"STACY! S-T-A-C-Y."
There I was again. Sitting in my black car in the scorching Florida heat with my window down, yelling at the guard to the gated community of Squire Hill.
"I can't seem to find a Stacy here..."
"I work for Sammy's Pet Care, Sammy is the owner. My name is Stacy."
Every time I had to go to Squire Hill for a pet sitting gig, it was an onerous task. And for this guarded community of 70+ year old retirees, the guards took their job way too seriously. Of course it didn't help that in the land of Lexuses and Buicks, here I am, in my 20s, dinged up old hatchback, cut off black tee shirt, kinky hair, Arab nose...
"Ah, now I found it! Sammy's Pet Care. But you're Stacy?"
Face palm. I hand him a business card for Sammy's Pet Care and explain again.
"Oh, okay, you work for them. And you're going to the Cooper's house. Okay, you can go through."
Phew. Off I went - three speed bumps later and up a huge hill, there was the Cooper's "mansion." Just your standard large home, large fenced-in yard, and of course, for safety, cameras everywhere. As much as I love being a vouyeur myself, I'm not much of a fan of being watched.
One of the guards, John, actually is hired by the Coopers to stay in their home while they are away. Then what is my job, you ask? I was hired for the important task of walking their new, hyper puppy Riley. Riley is a Springer Spaniel and described by Mrs. Cooper as "autistic." For rich people who have it all, I suppose they get some kind of rise out of taking care of animals with deficiencies. And hiring an army to take care of them.
I enter the house with a Ring camera on me - I know they are watching my every footstep, angering me. I saw John's Mini Cooper in the driveway, so I knew he was probably doing the usual - lounging on the couch after his shift surrounded by the dogs. John is what made my job semi-tolerable - although to me, he was untouchable. Great body, tall, nice hair, and that smile - maybe part of being a greeter to Squire Hill, but I could pretend it was sincere. As I walked in, this time he jumped up from the couch.