Voodoo Child

This man is swaying
as we discuss kitchen repairs
in the plumbing section.
Our first part of the repartee
covers replacement of the tap
which he seems to understand
with some uneasiness.
Fixing a hole in a marble counter top
is really the source of his woe.
"I was drunk, I put a can down on it and it broke."
I have to assume it was a paint can.
Full.
"I replaced it with a piece of plywood."
I slowly
and with the smallest words possible
explain how to correctly repair
a marble slab.
His swayvering subsides and he looks at me
he's certainly been around a lot of alcohol this morning
"They want $5000 for a new counter top."
Everything has a price tag.