Chapter 2

At the auto shop Dan discussed with his brother and his father what he was planning to do and asked them for their opinion on how to do it. They both were enthused and yet cautious on this idea of a mobile eye clinic. As to what type of a vehicle to equip to do this they both thought there were more advantages in equipping a fifth wheel trailer rather than a motor home. Convenience and cost were the reasons they expressed for this choice. If the trailer was big enough Dan could live in the trailer besides having it equipped to do the exams would enhance Dan’s return on investment.

Dan’s brother said going to a store or asking a girl out on a date and picking her up in a motorhome would not be a classy thing to do.

Dan scoured the internet and the newspapers looking for this type of trailer. He found a listing on a thirty five foot fifth wheel trailer that was six years old at a somewhat reasonable price when compared to similar type trailers of the same size. He phoned and made an appointment with the owner who lived an hour driving time away. The lady gave him directions to her farm home where the trailer was located.

The next day Dan with his father keeping him company made the drive to see this trailer. Finding where it was located was not a problem since he had been given good directions. Parking on the driveway Dan was greeted by a lady who appeared to be in her upper sixties. She showed them to the trailer that was parked behind the house in the barn.

Dan and his father were impressed by the condition of the trailer. It was clean inside and didn’t show much signs of wear. The owner said the trailer was used by her and her husband to spend the winter months in Arizona. She said the reason she was selling the trailer was that her husband recently passed away because of a heart attack and this trailer was his toy. While she was talking Dan and his father were thinking about what would need to be done to convert part of this trailer’s inside area to where eye exams could be done.

Dan told her he was interested in purchasing it but before price could be discussed she asked if Dan was interested in purchasing a seven year old Chevrolet Silverado that had seventy five thousand miles on it. She said the vehicle was used to pull this trailer but she felt uncomfortable in driving it because of its size and was looking for something smaller to drive. Dan’s father gave this truck a good looking over and after starting and listening to the engine told Dan this truck seemed to be in good shape.

Price was discussed and after a little haggling with Dan throwing in his SUV which this lady liked that they agreed to a package price for both items. The lady said all of their personal items had been removed but things like dishes, pots and pans etc. were staying as she had no use for them. She would be moving to Denver to be closer to her daughter.

Dan told her he would be back in three days with a certified check and the title to his car to finalize the deal and take the trailer and truck. He told her what he planned on doing with the trailer which surprised her. They shook hands and both she and Dan thought the deal struck was a fair one.

On the drive back Dan and his father discussed what needed to be done to the trailer. It was obvious where the examination chair would go. Dan was big on having some sort of a sliding partician installed to separate the office area from the living area. To do this he said the kitchen sink would need to be relocated.

Dan’s father pointed out that for some of the time of what Dan was planning on doing the trailer would not be parked where Dan could plug in for the air conditioning to operate. Because of that he suggested hugger ceiling fans and additional lights and outlets which would require doing some re-wiring. It could be setup for those lights and electrical outlets to operate with either a long extension cord being plugged into a normal electrical outlet or run off of a small generator.

Back at home Dan filled in on the papers the amount of loan he wanted which was for the purchase price plus the additional amount his Dad estimated the modifications would cost. The papers were overnight expressed to the Wilkinsing Foundation and Dan asked that the draft be overnight expressed back to him.

Later Dan looked on youtube and watched the videos on how to hitch and unhitch this type of trailer from a vehicle. There was much more to doing this than there was to doing it to a small boat trailer. It was suggested that he make up a checklist in doing this which is what Dan did.

Three days later Dan was driving the Silverado pulling a fifth wheel trailer back to his dad’s auto shop.

It took about two weeks for the modifications to be made to this trailer. While some of this was going on Dan went through the trailer noting what was there and what wasn’t there. He stumbled on to a hidden compartment next to the bed that contained a Smith and Wesson handgun. The ways things were going in this society nowadays he was going to keep the handgun as you never know when it would come in handy. There wasn’t much for him to purchase to make it the trailer livable other than food and condiments along with some cleaning materials.

A few days before these modifications would be completed Dan phoned Pamela Driscoll who was the Principal of the elementary school in Lake Lancer. The reason he called her is that Tessa had told him Pam was the principal of the first school they went to with the mobile dental program and he hoped Pam would be receptive to his program.

The conversation he had with Pam did not start off well. She was very guarded as to what she thought he wanted her to do. Dan understood she was being very protective of the students because she asked him a number of questions.

“Listen” he said, “I can understand you being cautious because of not knowing me but let me explain what I am trying to do as well as asking you to do. I am a licensed optometrist and am attempting to start up a mobile eye clinic. I am not asking you to set up an eye chart and have you make all your students read the lines on the chart and then require you to refer all those who don’t have twenty twenty vision to me. All I am asking is that you send out an email I will send you to the parents of your students advising them that I will be at your school next Tuesday and will do eye exams for those students whose parents who wish to have the eye exams done. This is like the preventive dental program that was done at your school but for eyes. The parents don’t lose time from work and the student misses only a little time from school.”