He read the manual. Once. Briefly.

The AC stopped working sometime between last night’s fireworks and this morning’s sunrise. I know this because I woke up at seven AM sweating through my sheets, which is not the Fourth of July aftermath I had planned for. Jake, to his enormous credit, was already up and staring at the unit with the focused expression of a man who has watched exactly one YouTube tutorial and considers himself ready.

He read the manual. Once. Briefly.

That was two hours ago. The manual has since been unfolded, refolded incorrectly, and spread back out on the floor. He found the flashlight function on his phone. He said the phrase ‘okay so the issue might be the coils’ with complete conviction. I handed him a glass of water, retreated to the kitchen, and pressed mine against my face like a person of sense. After everything this apartment’s heating system put us through last winter, I thought we were done negotiating with the HVAC. Apparently July had other ideas.

the AC repairman has not made progress. the ice water has.

For what it’s worth, yesterday was genuinely perfect — the tamales, everyone crammed into the living room, Abuela Rosa’s recipes doing exactly what food is supposed to do. I’m still thinking about it. Today is a slightly sweatier follow-up chapter. Jake just announced he ‘thinks he found it,’ which historically means he has found a thing, not necessarily the right thing. I’m refilling my water. Updates to follow.