Tenants of the World, Unite

Author：Zhi Ni

A loud banging on the door jolted me awake at 5:30 a.m.

I opened the door and saw Irene Williams, the elderly lady from next door. She wore a faded dress and a shawl over her shoulders. Her wrinkled face was contorted as she said, “Margot, the toilet is clogged. Please take a look.”

What a farce. What did she expect me to see?

Did she want me to marvel at her handiwork and commend her for a job well done?

I said, “The toilet is clogged; why are you pounding on my door? You should unclog it yourself.”

Irene gave me a fleeting glance and said, "I don’t know how."

She uttered it with such conviction; as if I was destined to unclog toilets for her.

I said, "I don’t know how to fix it either."

Then Irene said, "The toilet was broken. Don't you need it later?

(1)

I took a deep breath. Indeed, I needed to use the toilet later.

This was a two-bedroom apartment. When I rented the place, only a woman in her thirties lived in the next room.