Before Ethan could even press the doorbell, the heavy door swung open. An older woman in a loud, satin dressing gown stood there, shouting before he could say a word.
"Finally! What took you so long? Get in here and get to the kitchen! Well, don't just stand there like a statue!"
"I'm sorry, but I—" Ethan began, still shielding a bouquet of flowers behind his back, but the eccentric woman had already vanished into the depths of the apartment.
Ethan shrugged, stepped tentatively inside, and set the flowers down on the entryway table. He kicked off his shoes and, following the sound of the woman's voice as she rambled on without pause, walked toward the kitchen in his socks.
"How many times do I have to call your office? I was about ready to call emergency services. Nobody cares about us anymore!"
When Ethan finally made it to the kitchen, the woman jabbed a finger toward the faucet over the sink, which was leaking a steady, thin stream of water.
"Look at this! The handle won't shut off. It's a total disaster. Look at how much water has gone down the drain while I was waiting for you. And we're on a meter here, you know!"
Ethan opened his mouth to tell her she had the wrong person, but a sudden impulse to play along took hold of him.
"Oh, I think I might have left my tools back at the shop," he said, putting on a mock-serious tone.
"I knew it!" the woman barked. "I just knew they'd send some clumsy kid in a fancy suit who'd look at my sink and say, 'I'm not ready to work today.' But you're not fooling me!"
The woman reached into one of the lower cabinets and, surprisingly, hauled out a heavy metal toolbox.
"Here, get to work. My late husband left these. This set has saved my neck more times than I can count."
Ethan had no choice but to take off his blazer, roll up his sleeves, and get started on the faucet. Luckily, he had done this exact repair at home plenty of times for his mother.
"So, what's your name?" he asked professionally, reaching down to shut off the main water valve.
"Mrs. Gable," she replied, watching his every move with a hawk-like intensity.
"And when is your daughter getting home?"
"And how do you know about my daughter?" she asked, her eyes narrowing. "This is your first time in this apartment, isn't it?"
"I just... I know," Ethan answered vaguely, the clanking of wrenches filling the silence. "She's very beautiful."
"Oh, so you've seen her, then?" The woman chuckled. "Admiring her from across the street, I bet? Well, you're right about that. She's a stunner. Takes after me. But don't you go getting any ideas. Do you have any idea how many husbands she's had?"
"How many?" Ethan asked, a forced smile on his face.
"Five. Well, she was only legally married to two of them. The others... well, they just lived together for a while."
"You're joking, right?" Ethan froze, staring at the woman. This was a side of his girlfriend he had never heard a whisper about.
"Why would I joke?" Mrs. Gable shrugged. "And let me tell you, they were some high-quality men! Rich as Kings, the lot of them. Pure elite. My neighbors even call me the 'High-Society Mother-in-Law' sometimes. It's a title I've earned."
"Is that really the truth?" Ethan continued to tinker with the faucet, though his heart had sunk straight through the floor.
"Every word of it!" she boasted. "Look at all this high-end gear in the kitchen. And it's not just here. They bought it all. Whatever I asked for, they brought it right over. Anything to keep me smiling and let them stay the night once in a while."
"And is your daughter... is she living with one of them now?" Ethan asked cautiously.
"No, no. They all seem to vanish eventually. She hasn't made it past six months with any of them yet. Men are just so unreliable these days, if you ask me. But my Sarah, she's a tough one; she doesn't let it get her down. Right now, she's found herself some other little fool—somebody's pampered son. He's not exactly loaded, though. Just a small-timer, really. Sarah says she'll just hang around with him for a bit until she can reel in another big fish. Actually, she's supposed to bring the fiancé by today for us to meet. So hurry up, boy, and do something useful for a change."
"It's finished. You just had a loose connection under here." Ethan quickly turned the water back on and tested the handle. "It's a very high-quality faucet."
"Another gift from one of Sarah's flings," Mrs. Gable said, her face brightening. "Well, that's that. I assume I don't have to pay you? I hear you guys make a killing these days. Look at that suit! Your bosses are probably bleeding us honest citizens dry anyway."
"No, no... you don't owe me anything."
Ethan didn't even stop to wash his hands. He grabbed his blazer, hurried into the hallway, shoved his feet into his shoes, and bolted out of the apartment like a shot.
***
Half an hour later, Sarah arrived.
"Mom!" she called out from the hallway. "Why are these flowers just sitting here? Why aren't they in a vase?"
"What?" Mrs. Gable hurried to the door. "Oh, flowers. I guess I didn't see them with my bad eyes. It's a bit dim in here."
"Mom, is Ethan here?"
"Who's Ethan?"
"My Ethan!"
"Your guy hasn't shown up yet. Weren't you two supposed to come over together?"
"We were. But I was running so late, so I called and told him to just head up and introduce himself to you."
"Really?" Mrs. Gable looked thoughtful. "No, your fiancé definitely wasn't here."
"Then who was?"
"Just the plumber from the city. He came to fix the leak. Maybe he left the flowers? But why would he?"
"The plumber?" Sarah frowned, turning the bouquet over in her hands. "No, my Ethan definitely wouldn't be fixing a sink. His family is way too high-up for that. Right, Mom? People like that don't do manual labor."
"Of course not. Not a chance. So don't worry, your Ethan will be along shortly."
"But the flowers?" Sarah asked, her voice trailing off in confusion.
"Maybe he already came by? I left the door unlocked while the plumber was working. He probably just left the flowers and ran out to buy me a proper gift. Just wait, he'll be back and we'll figure it all out."
But Sarah waited in vain. She never saw Ethan again.
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