Humbling experience of the day

Today I bit the bullet and performed one of my least favorite chores: I scrubbed our bathtub. Just as I was finishing up the job (rinsing off the walls and knob and spout), the drain stopped draining. Dirty water pooled in the bottom of the tub.

I reached in to see if the drain was plugged with hair - nope. I tried the plunger - that only stirred up more muck. So I called our apartment office and asked whether a maintenance man could come and unplug my drain. The assistant manager wrote up a ticket for me.

Two hours later, the friendly maintenance man arrived. When he first came to work for the apartment complex and paid a call to our home, he noticed all our sacred art and inquired about my faith. He shared the story of his (recent) conversion to Christianity. So we have a little bond. And maybe he won't tell everyone how silly I am after our encounter today!

Back to the story: after he explained that my long hair was the likely culprit (even though we use a hair trap), he took a wetvac into our bathroom and started suctioning. Then he turned the machine off and called out to me: "Do you ever take baths?"

"No," I replied as I went into the room.

"How long have you lived here?"

"Two years."

"Have you ever taken a bath here?"

"Maybe two when I was pregnant," I answered, remembering the relief a hot water soak provided when I was in labor and forgetting the lovely little soaks I took postpartum.

"Did you use a stopper or did you flip the drain switch?"

"I used the switch," I assured him. Then the lightbulb went off.

"It was up."

Doh! I had accidentally flipped up the switch while I was cleaning it, but I didn't even think about it when the water didn't drain. So silly!

I thanked the maintenance man profusely, apologized for taking his time for something so silly, and lightheartedly proposed that it was probably a pleasure for him to get such an easy job. He agreed, having replaced a water heater and a garbage disposal already today.

As we prepare to purchase a home this summer, I'm thinking about how much I'm going to miss the ability to call the office for maintenance help. Then again, I'm sure I'll learn a thing or two when I have to do it myself (with David, of course). For instance, how bath drain switches work!