have no hidden agendas. They either like you, or they don't. They tend to speak plainly and straightforwardly, when they speak at all. They don't care what they look like and truth be told, they don't really care what you think of them, they are what they are and that's it.
Mountain Man my "tech support" is very much like the second type of person. He's 6 foot tall, with long hair and an abundant amount of facial fur. He wears whatever he grabs to put on, could be ripped, might be too tight, might even have the remnants of the last grease monkey job all over it. If it was in his drawer, his wife washed it and that's good enough for him. As he says, they're clean and paid for, they cover the body, what else is there?
He is a nephew by marriage to my Hubby's sister. He was part of the friends and family package I received when I acquired Hubby. He's kind of handy to have around. Hubby's sister would rather live with a live rat in her house than have him come and take it out for her. She believes, wrongly, that he is light fingered. I admit he'll borrow things, but he always asks if he can use it and you always get it back when he's done. It takes a lot to wound him, and he's a grudge bearer. Wound him once and you'll never get a second chance. He thinks life is too short to put up with situations and people that make you unhappy. He knows what she thinks of him, but she's his aunt, and if she needed something he'd do his best to help.
I've never met anyone like him before. He's unique in the fact that his attitudes mean he has real difficulty keeping jobs, yet his family has never gone hungry, nor will he accept charity. He can operate heavy equipment, fix cars, do electrical work, plumbing and telephone line installations. He built his first computer from parts of discarded computers that he found laying alongside the road on trash days. My oldest stepson's first computer was one Mountain Man found, fixed and sold to him for $200. Worked like a charm for years until they ran out of memory and the ability to add more. Those early computers didn't have that much space.
He's the one that taught me how to use a computer. I was so afraid that I'd screw something up, and he spent 15 minutes with me one day and gave me enough confidence to try things on my own. Safe in the knowledge that Mountain Man would fix whatever I did wrong I played games and learned how to work various features on the older IBM we had. He'd get a kick out of how proud of myself I would be when I taught myself something "new". Of course, it was usually something that any 4 year old could figure out, but he always made me feel like I had accomplished something.
He has an old mobile home on his own land, furniture and appliances given to him for odd jobs. He's acquired more than one vehicle in exchange for a plumbing or electrical job. He's worked for fresh produce from a garden because he felt that it was worth more to him and his family than the money.
I've heard people say he'll never amount to much. I've known him for 18 years now, and I"ve watched him quit a job because his daughter wanted him to put her on the bus on her first day of school and his boss wouldn't let him come in late. He quit another job because his Mom has cancer and needed someone to take her to Syracuse for her chemotherapy every week. The boss he has now allows him to pick and choose when he can work and so far he's keeping this one. It doesn't pay much, but it allows him to stop and check on his Mom every day. The chemotherapy didn't work and she is dying. He has a sister, and a younger brother who are successful with nice houses and new cars, a boat and all the trappings of affluence. They see their Mom now and again...if they have the time. He makes the time because he doesn't believe that money makes you successful.
He'd rather have the pleasure of experiencing each milestone in the life of his children because he was there rather than hearing about it second hand. He'd rather spend the little time that is left to her with his mother than own the fancy house and cars. He measures success, not by what he owns but by who he loves. He knows full well that the coworker of his wife who gave him the nickname Mountain Man did not mean it as a compliment, but he chooses to accept it as such. It reminds him of a time when a man lived off the land and stood by his word. When you didn't turn away from those who needed you to pursue wealth. When you could leave your doors unlocked and sleep easy at night. He just can't figure out how to get back there and still keep his computer. You have to have priorities, you know?
