Patience is the Best Virtue.

In a small, square room leading off to the side of the upstairs landing was our bathroom. It was pretty bog standard (excuse the pun), on one wall we had the bath which took up a third of the room, a sink in the middle under the window and the toilet on the wall opposite the bath. We were getting a new bathroom fitted.

Mum had wanted the update for a long time now that she could not hide her excitement. She had chose the colour of the bath and had co-ordinated all the fixtures and fittings to make everything perfect.

The anticipation of delivery, for the goods was unbearable for mum, everyday she would ask dad "When is the delivery going to come?" or "How long will it take the fitter to install everything?". Dad just kept saying be patient it will be soon.

When the delivery did finally arrive dad contacted his fitter and asked him how long it would take and what it would cost. Once everything was agreed dad told mum.

"My friends husband fits bathrooms and he said he could do it cheaper and quicker" mum said to dad whilst eating lunch.

"No way, I have met him and he is not a professional fitter, he is just a handy man who does odd jobs here and there" dad replied "Don't worry my fitter is good and he will get the job done properly, be patient".

The children were excited too, we had heard so much about the new bathroom that we too were eager for it to be installed and seeing the old bath in the skip just increased our enthusiasm.

Everything had started off really well but then a hitch occurred, dad had got the measurements of the bath incorrect and the bath was too long for the room. The fitter had already gone home and so work had stopped, luckily it was only the bath left to fit as the toilet and sink had already been installed but mum was devastated and kept telling dad that if her friends husband had done it, he would have finished by now and managed to fit the bath in. Dad just kept saying it won't take that long once the bath has been exchanged.

The next day while dad was out mum decided to take matters in her own hands to rectify the situation so she called on her friend for help. An hour later the friends husband arrived to fit the bath.

In the evening we all waited downstairs for dad to come home, mum was beside herself with worry.

"What will your dad say?" she kept asking us, not really expecting us to answer. We all sat there waiting.

"It's ok, the bath will be delivered tommorow and the fitter will fit it on the same day" dad came in the house shouting for mum to hear. She just burst into tears.

Dad walked into the the room and asked mum "Whats the matter why are you crying" he was really concerned.

"Umm, when you went I contacted my friend who sent her husband to install the bath" mum said through the tears.

"How?, the bath is too long it won't fit".

"I just thought it won't hurt to try" mum said and took dad upstairs to see the bathroom.

There was a pile of rubble in the hallway and as it turned out mum was right, the handy man did manage to fit the bath in but because the bath was too long he had made a hole in the wall to make it fit. So all you could see standing on the landing was the rim of the bath poking out of the wall.

It was such a sight that all dad could do was laugh. Mum promised never to take matters into her own hands again. Next day Dad's fitter took out the long bath and plasterboarded the wall.