Boy, did Kaitlyn and I get a cold reception when we got home. The water heater conked out (again) and the house is freezing inside! Outside there’s snow on the ground and more falling. The snow isn’t sticking to much… until you get about two-thirds of the way up our street! I’m so chicken, even the three or so inches on the ground makes me nervous.
As soon as I walked in the house, I knew what the problem was. So I went downstairs and stared at the water heater. It’s on. But heating nothing. (The whole house is heated with hot water in the floors and in the radiators.) Luckily, the company the homeowner has a service contract with stuck their phone number on the front of it. (Given that this will be the third time they’re out for that thing in 5 months, I guess they realize their customers need their number quite handy!) In my best haven’t-had-to-speak-it-in-three-weeks French, I explained who I am (she found me in their computer) and what the problem was. The woman on the other end fired off some question I didn’t understand. So when she told me they cannot come today she said it very slowly and finished with comprenez? Oui. Tomorrow? She’ll have to call me back.
Kaitlyn and I snuggled up under two blankets and a comforter on the couch to nap and wait for the call. I figured we had at least until the end of her two hour lunch break before hearing anything, enough time for a decent rest. The woman who’d watched our house while we were gone felt guilty that she couldn’t fix the heat before we got home, so she rushed over two space heaters to add to our one. It was enough to make napping possible.
I woke up a few hours later but still hadn’t heard anything. So I called another friend who has lived here nearly 10 years and speaks much better French than I do. She called the water heater company for me to make sure I had indeed understood. I had. But the frazzled woman said they were overwhelmed and she was yet to wiggle me into their schedule.
We could probably stay here tonight with the heaters, fuzzy socks, fleece jackets, big blankets and hot cocoa. It’s no worse than the ice storm in Durham that left us without power for nearly a week. But without any hot water… well, that’s where I draw the line. As badly as I want to sleep in my own bed tonight, I really REALLY want a hot shower. Here, I cannot even get a lukewarm one. So I’m getting ready to pack yet another bag and drive to a friend’s house. At least the snow plow has cleared the road. And at least I don’t have to weigh the suitcase.