As I drank my morning coffee, ready to head for the office, I looked out the window at my back yard, not knowing what to do about the tall grass, the bushes growing out of control. When I bought this house back in January, I somehow imagined I'd never have to deal with these things that were completely out of my experience. But now that it was July, I was in over my head.
I should back up a little. My name is Cassie, and I'm a 26-year-old single professional - an accountant, to be exact. I had moved from my parents' condo in the city, to my dorm at college, to an apartment during grad school, directly into this perfect little house in the suburbs. It was a great investment, and a nice quiet getaway from the hustle and bustle of my downtown office, but I had absolutely no experience with taking care of a house.
Luckily, everything inside had been updated by the previous owners, so it would likely be years before any work would need to be done. Unfortunately, though, the grass and trees weren't being so cooperative - they were expecting attention, even though I didn't have a clue. Oh, and did I mention that I didn't own even a pair of pruning shears, not to mention a lawnmower? And, just to top it all off, neighbors who expected things to be well tended? I would have to deal with this one way or another, couldn't just let it slide.
A thump on the front porch interrupted my train of thought - the newspaper had arrived. Oh, wait, hadn't I seen that same young man working on lawns in the neighborhood?
"Hey, um, Josh, isn't it?"
"Yup, that's me," replied the recent high school grad, turning around and walking back towards my door.
"I didn't realize you were delivering papers now, too - haven't I seen you mowing lawns for some of my neighbors?"
"Yeah, I've been doing that for years now. The paper delivery thing is just for this summer, I'm trying to put some extra money in the bank before heading off for college in the fall."
"So, um, any chance I could hire you to work on my place? I'm desperate - I know it's in bad shape, but I work long hours in the city, not to mention I'm clueless about lawn care!"
"Yeah, sure, happy to. I should have time to get over here within the next couple of days - how's tomorrow?"
"Yeah, that's great. And you have your own mower and stuff? I'm afraid I don't have anything. This is my first house, I haven't had time to get around to that yet."
"Hey, no problem - I'll take care of everything. So, I'll be back here tomorrow, say, just after noon?"
It was a huge relief, as I headed off for that Friday at work, knowing that this confident young man would be taking care of my lawn the following day. I realized after I got to my office that I hadn't asked him how much he would charge, but figured I didn't need to worry, since I'd seen him do work regularly for several other neighbors.
The next day, he arrived in early afternoon just as promised, pulling up in a pickup filled with lawn equipment just as I was finishing up my lunch. "Hi Josh, I'll just be inside, let me know if you need anything."
"Will do, Cassie," he said, pulling on his earphones and starting up a gas-powered edger. I picked up a book to read, but couldn't get past the first few pages before I started feeling guilty, a perfectly able-bodied young woman incapable of mowing her own lawn after a fairly pampered upbringing. I found myself watching Josh through the window, as he effortlessly moved from one piece of equipment to another, clipping, trimming, edging, mowing.
It was a very hot afternoon, and before long Josh's shirt clung to his skin, damp with sweat. That was easily remedied, as he stopped the mower long enough to pull the shirt up and over his head, tossing it into the back of his truck. I couldn't help but notice that he was an impressively fit young man, about 6'2", with dark hair and tanned skin from all his work outdoors.
I caught myself daydreaming about his body, and realized, suddenly again the responsible adult, that he was probably thirsty, working outside with the hot summer sun directly overhead. I went to the fridge, and finding nothing to drink but juice and white wine, instead poured a big glass of water with ice and took it outside to him.
I stood on the porch until he noticed me, turned off the mower, and walked over with a smile. "Hey, thanks, that's just what I needed!"