Postman knocks on the door.
- Hi Ken! I have a delivery to Miss Kaarna.- Oh! It’s big! I wonder what that is… How are you? What’s up at the Post?
- Just awful. Too much work since there’s only a few of us left. Overtime every day and too busy all the time. By the way… it would really make our work easier if you guys had surnames.
- Okay, I’ll move on. Have a great day!
- Thanks, you too!
- Who has sent you a late Christmas present?!
- Nobody. I ordered it myself. A brand new iMac.
- Amazing!!! Excellent!!!
- No, it’s not. I hate it already. Everything is different and I have to learn it all from the start. It costs so much that all the money from the illustrations is already wasted on this machine. And it’s ugly too…
- Ahhhhhhh, hello to you too!!! Will you be my new best friend? Ahh, look at this package design, Ken. Always so stylish! Luckily the keyboard and the mouse are beautiful. Only the computer is ugly.
Ken says:
- It’s so thin! Unbelievable that they can fit everything inside of this…
Kaarna interrupts him:
- Ken. Now you have to leave me alone. I will become a raging maniac when I start to study this thing.
- I’ll go to Hector’s. Please eat something before you turn on the computer.
- After all the things you have done for me over the years, this is nothing. I’m glad to be able to pay you back somehow.
- I know. You are too kind a person.
- I need to come up with a surname for me and Kaarna. Any ideas?
- You are Remontti-Häyrinen, and Kaarna is Murhekääryle!
- Hahaa. No, although those would be very descriptive. Besides we want the same name for us both, since we feel like being a family.
- This would be so much easier if Hector came to stay with us until the leg is well.
- Everything is almost the same as before! I thought they changed the operating system completely, but no. The only thing that makes me go crazy is Photoshop. It’s become too complicated and I was an asshole and accidentally chose the Finnish version. The translations are stupid and I can’t really know where to find which command.
- I’m so relieved to hear that. Listen, I’ll order pizza. I’m really tired and I don’t want to start to cook at this hour.
- Wow… it’s already half past five… where did the day disappear to?
- Hector gave me this idea. He orders food at home sometimes now.
- Mmmmm, pepperoni. It’s been ages since we last had pizza. Thanks, Hector.
Ken has a mouth full of pizza, but he says:
-
Running back and forth like this is pretty annoying actually. I’m
thinking of asking Hector to stay with us for a while. How would you
feel about that?
- Fine by me. He can sleep in my room. I’ll sleep at Mari’s place quite often anyway.
In the next morning before Ken goes to pick Hector up, he asks Kaarna to draw the floor plan of their building.
The housing co-operative is planning on moving on to the modern era and building indoor toilets!
Hector wouldn’t really want to come stay with Ken and Kaarna, but because he always puts other people’s needs before his own, he agrees on Ken’s suggestion.
Sulo on the other hand is thrilled about getting to live with the fun Auntie Kaarna!
- Do you need help with your shoe?
- Yes, please. Thank you Ken.
- Are you comfy there? Would you like to lay down before lunch?
- I’m fine, thank you, Ken.
- I’ll take your bags to Kaarna’s room.
- Thank you Ken.
When Ken drags Hector’s bags upstairs, he realizes that Hector can’t limp up and down the stairs. He must be accomodated downstairs, in Ken’s bed.
Ken’s bed is of excellent quality and Hector worries if Ken’s back would not be ok when having to sleep on the floor.
- Are you really sure about this? Hector asks and Ken assures:
- Of course. I’ll take the mattress from Herbert. It’s a good one too.
- Thank you, Ken. Kaarna, please don’t let Sulo lick your face.
- But I like it! Now I’ll take him for a long walk! The weather is amazing!
- Thank you, Kaarna.
- For fuck’s sake Hector! Say ”thank you” one more time and I will smack you!
Ken and Elisabet are in the storage closet under the stairs, and they think it’ll make a great toilet. Ken demonstrates the pooping.
The plumbing work will be expensive and since they have to build two toilets, they decide to use second hand materials as much as they possibly can. This toilet will be shared by Ken, Kaarna and Filia.
In the next morning Ken wakes up well rested on the floor:
- Good morning, Kaarna. Did you sleep well?
- No. You snored like a pig all night.
- Really? Gross. I’ve become a disgusting elderly person.
Elisabet is a pro in hunting great finds on online market places and swapping sites and from her numerous acquaintances.
- I got a toilet seat and a sink already. They are almost new and I changed them for horse back riding lessons. Here, you take the sink. The seat is already in our toilet.
- Wow, great!
- I need to run to the stables now, see you later!
Naturally Filia hears that something is happening in the hallway. Ken explains what’s going on and asks:
- If you have any things that you don’t need and that might be useful for us, can you donate them for this project?
- I have everything anyone can ever need, Filia says.
- Cool, just leave them here on the floor, if you can.
A bit later Filia has filled the hallway with this and that. Ken and Kaarna go through them to find anything useful.
- Tons of useless crap, Kaarna laughs.
- Look, kids’ helmet and a rubber chicken!
Their laughter brings Filia back downstairs and Ken has to say to her that this really is not what he meant.
- We can help you carry all this stuff back to your home.
- Ha! They are yours now! You asked for them! I’m not taking them back!
Kaarna disappears and leaves Ken alone to communicate with Filia.
- What I actually meant was renovation stuff like paints and wallpapers, Ken says and tries to survive this situation with humor:
- Or a toilet seat, ha ha ha.
- Why didn’t you say that in the first place? Come upstairs, strong girl. I normally don’t let anyone in my home, but now you can come.
Filia guides Ken to her apartment. Ken is stunned by the amount of random stuff everywhere. Filia moves effortless in the middle of it all.
- Stay on the path. Try not to knock the piles over. Everything is well organized here.
Ken tries to be extremely careful, but still he drops this and that when he sneaks forward on the narrow path between the piles of junk.
Filia knows precisely where the wallpapers are and while she digs them out she tells Ken to sit down.
- Um… where can I sit…?
- Pick up the disco ball. There’s a toilet seat under it. Isn’t that what you needed?
Ken looks around in awe and tries not to say anything that might offend Filia. And just as miraculously as Filia handed Ken two rolls of cute floral wallpaper, she places a silver tray on his knees and serves him some (not very hot) tea in a silver cup.
- Now we girls enjoy some afternoon tea and I will tell you about Pappos Elvis and our beautiful home village.
When Ken finally can leave Filia, he tells the others about his visit upstairs.
- I knew she’s a hoarder, but I couldn’t imagine what that really means. It was… it was exactly like in the American documentaries. Those people really exist!
Hector comments:
- Homes like that make a serious fire safety risk.
Ken continues:
- She actually had a spare toilet seat up there! It’s clean and working, even if it’s from the 90s. And I got all the wallpapers I need! And a mirror! I wonder what other treasures there are.
- A whole flock of rubber chickens, maybe, Kaarna giggles.