Ethan hadn’t even had the chance to ring the doorbell when the metal door swung open, and an elderly woman in a bright satin robe shouted from the threshold:
— Hurry up and come in! Where have you been? Get to the kitchen, quick! What are you standing there for?
— Sorry, but I… — Ethan began, still hiding a bouquet of flowers behind his back, but the strange woman had already disappeared into the depths of the apartment.
Ethan shrugged, hesitantly stepped inside, placed the flowers on a small entryway table, took off his shoes, and, still in his socks, followed the sound of the woman’s voice as she kept talking non-stop.
— How many times do I have to call your office?! I was about to call the emergency services. Nobody cares about us!
When Ethan finally appeared in the kitchen, the woman pointed her finger at the faucet above the sink, from which a thin stream of water was trickling.
— Look at this! The faucet won’t shut off. It’s a downright flood. So much water has gone to waste while you weren’t here. And we pay by the meter, you know!
Ethan wanted to say she had mistaken him for someone else, but suddenly decided to play along a little.
— Oh, I think I forgot my tools at the office, — he said in a mock-concerned tone.
— I knew it! — the woman exclaimed angrily. — I just knew some clumsy guy in a suit would show up, look at my faucet, and say, “I’m not ready to work today.” But you won’t fool me!
The woman rummaged through one of the kitchen cabinets and, for some reason, pulled out a toolbox.
— Here, get to work. This was my husband’s. This set has saved me so many times.
Ethan had no choice but to take off his jacket, roll up his shirt sleeves, and start fixing the faucet. Luckily, he’d done this kind of thing at home plenty of times—at his mother’s request.
— What’s your name? — he asked matter-of-factly, turning off the main water supply.
— Emma Louise, — the woman replied, watching his every move closely.
— And when will your daughter be here?
— How do you know about my daughter? — the woman immediately grew suspicious. — You’ve never been to our apartment before, have you?
— I just… know, — Ethan replied vaguely, clanking the wrenches. — She’s beautiful, isn’t she?
— So you’ve seen her? — the woman smirked. — Probably admired her in the courtyard, huh? You’re right about that. She’s a beauty. Takes after me. But don’t get any ideas. Do you know how many husbands she’s already had?
— How many? — Ethan smiled.
— Five of them. True, she was only legally married to two. The rest she just lived with…
— You’re kidding, right? — Ethan froze and stared at the woman. He hadn’t heard such details about his beloved before.
— Why would I kid? — Emma Louise shrugged. — You know the kind of men they were? Oh my! Incredibly rich, every single one of them—pure elite. So, the neighbors sometimes call me the elite mother-in-law, and they say it with respect.
— Is that really true? — Ethan continued tinkering with the faucet, though his mood had sunk rock bottom.
— Absolutely true! — the woman boasted proudly. — And the gifts they gave me! Look, see all this expensive stuff in the kitchen? And not just in the kitchen. They bought it all. Whatever I asked for, they brought. Just so I’d smile and sometimes let them stay the night here.
— And your daughter, is she still living with one of them? — Ethan asked cautiously.
— No, they all seem to disappear somehow. She hasn’t stayed with any of them for more than six months. Men these days are so unreliable, that’s what I’ll say. But my Lily, she’s a champ, doesn’t let it get her down. Right now, she’s found herself another fool, some guy’s son. But he’s not all that rich. Small fry, basically. Lily says she’ll stick with him for a bit until she lands another wealthy one. By the way, she’s supposed to bring this fiancé here today to introduce him. So, come on, boy, get to work, do something useful for society.
— It’s done. You just needed a little tightening in one spot. — Ethan quickly turned the main water back on and checked the faucet. — Your faucet is very high quality.
— That was brought by one of Lily’s boyfriends too, — Emma Louise’s face brightened. — Well, that’s that then. I hope I don’t need to pay you anything? Your salaries are pretty good these days. Look at the kind of jackets you wear. Because your bosses charge us regular folks a fortune!
— No, of course, I don’t need anything…
Ethan didn’t even wash his hands. He grabbed his jacket, hurried to the entryway, put on his shoes, and practically bolted out of the apartment.
Half an hour later, Lily arrived.
— Mom, — she called from the entryway. — Why are there flowers here? Why aren’t they in a vase?
— Who? — Emma Louise rushed to the entryway. — Oh, flowers, indeed. I must’ve missed them in the dim light here.
— Mom, is Ethan here?
— Who’s Ethan?
— My Ethan.
— Your guy hasn’t been here yet. Weren’t you supposed to come together?
— We were. But I was running really late, so I called him and told him to come up to the apartment and meet you.
— Really? — Emma Louise paused to think. — No, your guy definitely wasn’t here.
— Then who was?
— Just a plumber from the maintenance company. The faucet was leaking, and he fixed it. Maybe he left the flowers? But why?
— Fixed the faucet? — Lily pondered, twirling the bouquet in her hands. — No, my Ethan definitely couldn’t have fixed a faucet. He’s the son of some big shots, right, Mom? Kids of big shots aren’t like that, are they?
— Of course not. No way they could. So don’t worry, your Ethan will show up.
— But the flowers? — Lily exclaimed, confused.
— Maybe your fiancé already came by? I didn’t lock the door when the plumber was here. He probably left the flowers and ran off to buy something else. A little gift for me. So, your Ethan will come, and we’ll find out everything.
But Lily never did see Ethan again. In fact, she never saw him at all…
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