Page 18 of Finding Romance
Water. Shit, there’s water everywhere.
Oh no, I rush over to my fish tank. I see dripping from the corner. How in the hell did it spring a leak? The water level is lower, but the leak is slow. It must have been going on for a while. I knew I should have upgraded tanks when I got home. Two years ago this leaked and I managed to patch it with Troy’s help. Looks like he’s about to assist again.
I pull out my phone and text him.
Me: So, I may have sprung another leak.
Troy: Damn, same place?
I look over at the tank to confirm.
Me: I think so.
Troy: Be right down.
Hanging up, I go to the door and unlock. I open it, waiting for Troy. The door across the hall flies open and Piper steps out and then screeches.
“Oh my God! You scared the crap out of me,” she says, clutching her chest.
“Sorry, waiting on Troy to fix my tank,” I explain as I motion into the living room. I really ought to mop up that water.
“Your fish tank?” she asks as she sticks her head into my apartment and then looks up at me. “Do you have towels? You should mop up that water before it ruins your floor.”
“I was just thinking that,” I state. “Do you mind waiting here for Troy? He’s coming down to help me fix it.”
“Sure,” she says as she leans on the door, holding it open. I rush back inside and grab a handful of towels from my linen closet. I place them on the floor, sopping up the water.
“Where’s the leak?” Troy’s voice booms from the hallway as he walks inside and kneels to examine where I’m pointing.
“Same as last time, maybe a little higher?” I say as I too kneel down and take a look.
“Looks like it. Maybe we weakened the joint when we put that epoxy in there. Let’s do the whole joint this time,” he suggests.
I nod and we get to work.
“Can I help with anything?” Piper asks from the door.
I wave her over. “You can. Mind grabbing more towels?”
She nods and heads in the direction where I’m pointing. I look at my sea creature. “Hang in there, guys. We’re going to get this all fixed up for you,” I assure them.
Troy groans. “Kid, you need to find a woman or a pet you can actually hold. Might I recommend the woman option?”
I glare at him and then realize Piper is standing next to me holding out the towels.
“Thank you,” I say and place them on the ground. It takes Troy and me a few minutes to concoct a plan and then another few minutes for him to get the materials, which we fortunately had from the last time.
Piper insists on staying and assisting. Like the stereotype of a child helping their father with a plumbing issue by handing them tools, Piper quietly sits by and hands us materials when we ask for them. She doesn’t say much, just watches.
It takes the better part of an hour, but eventually, we fix the leak after I had to put up a barrier in the tank to keep the water from the corner.
“Try to keep it dry for at least twenty-four hours,” Troy reminds me.
“Yeah. Got it,” I mutter. “Thanks again.”
He claps me on my back, and I fight the feeling that brings to me. I keep those feelings buried so deep that I’d need an excavator to bring them to the surface. But every so often, some emotions start to fester and tunnel up through the thick layers I’ve created.
“See ya, Piper,” Troy says with a tip of his baseball cap.
