I'm in Love with a Plumber

Chapter 1

I'm In Love with a Plumber

Rule Number One:
Professional plumbers put up advertisements in the newspaper or on TV,
NOT the women's bathroom door.

oOo

"Are you there yet? Is the cab driver driving safely? Does the neighborhood look decent?"

"Yes, yes, and yes!" an auburn haired girl cried exasperatedly into the phone. "Onii-chan, I'm only moving out on my own. Stop treating me like I'm some helpless little girl!"

"I'm not treating you like a helpless little girl," the person on the other line answered curtly. "I'm treating you like a naïve little girl."

She scoffed under her breath, not appreciating the comment at all. She was anything but naïve. She was not naïve!

"I am not naïve!" she screamed into the phone. "I am 21 years old, and, whether you accept it or not, I am now an adult."

"Whatever. Just call me when you get there."

"Just for that—" she stuck her tongue out at the phone; pretending that it was her brother's face, "—I'm not going to call you."

The nerve of that man to call her childish.

"Mister, am I naïve or childish to you?" she turned to ask the cab driver.

The man took his eyes off the road for a second to give her a really strange look. "Pardon?"

She sighed quietly and said, "Never mind."

Being 21 years old, I'm the most unfortunate person on the face of this planet. My Okaa-san passed away when I was three years old, so I grew up in an atmosphere with only a father and a brother. My father tried to spend as much time with us as he could when we were growing up, but his job called for a lot of his time. My brother and I lived with our aunt during the times that our father wasn't around the house. Touya became a controlling, overprotective freak when I was old enough to understand what made guys different from girls.

I have never had a boyfriend (and I wonder whose fault that is). I don't know what a first kiss, or any kiss for that matter, is like. I don't know anything about dating, because I've never dated before. I've seen my girlfriends fall up and down over men and, frankly, I don't want to end up drying my tears with one box of tissues after another.

I've never thought of my future. My life long plan used to be: get a high school degree, go to college, get myself a decent career after graduation, start a family of my own, and then enjoy retirement days. Somehow, I ended up quitting after three years of college and moved back home to live under my family's support.

But that was going to change soon. Starting with today, I—Kinomoto Sakura—will start to make something out of my life.

Why am I so motivated of a sudden?

Well, you know the saying that goes like, 'you won't know what your youth has been missing until you realize you only have a tiny amount of time left'? No, I didn't find out that I have cancer or anything like that. I found out something much worse; even worse than death itself.

"This is it."

Sakura snapped out of her thoughts and quickly turned to look outside the window. She pushed the door open and stood in front of the car, gazing up at the building before her, taking in a very deep breath.

"Well, Sakura..." she whispered to herself. "This is it! This is your new home."

She glanced at the building again, and then turned to the driver with a pleading look in her eyes, hoping that it was some sort of mistake. "Are you sure this is the right place?" she asked.