Who’s working on this poor machine?

[RLCarter]

something as accessible as that I would have taped it up. My independent IA had just disassembled a Conti. C-85 for a field overhaul when he closed down his shop and went to work for a gov. contractor, as the assemblies started coming in from inspection / repairs he used my hangar to re-assemble the engine. I took it upon myself to have everything cleaned, laid out and covered for the task of the day before the IA showed up on the day he was going to work on it ( I was the shop boy), The IA loved it, both owners loved and it kept my hangar pretty damn clean (well for a month anyway). So what did I get out of it? I didnt want anything (other than the experience) but I ended up with an inspection/logbook entry of 2 GDL-82 installs, Annual Inspection on my Mooney, 1 of the owners is a CFI and flying with me on my CAX for free and the other owner is a DPE and isnt going to charge me for my checkride, I figure all that is worth about $2500.00 (?) for maybe 40hrs of my time...not bad wages for just keeping things tidy and clean. I tried to pay my IA twice and each time I found the cash in my mini fridge, I cant pay the CFI other than lunch every now and then or he said he'd quit flying with me, not sure how to handle the DPE, sure dont to piss him off...