My husband had been away on a business trip for a month, and he was due to return soon.
As luck would have it, one afternoon while he was still away, a tap in the kitchen broke. Emily, my neighbour, came by and asked if I could help her out. Id never dealt with such things myself, so I gave her the number of a plumber Id used before.
She arranged for him to come round at an agreed time, and the plumber arrived promptly enough. Emily had set aside the cash for him, exactly as they had discussed beforehand. When he finished the repair, she handed him the payment.
Thats £300 short, he said. But we had an agreement, she replied. We talked about a different amount. I have a witnessI can ask a neighbour. Im not interested in your witnesses, he retorted. You owe me £550. If you dont pay, Ill break the tap again and shut off the pipes. I simply dont have that much on me, said Emily. I can pay the rest when my husbands back.
And when is that? In five days time No, thats no good, you need to pay now. Ill wait. But Ive got nothing left! In that case, well find some other arrangement. You have to pay for your fixed tap!
After that, he began rummaging through the cupboards.
How dare you behave like this in my flat? Ill ring the police! Go ahead, he sneered, and Ill say youve refused to pay me.
At those words, the plumber started to harass her, and she began to cry out. I was in my flat nearby, and when I heard her shout, I rushed over at once. The plumber had pinned Emily against the wall, refusing to let her go.
Leave her alone! I shouted. She owes me money! he barked. Emily is an honest womanheres £250, what more do you want?
And remember, youre answerable for your actions. And if Emilys husband, the former boxer, hears about thisyoull be in serious trouble.
With that the plumber fled, and I apologised to Emily, since I was the one whod given her his number. We agreed not to tell her husband a word, just to save him the worry. Now we’re on the hunt for a decent plumber, because my own taps started leaking…
