A/N: As a romance story this will be a bit of a slow burn. Later parts will include sex but it tends to be less graphic than stories I post in other categories.
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After I retired I decided there were two things I wouldn't continue to do. One was washing my cars by hand and the other was cleaning house. I've always had a neat, clean house and, as a bachelor, usually impressed dates who visited. They were surprised a bachelor kept such a clean house, and several asked if I used a service, which I didn't.
But now it was time. I hired a local company and Brenda did a great job. She came every four weeks on Thursday afternoon. Until she disappeared.The company didn't contact me to say there had been a change until four months later. Then I got an email - not even a phone call - wondering why I had stopped my cleanings. I told them I hadn't, they had without any communication. They tried to get me to start up again but I explained I don't do business with such unprofessional companies.
So I went back to cleaning my cabin myself. Then I saw an ad on tv for a cleaning service. They offered a very low price for the initial cleaning and a reasonable fee for ongoing service. It was obvious they worked on the same business model as ride share companies do - all independent contractors who were shown appointment requests online and accepted the ones they wanted.
The first cleaner who accepted my first appointment withdrew within minutes. The next one texted me the day before the appointment saying she had to reschedule due to car trouble. The next one actually showed up but not before asking me to reschedule. He did the same thing a month later. Then he withdrew. The next one accepted then claimed a family emergency the night before the appointment. We agreed to same time the following week but when he went online to update the appointment it 'somehow' charged me, but he assured me he'd be here. Until the night before when I got notified he had refunded my payment and wouldn't show up.
The company apologized profusely, via email. It was then that I discovered they had no contact info on their website whatsoever. No phone number, email, or Contact Us link. My only means was to reply to their email, which assured me they would block all the cleaners I'd had issues with from ever seeing any of my future appointments. And if I'd give them some additional available days and times they would put out a Priority request to local cleaners.
I did that and the day before the last date I'd provided I got a form email asking me to submit additional days and times. I declined, but left standing the original monthly appointment which was two weeks out at that point.
Ji-woo finally accepted the appointment and much to my surprise she actually showed up, on time and prepared to work. A very pleasant woman of Korean and American heritage, her father being a soldier of mixed ethnicity and her mother a native to Korea. He was part of the forces that served in South Korea well after the cease fire, as Ji-woo was only forty five, far to young to have been conceived during the M*A*S*H era.
I showed her around the cabin, pointing out areas that would need little to no attention, such as the acrylic shower/tub in the all bath which hadn't been used in almost three years. I spray it down once in a while just to rinse off the dust. She set to work and three hours later she announced she had finished. It's a small enough place that I didn't have to inspect - I'd seen her as she cleaned each room. I was pleased with her work and tipped her an extra twenty dollars in cash. I told her I had booked monthly appointments and she promised to check for the next one and snatch it up before anyone else could.
Over the next few appointments Ji, as she asked me to call her, proved herself to be reliable and thorough. We also chatted when in the same room and got to know one another somewhat. She was a single mother who had raised her son alone since his father walked out on them when the boy was less than two. She'd worked a variety of menial jobs to support them and when this opportunity came along it was a blessing. Housekeepers in the local hotels earned barely more than minimum wage, while the thirty dollars per hour I was charged all went to her. She did have travel time between cleanings and mileage expenses but that was tax-deductible. And many clients tipped in cash rather than through the website, which allowed her to declare what she chose to. Ji was very honest but admitted that if the taxes were too big a burden she might 'forget' to list some cash tips.
Over time I learned that Ji can mean wisdom or intellect while woo is usually considered to mean abundant. As we continued to chat and interact I learned her name - abundant wisdom - perfectly described Ji. She had a slight accent as she came to the U.S. as an infant. The little accent she had was likely acquired from her mother and the Koreans she talked with in markets and social situations. Her mother had insisted that she learn Korean as well as English and Ji was eternally grateful she had.
When the new year rolled around my Social Security checks increased due to COLA - the cost of living adjustment. Since my pension income covered all my living expenses, my SS mostly went to savings after adding one thousand additional principal to my mortgage payments in order to pay the cabin off earlier. So the additional COLA amount wasn't needed and was sufficient to cover a second cleaning each month. I asked Ji is she had availability and interest in moving to every two weeks rather than four and she lit up like a Christmas tree. I was already the only client she had on Tuesday afternoons, and I was just a reasonably short drive from her Tuesday morning assignments most weeks.
Ji showed up two weeks later as scheduled. By now she knew to just let herself in through the mudroom door which I always left unlocked. She would always poke her head through the door and call out "Mr. Tate, I'm me, Ji!" and I humored her by calling back "Please come in, Ji!" She would bring in her tools and supplies and immediately set to work. Most visits she would finish in two to two and a half hours, although I paid for three. I was fine with that - I knew if the place were somehow a major mess one time she'd stay until it was right and still only charge the agreed-upon three hours.
With the extra contact from bi-weekly visits we got to know each other even better. Having already talked about our backgrounds and the like we now shifted into discussions on politics, cultures, food, travel, books, movies and a host of other topics. I found myself thoroughly enjoying our conversations and missing her on the weeks she didn't clean.
The next time she came I noticed she had dressed differently. The slightly baggy pants she usually wore had been replaced by fitted jeans that showcased her taut little butt. On top was a t-shirt I felt comfortable was a size too small for her. It encased her torso, showing off a flat abdomen and clinging to her small, pert breasts which I estimated as A-cups.
"Ji, I hope this isn't too personal, but do you have a date this evening?"
She laughed and said, "Mr. Tate, I haven't had a date since my ex-husband. Why do you ask?"
"Your outfit isn't what you normally wear to clean. It's very attractive so I thought you might be meeting a suitor."
