Life in America (3) Vietnam War Veteran Bob

 Vietnam War Veteran Bob

 

Across the street from my left neighbor, Mr. Spiro, lived a couple—Bob, a large-built white man, and his petite Korean wife.  

 

Bob was in his sixties, about 1.9 meters tall, with a big frame. He had some health issues that caused swelling, making him appear even larger. His Korean wife looked to be in her early fifties, around 1.6 meters tall, of medium build, and quite energetic. 

 

Bob worked as a locksmith, often driving his van labeled "B.K. Locksmith" to jobs. (This was a newer van—his original one was much more worn-out.) The B.K. in the name stood for Bob’s initials. He named his business using his own initials combined with Locksmith.

 

His wife was a homemaker who stayed at home all day. Like Mr. Spiro, she took care of the front and back yard—mowing the lawn, sweeping leaves, and cleaning. She kept their front yard immaculate, with neatly trimmed grass.  

 

Bob and his wife were friendly and spent a lot of time outside, so we often saw and greeted each other. I became familiar with them not long after moving in. Bob told me that he had served in Vietnam during the war and had been to Hong Kong. His legs were not in great condition, so he couldn't stand for long and walked slowly. Though he was more than twenty years younger than Mr. Zhang and Mr. Spiro, he moved like an elderly man.  

 

Bob, the Helpful Locksmith  

 

Shortly after we moved in, we accidentally locked ourselves out. I asked Bob for help, and without hesitation, he came over and unlocked the door within seconds—free of charge. Another time, we locked our car keys inside, and he helped us get into the car again without asking for any payment.  

 

The couple told me they had a son who worked as an executive at a company in Edison. He occasionally visited them, though I never saw him—only a few times did I notice an unfamiliar car in their driveway, which I assumed was his.  

 

Bob’s wife was warm and helpful. She taught me how to mow the lawn and sweep leaves properly. Once, she invited me to see the fish she kept in their backyard. Their backyard was spacious, with a pond about four or five meters in diameter. It had a fountain, though it wasn't functioning. The pond was full of large fish, some over a foot long, swimming happily. However, the yard itself was cluttered with tools, broken vehicles, firewood, and various miscellaneous items. Unlike their neat front yard, the backyard was a mess.  

 

Dealing with Trash 

 

Being a locksmith required purchasing parts and packaging materials, along with disposing of used and broken components, so Bob’s household produced a lot of trash. His wife would leave unwanted trash by the roadside for the city’s garbage trucks to collect.  

 

Sometimes, when they had too much trash, she would ask to put some of it in front of my house, saying that the garbage collectors might refuse to take it if there was too much in one place. Since I didn’t generate much trash myself, I agreed.  

 

 Landlord Troubles  

 

The house we rented was quite old and frequently had issues. The drainage system often clogged, but the landlord kept delaying repairs. Once, he went on vacation and ignored my calls. During that time, in the heat of summer, the air conditioning broke down. I had to call for repairs myself and deducted the cost from the rent.  

 

Another time, he ignored my calls for over a day, so I arranged repairs again, which angered him. Additionally, the water bill was sent to him, and he was supposed to forward it to me for payment. However, he often delayed, causing late fees—usually a dollar or two, which I let slide. But once, he delayed so long that the penalty exceeded ten dollars, so I deducted it from the rent and sent him a letter explaining that the late fee was due to his failure to forward the bill on time. This angered him even more, and our relationship soured.  

 

By 2010, I decided to move out.  

 

 The Moving Dilemma  

 

When moving, I had a lot of trash and unwanted items to dispose of. Remembering Bob’s wife’s warning about garbage trucks refusing excessive loads, I asked if I could place some of my trash in front of her house. She reluctantly agreed but limited it to a small amount and only twice.  

 

I felt uncomfortable about this because, over the past three years, she had placed her trash in front of my house at least twenty times. She suggested that I give the garbage collectors $20 to ensure pickup—something she claimed to have done before. This made me uncomfortable.  

 

I then asked Mr. Spiro for help, but he declined. Finally, I turned to Mr. Zhang, who readily agreed. However, I was cautious not to overload his area to avoid rejection by the garbage collectors.  

 

Still, the trash situation was overwhelming. Even with Mr. Zhang’s help, I couldn’t get rid of everything. So, I called the city to ask if excessive garbage would be refused. The city official assured me that it wouldn’t be rejected—at most, only ten items would be collected per round, and anything leftover would be picked up in the following rounds. This relieved me, and I decided not to resort to Bob’s wife’s bribery method.  

 

 The Landlord’s Last Stand  

 

After moving out, I thoroughly cleaned the house, anticipating that the landlord might try to withhold my deposit. I took dozens of photos to prevent any false accusations. 

 

Sure enough, the landlord withheld 80% of my deposit—over $2,000, claiming that we had caused damage, including cracks in the driveway and failure to repaint the walls.  

 

Had he deducted only a couple hundred dollars, I might have let it go, but over $2,000 was unacceptable. He cited driveway damage, which I hadn’t photographed earlier, so I returned to take pictures for legal action.  

 

 Bob’s Support and Legal Advice  

 

While taking photos, I ran into Bob and told him about my situation. He was shocked and fully supported my decision to sue, saying, “You have to fight this.”  

 

He then invited me inside—my first time in his cluttered house. As we sat and chatted, we naturally talked about my upcoming lawsuit.  

 

Bob shared that years ago, he had sued Verizon - and won.  

 

Back then, he was just starting his locksmith business and paid $400 for a half-page ad in the Verizon Yellow Pages. But when the new directory came out, his ad was missing, costing him significant business. He demanded $2,000 in lost revenue plus a refund of the ad fee, but Verizon only offered a refund or a free ad the following year. Unwilling to accept, he took them to court.  

 

On the hearing day, Verizon sent three corporate lawyers, while he represented himself. During mediation, the arbitrator—a middle-aged white man—fully supported Bob’s claim, finding Verizon at fault. Fearing a worse outcome in front of a judge, Verizon’s lawyers agreed to pay Bob $2,000 and give him a free ad the next year.  

 

Bob assured me that my case was strong, and an arbitrator would likely rule in my favor without even needing a judge.  

 

 Victory in Court  

 

On my court day, the landlord brought two lawyers, but they only had a few blurry photos, while I had dozens of high-resolution pictures. Seeing my evidence, their lawyers exchanged nervous smiles.  

 

The arbitrator—a young Asian woman—suggested splitting the deposit 50/50, a compromise common in Chinese-style mediation but missing the true essence of American law.  

 

I refused, insisting on a full refund. Eventually, after realizing that facing a judge could mean paying me double, the landlord’s lawyers agreed to refund the full $2,000+. 

 

Although I spent considerable time on the lawsuit, it was worth it.  

 

 Bob’s Peaceful Life  

 

Years later, in 2015, I revisited my old neighborhood with a friend. We met Mr. Zhang and Bob, who was still running his locksmith business. He proudly told us that he was the most certified locksmith in the county, constantly updating his qualifications.  

 

Despite his health issues, he continued working and lived a peaceful, self-sufficient life with his hardworking wife.  

 

Written in 2021.

 

Comment added on 02/12/2025

 

I was shocked to find Bob passed away one month ago on Jan. 9, 2025.

https://www.brunswickmemorialhome.com/obituaries/Robert-Charles-Kellermann?obId=34381340

 

I will remember him forever