I wish I had gas...

On Tuesday morning, I was sitting eating a bagel, minding my own business, when the phone rang, and it was my tenant from a property I own...he was HYSTERICAL! Sadly, not the kind of hysterical you might be when you hear a funny joke, or watch someone trip...it was the bad kind of hysterical. "Rick...it's bad, it's bad," he screamed, "the oil, the oil, it's everywhere!" Being Italian, I instantly think Olive Oil, but something told me it was more than a pan of fried cutlets gone astray. Yes, the oil tank in the house had let go after an oil delivery, dumping 100 gallons onto the cement floor. I tried to wake myself up from this horrific nightmare, only to realize that I was already awake. I started frantically dialing the phone, calling everyone from my furnace repair guy, to the fire department, and my business partner. I HAD to get to the house, but...I was not dressed yet. What does one wear to a hazardous waste site? I knew my dress shoes would not be appreciated, so I threw on my hat, my worst sneakers, took a deep breath and drove to the house, while saying a Novena (a little prayer). What would I find when I arrived? I pulled up to the house, and it was just unbelievable. You would have thought a tanker had rolled over on Rt. 128 during rush hour, in front of a school bus full of toddlers. Everyone was there but my elderly parents...but don't worry, they arrived shortly thereafter. Once the initial shock of this passed, we realized we had a very serious issue on our hands.
Being in the Real Estate business for so long, I have had clients who had experienced oil leaks, and I always felt so bad for them...I am now among those I referred to as "the poor things."
At this point, there are still many unanswered questions, but I think I have surrounded myself with the right professionals to assist in getting this resolved. It will likely take some time, but like my Mother said..."this too shall pass." Nobody was hurt, my family is fine, my tenants are fine, and this is just a bump in the highway of life...I do believe in fact that
"this too shall pass,"but it does make me wish that instead of oil, I had gas.