The Drain

After my mother-in-law called on my Day of Birth, I went downstairs to open the cards and gifts that had been awaiting this 39th birthday. When I opened her card, out fell these fantastic earrings!!


"These are just my style," I thought, "and I have so many sweaters that would match them!"



Since I was still in my pj's, I figured I'd go get dressed for the day and don those fine earrings. It just might turn this 10 cent day into a million dollar day!



As I lifted one up to my lobe >>ploink<<> it fell into the sink and sashayed quickly toward the drain. Unfortunately it was faster than my clumsy fingers could recue it. **chink** It went down.



Now I remember this happening to my mom years back, and all I could hear was my dad saying "WHATEVER YOU DO ELLEN DO NOT RUN THE WATER!!" Seemed obvious enough that thus said bauble would be flushed out to sea, but I guess it made my dad feel better to say that instead of "you silly woman now I have to get up from reading the paper".



So thinking quickly, I didn't turn on the sink. I tried lifting out the drain, and of course it doesn't come out. I had a feeling I was gonna have to work for this one. What next? Plumbers wrench? Phillips head? 2 x 4? I mentally threw out the names of all the tools I knew.



Just thinking about tools doesn't, unfortunately, get the job done so I resolved to go ask the neighbor. (Christopher wasn't able to pickup his phone due to being at work)



Neighbor Dave happily e'splained to Lucy (that would be me) how the sink works, how the drain fits into the sink, and how they work together as a happy team to prevent flooding. I was starting to feel like I was at a Home Depot workshop, and wondered if I would get one of those cute little work aprons for free. Anyway, he was quite helpful with his remedial explanation of what I should do. He also gave me this long-skinny-grabber-claw-thingie (try to find one of those at Home Depot!!) to snatch it out once I had gotten the drain out.



Trudging back to my home, I thought about what might be unearthed as I pulled out the drain of our rental bathroom. How many people had lived there? Did they shave their armpits into the sink? I remembered they were Asian and weren't Asians purported to be hairless? At this point I weighed the Vomit Potential with the Earring Cuteness. Maybe I could wear just one and hope the trend catches on?? No, I determined that I would do this without being a sissy. Look at those women on Extreme Home Makeover with their hard hats! C'mon Jill!



Just as Dave outlined, the drain was easy to disassemble and when I pulled it out (eyes closed to a squint) no hair chunks or body parts came out with it!!! Hallelujah!! I used the cool Claw Thingie to rescue the drowning earring. I felt like such a hero I high-fived myself.



But not before I put a towel over the drain hole....I didn't want to drop that earring in again.