The place was called Hempstead Commons, and it was the fanciest place in our town.
- Granted, this was not a very big town, so perhaps we were impressed with less.
Hempstead Commons was a living complex that had apartments as well as businesses. It was the size of a full block, and the little street in front of it was closed down, fully enclosed, and turned into a promenade. I would take dates there sometimes, but never thought I could afford to live there. And although I couldn’t afford it, I did end up landing a job as their head HVAC tech, which came with an apartment on site. A place this ritzy meant that the residents were paying a premium, so they needed an on-site HVAC tech who could handle jobs at any time of the night or day. At first it was rough, because there had not been regular HVAC system maintenance for the previous six months, which led to more issues. Once I got caught up on general service, maintenance, and cleaning, then the heating and cooling emergencies were few and far between. I still brought dates to Hempstead Commons, only now I might catch an emergency AC repair call in the middle of it! That’s the price I pay to live in a place like this, because even with the substantial salary of a normal HVAC tech I would not be able to afford the rent here. No job lasts forever, but I am doing well in my HVAC tech position here, and hope it lasts for a long time.