Hot water?

So I'm still waiting for hot water to be turned on in my apartment. For the last couple of days, I have kept thinking--today is the day, I am going to have hot water. Unfortunately, the last two mornings have been like so many that have preceded it. I roll over in bed, just to hear the sound of a bucket of water splashing as it is poured out in the tub. With the sound, my heart sinks a little and my hopes for hot water are slowly chipped away.

Even still, when it comes my turn to shower, I keep thinking that maybe it will turn hot if I just wait a minute. I reach for the hot water knob, and slowly stick my hand out. Freezing cold. I take pans of hot water off the stove, pour two into a bucket, mix them with cold water, and set the third and sometimes fourth to the side. As I empty the first bucket, and pour the other pans in, I reach for the knob a second time, hoping against hope that suddenly hot water will come pouring out. Instead, all I feel is icy liquid pour forth. Tomorrow, I think, tomorrow will bring hot water. This thought is sometimes replaced by: I give up. There will never be hot water again. But I live to face another day and another shower--hoping, simply hoping.

In better news, I bought some new soap, and it smells shower fresh! For the first time, I walked away from the shower feeling like I smelled like something other than Russian water. Refreshing...