Summer's Lease

Chapter 2-1

Chapter 2

One of the first things Mitch saw on entering cottage six was the empty wine bottle in the sink. He recognised it immediately as one Morwenna used for the evil brew she called elderflower wine. If the city guy had drunk the lot, no wonder he’d been behaving like a moron the previous evening. Mitch had only tried Morwenna’s wine once and had had a headache for days. But then, he never was one for drink even though it didn’t leave him intoxicated. He guessed his rapid metabolism processed the alcohol before it had a chance to affect him.

Closing the back door, he took the stairs to the upper storey two at a time, remembering to duck his head as he ascended.

A quick look at the faucet confirmed what Morwenna had said. The bathroom was old, probably from the 1920s. The faucets were stiff to operate and prone to dripping. He’d tried to persuade Morwenna to modernise the cottages and thus be able to charge more rent, but she was convinced the vacationers liked the rustic experience. Mitch had done rustic and basic for most of his life and now preferred the comfort and convenience that modernity brought.

Getting the top of the faucet loose took a fair bit of strength, even for him. The stubborn son-of-a-b***h had probably not been off since World War Two. “Or maybe even One,” he grunted, the thing finally coming free. “f**k!” He was drenched in a torrent of water—he’d forgotten to turn off the water at the main shut-off-valve.

Judging it quicker to shut off the water at its source in the kitchen rather than wrestle the faucet back together, Mitch ran downstairs, forgot about the low ceiling, and hit his head. Seeing stars, he made his way to the kitchen, pulled out the crap in the cupboard under the sink and reached for the handle, which, of course, was stiff. Pulling his head out of the cupboard Mitch felt droplets of water falling on him. A quick look up confirmed his worst fears. Water was seeping from the ceiling.

“God damn it!”

Trudging upstairs, Mitch pulled off his sodden plaid shirt, knowing he had some major clean up to do. Why the hell hadn’t he shut off the supply first? That was basic plumbing. He could only put his lapse down to being rattled at the new guy’s presence. And that was dumb. Morwenna had had other guests come to stay. Heck, he lived in a hamlet of vacation cottages. It was just the sight of the guy had stirred something that was better left unstirred.