Sarah groaned. “Flatmate. She’s a menace.”
“Not again,” she muttered.
“There’s your culprit,” he said, holding it up like a trophy. “Congealed cooking fat, rice, and what looks like a teaspoon. How’d that get in there?”
The flatmate replied with a single crying-laughing emoji.
Tane laughed, then reached for a high-pressure water jetter. “We’ll flush the whole line to be safe. Don’t want roots finding their way in later.”
Cost: $290. Emergency call-out included.
By Wednesday morning, the stench of decay had seeped into the hallway. Sarah tried the plunger until her arms ached. Then she tried baking soda and vinegar, a YouTube solution that promised miracles but delivered only fizz and disappointment. The water level didn't budge.
She called a local drain unblocking company at 8 a.m. “Auckland Drain Doctors,” the voice on the line said cheerfully. “We’ll have someone there by ten.”
