Avoidance is futile; you will be Frau-inated

The Frau cornered me last week and asked how things were going. She didn't have my new (now 7 months old) phone number. I told her things were fine, except for a small drip in the tub. After the lecture about how much water is wasted by a leaky faucet, I gave her my cell number and ran off to work. She called a few days later and I didn't call her back. Then she called on Saturday at 8:30ish. I avoided her by going off to Stitch n Bitch. After Stitch n Bitch, I avoided her some more by going to the office. Every time I mentioned to someone that I was avoiding my landlady, I got the same response--"Rent due?" NO! People, for the record, I have never not paid my rent and only a handful of times have I been late, but that was in my 20's. I think frequent readers will understand that I avoid the Frau because she is simply a pain in the ass.

However, her second call on Saturday was ridiculously annoying "There is water downstairs and if you don't answer my call, you're going to have to move!" What? I have to move because she can't repair things properly? So, I went home to meet the Frau and deal with her nonsense head-on. Nonsense, indeed. As usual, the mysterious leaks downstairs have nothing to do with my apartment. I suspect pipes are leaking between the floors or in the walls (as was the case with my bathroom sink, which necessitated new pipes). She came in, looked at my tub, decided I needed a new faucet, checked the kitchen sink, saw no leaks, and left. She's coming back today while I'm out, so at least I avoid another "you need to clean" lecture. However, I'm sure I'll have a mess to clean up when I get home.

On another note, I feel kind of bad for the Frau. Her knees are messed up (cartilage is gone) and my apartment is upstairs. On Saturday, she struggled to get up and down. I wanted to carry her. She's having surgery soon, so I expect some blissfully Frau-free months while she's in recovery. Still, I felt bad for her as it looked really painful to climb the stairs, and because she was nice to me, leaving me to suspect she has a good heart in there somewhere. Oh Frau, tugging at my heartstrings with your bad knees...I'm an old softy.