Saturday, July 26, 2008

Matthias

He flushed an entire roll of toilet paper. The toilet flooded. Of course I was taking a nap. I keep forgetting I'm not allowed to take naps. Matthias reminded me by running into the living room (where I was dreaming), crying, "But it's okay, Mommy!" This is what he says when I lightly scold him for small matters such as spilling his water or going outside with just his undies on. This time, however, there was a great deal of distress in his voice, and he followed the statement with a woeful wail, and I knew something was terribly wrong. I went to the bathroom and noticed the water was just spilling over the inside of the rim. I also noticed that all the toilet paper was gone. I'd just gotten a new roll out yesterday. There was tons of TP floating on the top of the precariously still water, and there seemed to be a trail of it from the top to the flush hole. I don't have a plunger. I got the toilet bowl cleaner and tried to scoop out the TP but it was quite clogged. I scooped some more, even using my hand (GROSS) and saw a clearing. So I decided I'd flush. First, though, I got three towels and spread them around the toilet, just in case. Good thing. Should have put out more towels. I flushed and flooded the entire bathroom, and a little of the laundry room. Matthias was still crying. I wouldn't have been thrilled if he was laughing.
I started to cry. I can't afford a plunger, let alone a plumber! I didn't know if a plunger would even cut it. Also, I would have to wash all these towels now and I'm almost out of laundry detergent, which I really can't afford. A throbbing pain began between my eyes. I was so frustrated. I told Matthias he was in big trouble and because he broke the toilet, we wouldn't be going to Spray Park today, which he'd been looking forward to all day. I packed the kids in the car and drove to Ace to spend $8 on a blasted plunger and came back home to try to fix the toilet. The water was low, very low. Almost like it had resolved its own problems. I knew better than to flush so I plunged and plunged and the pipe sounded clear from the start. So I flushed. Perfect.
Now I'm frustrated that I spent $8 on a blasted plunger when it appears to have been entirely unnecessary.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

way to go matthias......

Melanie said...

Ugh, Mattie! You probably could have borrowed one from a neighbor. I can't believe plungers cost so much!

Anonymous said...

shouldn't be taken naps when you have children that are awake....

Stephanie said...

who are you?

Anonymous said...

I think that toilets are evil, cunning,and deceptive... that has been my experience anyway. It was probably a really good idea to have a plunger.

Stephanie said...

Lol, toilets do seem to have a mind of their own, don't they? Yeah, I'm sure a plunger will come in handy in the future.
Mel, I could have gotten one for $4 but the clog seemed so severe that an $8 would be key.