Pledge

So before I leave for the grocery store today, Rob says, “Hey, can you get some Pledge?”

No problem. I jot it down on my list. It’s the same thing I did the other day when I went to our local Publix – and came home without the Pledge. Items like Pledge aren’t on my usual route through Publix, which was altered considerably when they rearranged the store. During the tourist and equestrian season here, the idea is to get the shopping done as quickly as possible.

I was at the deli counter, checking out possible sides dishes for Thanksgiving, and heard someone behind me say, “Excuse me, where can I find the Pledge?”

I glanced around and saw an elderly man talking to a Publix employee. “C’mon,” the employee said. “I’ll show you where it is.”

I watched them, noted which aisle they turned into, and then laughed. Pledge. What are the odds that out of the thousands of items Publix carries, I would overhear someone asking for the very thing I needed and probably would have forgotten to pick up?

Okay, other than the odds on this one, is there a deeper meaning I’m overlooking? The word can be used as both a noun and a verb. As a noun, it means “a solemn promise” or in legal terms, it refers to something given as security “for the fulfillment of a contract or the payment of a debt and is liable to forfeiture in the event of failure.”

As a verb, it means to commit to a person or organization or an idea by a solemn promise or it’s what you do when you give something as security on a loan.

What this may be referring to is an insurance matter. After Hurricane Irma, we discovered we had some leaks in our roof – multiple leaks in 4 rooms.  The insurance company’s adjuster came out, did a detailed report, and the insurance company eventually issued a check. Unfortunately, the amount of the check would pay for patchwork to the roof. In Florida, by law, if 25 percent of your roof is damage, the insurance company has to pay for a new roof – minus whatever your deductible is.

Through a friend, we got the names of two public adjusters. These adjusters do NOT work for insurance companies. They work for you and take a 10 percent fee off whatever new money the insurance company issues for damages. My hope is that one of them will “pledge” to go to bat for us.

These adjusters are so busy now because so many homes sustained hurricane damage, that it won’t be until after Thanksgiving that either of them can come to the house and assess our roof damage. Stay tuned…

P.S. One of them has pledge to go to bat for us. He said the insurance company’s estimate was “a joke.” So, we’ll see!