Why am I awake? I'm not hungry, thirsty, cold, or hot. Everything is silent. I don't remember any dreams.
I roll over...
WOOSH...or was it CRASH? Something is happening, but I don't know what. Zhenya is out of town, so it's a good thing I invited my friend to stay the night.
Neither of us know what is going on. Did I leave something on in the kitchen? Is there a fire?
I walk towards the kitchen in dread. It's coming from the bathroom, but I'm afraid to open the door.
I open the door and a spray of water hits me in the face like a geyser. I don't even know where the water is coming from, but the neighbors upstairs have "flooded" us twice before, in the middle of the night. It's hitting the walls and ceiling and me, and the floor is already covered. continue/-
I panic, wondering what to do first...rescue everything on the floor, or find the source of the leak? While moving shoes and rugs to safe territory, I send Lida upstairs to tell the neighbors to turn off their water. That should cover it.
She returns, saying that it isn't coming from their apartment.
The water is a few inches deep now. It's in the kitchen, front hallway, and bathroom. At least it's cold, not boiling hot. Should I put on rain boots? Oh, I don't have any. I can just pretend I am wading in a river...
We eventually find an emergency phone number to call. They ask us some questions. I reach into the bathroom wall again and find a place where the water is spouting out. There's a lever, and I turn off the water. Oh. That probably would have been good to do about 20 minutes earlier....
The pipe has a hole in it. This will need to be fixed. For now, it's time to get rid of the water before it starts dripping on the neighbors downstairs.
We grab the buckets and begin collecting the water with the help of containers and a few rags. It's almost like we're small children, playing in the sandbox.
An hour later, everything is just about "dry." The plumber is supposed to come at 9 in the morning, and it's now 6:30.
After getting a few hours of sleep, I get up and go to the store to get a bottle of water and to the ATM for some cash to pay the plumber.
He does the repairs in about 30 minutes, and then life is back to...normal?
Except for the volcano.
No, I didn't miss the irony that you then had to BUY water! Oh, my!
ReplyDeleteActually, I missed it myself! I just didn't know how long the repairs would take, and was dying for a cup of tea!
ReplyDeleteNow this was a truly after the fact funny post to read---especially your last line. I am so glad to learn from you!
ReplyDeleteStay tuned for details about that last line! Also a good story. :)
ReplyDelete