The plumbers informed Ken that the main water pipes are almost 40 years old and in a really bad condition and should be replaced all together. The house co-operative has no choice but to act before a disaster happens. Ken and Elisabet need to sit down and start making calculations and plans. They need to find a constructor and an engineer. Ken hates this kind of work.
- Hey, you haven’t seen Mari at all lately. Is everything ok?
- She’s in a bad mood because of her broken hand. I can’t stand her. She’s acting like a bitch.
- Maybe she needs your help? Shouldn’t you be there for her when she’s having a hard time?
- Hell no. I’m protecting myself. That bad mood of hers is contagious. It spreads like a virus.
It’s the day of the Presidental Election.
Ken, Kaarna and Hector have given their votes and they are confident that their candidate will make it to the second round.
Sulo is not interested in politics, but the donuts that Hector has bought are very tempting!
Ken tries to take a moment with his book before heading for errands. He usually needs a lot of silence and alone time. Especially now when he has so much to take care of and stress about the upcoming big pipe repair.
Hector on the other hand is a very social person, and naturally fills the room with talking.
Ken really loves him, but his constant blabbering is sometimes overwhelming.
Ken notices that he can’t find privacy even in the toilet, because as soon as he closes the door, he hears Filia yelling in the hallway:
- I will pee in my pants if you don’t come out now!
- Go to the outhouse, please. I’m not ready yet…
Ken sees that Kaarna really has created a piece of toilet art and put it on the wall.
- Oh heavens… a photo of a turd with a snorkle. I’m living in a madhouse.
- So frustrating, Ken sighs.
He tries to spend the waiting time wisely while Hector’s mother is seeing a doctor. He is calling to various constructors, but they all seem to be too busy to take the plumbing job.
After leaving the hospital there still is the usual grocery shopping left to do and it will be dark before they get back home.
Ken is crying when he returns home in the evening.
- I almost killed your mother, he stutters.
Ken tells Hector how in a crossroads another car came from the right and Ken just kept on driving. It was all thanks to the other driver’s reflexes that they didn’t crash. Hector is a bit terrified but he stays calm and says:
- You only almost killed my mother, but nothing really happened and nobody got hurt. Don’t worry.
- It was dark and I’m so tired. I can’t drive in the darkness anymore, Ken cries.
Ken is so ashamed, but Hector has seen how he’s under a lot of pressure with the renovation, his duties at the housing co-operative and taking care of both Hector and his mother.
- You have handled everything so well, I’m very proud of you and really thankful. And soon this all will be over, when I’ll get rid of the cast.
Hector says to Ken:
- Have some cake! I ordered it from Lotta’s and she just delivered it here herself!
- You’re such a feeder, Hector.
- I’m sending you to the “My 600-lb Life” eventually! Hector laughs and Ken manages to smile too.
Hector:
- Have you guys seen the gallups? One third of the voters think that it’s a problem that Mr. Haavisto has a husband!
Ken:
- Don’t read the news! I don’t want to know! The world is evil and I can’t handle it!
Kaarna:
- Those fucking dickheads shouldn’t even be allowed to vote.
Hector will finally get rid of the leg cast and since it’s a big day for all of them, he takes Ken and Kaarna to Lotta’s cafeteria for a dessert before Ken drives him to the hospital.
As always there is so much to choose from but traditionally on the 5th of February they all decide to enjoy a Runeberg torte.
The cups are always too small for Hector and Kaarna says:
- All you have to do is bring a mug of your own! What’s the problem?
- I could never offend Lotta like that.
- Bollocks.
While Ken and Hector are in the hospital, Kaarna officially opens the sun bathing season with Sulo. It’s -14°C (6,8°F) and the sun has finally reached the point where it shines on the home yard for half an hour!
Hector finally has two legs and he’s super happy:
- The leg is stiff, but I think I can do all the normal stuff again.
- Thank heavens. So my duties are over! I am definitely not a nurturing type. That I have learned now. I’m going to do absolutely nothing tomorrow!
- Erm… there’s still something I wish you would do, Hector says.
Hector’s last task for Ken:
- I want you to let someone else take care of you now. Go to a hotel, eat well, take a hot bath and sleep in a huge bed. In the morning enjoy a buffet breakfeast. I’m paying.
- Hector… you really don’t have to reward me!
- I don’t, but I want to.
It's the finals of the ”Who Wants To Be a President” game. The little optimist inside of Ken hopes for the best, even if the odds are against it.
Ken hesitates to open the TV:
- I’m not sure if I want to see this. I wouldn’t like to be disappointed and devastated when I go to bed.
- Nonsense. Our president has so little power that it’s not the end of the world if Stubb wins. We just survived 12 years with another capitalist president.
The seasonal buns (laskiaispulla) help Ken to handle the final result of the voting.
- I’ve become so old, Ken thinks when he looks at himself in the mirror. All the stress can make a person grow older sooner than expected.
It’s time for a relaxing mini vacation in a spa hotel at Ken’s home town.
Because this spa is actually a Hell on Earth and mainly for the children, Ken plans to isolate himself in his room and enjoy a private jacuzzi.
The one thing that Ken always misses from his years in Spain is a bath tub. The feeling when he lays down in the hot water is just the best!
Showers have replaced tubs in Finnish homes and hotels decades ago. This is why Ken chose this hotel today - they have jacuzzis in the bathrooms.
Ken doesn’t turn on the bubbling effect because it’s too noisy and makes relaxing impossible. Right now he need total silence.
Ken orders unhealthy food from the restaurant downstairs and turns off his phone.
The complete peace of spending an evening alone with a book is exactly what he needed!
The buffet breakfast is really good!
Ken doesn’t normally eat sweet things in the morning, but now he does!
And he also smuggles an eclair in his pocket to eat later at home.