Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Sunday Morning: An Interlude

We've been wrestling with the problem of a toilet that won't flush since we moved in. On Sunday morning, I finally found the time to call Dad and ask him for advice.

"Well, it may just need a good plunging, but you should go check to see if it's properly vented. There should be a small black pipe sticking out of your roof above the bathroom. It's called a hore pipe"

So out I went, clad in pajama pants and rubber boots. As I stepped onto the doorstep, I saw one of the town elders slowly shuffling along the road. First I went around the side of the house, but I was in no position to see the roof. So I went up to the road. As I was craning my neck, looking for the hore pipe, the elder stopped and watched me for a moment.

"You need a hand with somthin'?"

"Oh, no thanks. It's just that our toilet's plugged up. So I'm looking for a hore...I'm looking to see if it's vented properly because..."

The old man looked a bit confused. My embarrassed babbling was too fast for him.

"Your Teee-Vee not working?"

(awkward silence)

"No no. Ha ha, my TOY-let. It needs a vent or.. nevermind. No, I'm fine.

Suddenly I realized how stupid I must look: inspecting the roof, from the road, in my pajamas, when there was a problem with the toilet.

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