Helped a neighbor wire up a ceiling fan last month and he handed me a 20 year old bottle of whiskey

I was over at my neighbor Bob's place helping him hang a new ceiling fan in his living room. The old one was from the 90s and wobbled like crazy, so we spent a Saturday afternoon pulling it down and putting up a new Hunter model. While I was up on the ladder connecting the wires, Bob started talking about how his late wife picked out that fan back when they first bought the house. When we finished and turned the power back on, he went to his basement and came back with a bottle of Johnnie Walker Black that had a faded 2001 newspaper clipping taped to the side. Said he was saving it for a good day and this felt like one. I tried to turn it down but he insisted, so now it sits on my shelf as a reminder that sometimes the best payment for helping someone isn't money. Has anyone else gotten something unexpected from helping a neighbor with a project?

2 comments

2 Comments

holly_gonzalez611mo ago

Johnnie Walker Black is actually a blended Scotch whiskey from Scotland, not Kentucky bourbon.

rose_hart311mo ago

Three years ago I bought a bottle of Johnnie Walker Black thinking it'd be a good gift for my buddy from Kentucky. He took one sip and just stared at me like I'd handed him a glass of gasoline. Now I always check the label twice before buying anything for him. If you're in a pinch, a bottle of Bulleit Bourbon will save you from that awkward silence every time.