The first thing I realized when I went away to college is that carrying a full load of classes and working just donāt go together. I tried the financial aid route and soon realized Iād spend the next forty years of my life trying to pay off that loan. Not for me. Next, I tried working on campus. I thought being close to class would be easier. Nope. That didnāt work either. Finally, I hit upon an idea that I knew would work. It was easy. I could alter my schedule as needed. And best of all, I was my own boss. Yep, you guessed it. I became a dog walker.
Iāve always loved pets but living in an apartment, I wasnāt able to have any. This way, if I walked other peopleās pets, I could still play with them. Best of all, I didnāt have to bother with the puppy training, the barking in the middle of the night, and the chewed up shoes. It was perfect.
I put up flyers around town and quickly racked up five regular customers. There was Gigi, the mastiff that had pink toenails. Then there was Spot, a two year old German shepherd name by itās five year old owner. I had a great time walking Jack, a full grown, all male rottwieler that would protect me from all male strangers, but flirt outrageously when a female came near him. The last two were a set. One never went anywhere with the other and they were aptly named Frick and Frack. German shepherd and chow mix, they were adorable and playful. I had a good job, good friends and a steady paycheck.
Millie, Gigiās owner, met me at the door one day as I dropped Gigi off after her afternoon walk in the park. Millieās boss was looking for a dog walker for his daughterās lab while she was away for the summer. Sheād given him my name and number, telling him to call me. When I got home, sure enough there was a message from Ivan, Millieās boss. He wanted to meet with me to talk about walking Lily. I called and we set up a time for the next day.
Iād gotten stuck on campus longer than Iād anticipated the next day. Instead of being able to rush home and change, I ended up going to Ivanās in jean short-shorts and a yellow cotton button-up shirt. The shirt was driving me crazy so I tied the bottom ends around my waist. I never would have dreamed of going to meet a new perspective client dressed like Daisy Duke but I couldnāt help it. As I stepped out of my car, I tried desperately to grab the bottom of my shorts pulling them down. Hoping it wouldnāt be insulted, I knocked on the front door and waited.
Ivan was definitely not what I was expecting. For some reason when Millie had mentioned her boss, Iād thought of someone in his sixties, older, graying. I know Millie works for a brokerage house and I guess I just thought heād be conservative. The man who opened the door to me was in his late forties, maybe early fifties, and Sean Connery handsome. His eyes scanned down my tied shirt to my short shorts and then back up again. His smile was seductive.
As I walked in, I tried not to feel self-conscious. I looked around, noticing the house. Very simple, very contemporary. The art over the fireplace was amazing, brilliant colors and bold strokes. It reminded me of a Chagall and I was impressed. Ivan handed me a glass of iced tea and then whistled. A beautiful yellow lab, probably around two years old, came bounding into the room. Lily was adorable. She ran up to me, sat her little butt down and wagged her tag. I was immediately in love. Ivan explained that Lily was his daughterās dog. She was away for the summer and had left Lily in his care. He didnāt have the time to walk her and would like to have me take her to the park at least three times a week. He handed me a check to pay in advance and I handed it back to him. Way too much. The amount was probably three times what I would normally ask. He smiled and insisted. It seems Ivan was going to need to be out of town for several weekends during the summer. During those weekends, he wanted me to stay at the house to watch Lily.
Taking the check, I agreed. It seemed like the least I could do. As I started to leave, indicating that I would be back tomorrow to walk Lily, Ivan let me know that this weekend was the first weekend he would need me to stay at the house. As I left, I thought about this new gig. This was going to be pretty easy.