Condo repairs Soap Opera

I can't really say that things are going well with the condo repairs. After spending several days searching for tiles I liked, nothing seems to be happening.

Eliseo the builder seemed to get more and more strange as the days went on. He didn't seem to be able to tell me when he would come to my place to start work, so as per Murphy's Law, every time I went out, he'd arrive and phone me to ask why I wasn't there. I'd wait home for hours or days, sometimes he'd come late in the afternoon and complain that he wasn't getting the money he needed to buy materials.

Then the begging started - could I just lend him 100 pesos for x or x? Then the complaints - "I'm hungry, I have no money for food". The phone calls stopped because he had no phone credit. But every day he'd turn up eventually, but didn't get started. I had bought some bathroom towel rails and door stoppers, he had to borrow a drill but eventually he managed to get them fitted. I think I could have done it myself faster if I'd known who to borrow the drill from. What kind of a builder doesn't have a drill?

The last time I saw him was Friday afternoon, he arrived with a shopping bag filled with brushes, rollers and drop sheets, and a can of paint. He brought them in, whined about how hot it was, then demanded "Agua". "Por favor" I added, although I don't think he got it. He wanted money to buy something else, when I refused saying that it wasn't up to me to buy the materials, he left to see the RE agent again.

He returned several hours later and whined some more about how he didn't get his money. By this time I had a headache and was really over him, so I told him that he needed to get things sorted out, and not to come back until he had. And that he needed to treat me with respect or I'd have someone else do the work.

At that, he picked out a brush, opened the tin and started painting the timber railing. I couldn't work it out, so I just went back to my book. But the peace didn't last long. Within 20 minutes he was closing the tin and telling me that he couldn't work because he was so hungry his stomach hurt, he was going home. I asked what about the 9 eggs I gave you yesterday? No, they are gone and now I'm starving. I reckon if I'd eaten 9 eggs I'd be full for a week. but I wasn't about to argue and let him go. After he left I checked the railings; he had painted the fronts but not the sides of the rails. A very half-hearted job, and he hadn't cleaned the brush so I think it's probably ruined.

The next day the RE agent called in to see me. He explained that he was a good worker but he has "some problems". Yeah, like I kinda guessed that! He said he'd sort it out and get the work started again.

So now it's Monday 1pm. No sign of anyone, no phone calls. I'm not sure whether to stay at home or not. Maybe I should just go out, he'll be sure to turn up then!