It Was Not My Eyes Leaking This Time

My mad moment of the week, which somehow I forgot to mention before now.

I was at work last week – either Thursday or Friday – it must have been Friday. It was probably some time around four o’clock in the afternoon because I had done all the work there was to do and I was waiting for clients to call in.

I heard a strange creaking noise above me. It seemed to be the ceiling. It is quite a high ceiling. The building is old…I don’t know how old, I am guessing Victorian. We occupy the ground floor and the enormous basement below – which I think would make an amazing night club. Not that I would want to work in a night club – not my scene – been there, done that. One of my uncles owned a night club out in Tenerife or Ibiza –  can’t remember which, I will ask my Dadda when I see him next week. I think it was Tenerife.

Anyway…back to work…

….so it started with the ceiling creaking, and then a while later I heard a soft thud several times in a row.

It was water, drips were landing on my scarf which I had draped over a chair. I looked up and realized water was drip drip dripping from the ceiling and it was coming through one of the light fittings.

I immediately called my manager and then the owner of the company. My manager advised me which business operated above us. I had to lock up our entrance and wander along to their reception area which is further down the road (it is a very big building that houses several businesses).

I walked into the reception of this other business which is on the ground floor, below a stairwell that leads up to the rooms and offices above. I told them where I worked and explained that water was coming through our ceiling and that they were above us.

The female receptionist looked startled. The male receptionist looked alarmed and bolted up the stairs. I told the female receptionist that I was going to head back to our premises and asked if someone could come and see for themselves what was happening in our office.

About fifteen minutes later, the male receptionist came to see what was happening. He said that so far they had not been able to identify the source of the water but they were going to ask their handyman to get on the case. He looked up at the water dripping from our ceiling. I asked him if it was dangerous.

He said: “No, I am pretty sure the ceiling won’t cave in.”

To which I gave him a “not impressed” look, and said said that it was actually the water coming through an electric fitting situation that I was concerned about.

Well, he went back to his business. I asked if they could keep me updated as I needed to report back to my manager, and said if I had not heard them before we closed, I would come back to see them when I locked up our premises. I decided to move anything important out of the office and into another room we use which had some storage space free.

Nobody came back. I emptied the bucket and placed it back under the dripping water. One of the men who work for the company I am employed by said he was going to be nipping in later that evening and I had asked him to check on the dripping water and make sure the bucket didn’t overflow.

I went back to the reception of the business that occupy most of the floor above us. Nobody was at reception but there was a bell to ring. I rang it and waited for a couple of minutes before ringing the bell again. A man appeared at the top of the stairs and told me to take a seat and that someone would come as soon as they were available. I had places to be, people to see, I quickly retorted, “I can’t wait, I need to go, all I need to know is has the water leak been sorted out?”

Then the male receptionist popped his head round the corner and claimed that it had been sorted out.

I told them that water was still dripping through the ceiling. The gentleman at the top of the stairs said I didn’t need to worry. “It’s historical now.”

I asked him what that meant.

“The water leak is historical. It’s over. We have sorted it out.”

I asked him plainly, “so I can tell my manager that despite the water still dripping through the ceiling, you have sorted it out?”

“Yes” he said confidently.

“Thank you, I will let her know.” I turned around and walked out of their reception area muttering under my breath, “Historical? More like hysterical! Thanks for being so helpful!”

Anyway…the good news is the ceiling has not caved in. But it’s up to management to deal with the whole situation now.

I am too much of a softie to deal with men trying to fob me off with nonsense.