When the HVAC technician arrived to do my furnace service last month, he asked if I wanted him to change the air filter. I thought changing the air filter was part of the service and cleaning procedure. When he said he could add air filter changes to my maintenance agreement; my first question was how much extra would that cost me? He told me it was a minimal amount, but it would save me needing to do it. I’m not sure what he was thinking, but I felt insulted. I had been changing the air filters in the HVAC system since I was about fourteen. I had no brothers, and it was just my mother and I. If she wasn’t home and the air filter needed to be changed, I was elected. One or the other of us had to do the job. I told him I could change my air filters, but I appreciated the offer. He told me that if I changed my mind, I should call the HVAC company and he would gladly come to the house and change it for me. Now, I was thinking he was flirting, but I couldn’t be sure. When he said he wouldn’t want me hurting myself while changing the air filter, I bristled. I told him I was perfectly capable, but thanks for the offer, and showed him to the door. I wanted to tell him he didn’t need to return, and I would be okay with a different HVAC technician, but I didn’t want to make him an enemy. It’s just that if I ever saw him again, it would be too soon.