Not a Bad Day's Work
Daddy finds me a job I'm well qualified for.
"Mayra..." I heard my Dad call from the kitchen.
I knew he wouldn't be able to hear me through my bedroom door, but I shouted anyway, "What?"
"Mayra..." he yelled again.
I didn't really want him coming in my room as I had nothing on but panties. I was lying on my bed trying to study, it was hot, and I was letting the girls out for a little air. Donna and Dina, the double D's, liked their freedom and I didn't mind letting them '
hang
' while I was studying. But before Dad flung my door open, I decided I'd better see what he wanted.
I dropped my book, rolled off the bed and threw on the first shirt I found, a Dolphin's jersey. It was baggy enough to cover the girls and long enough to cover my ass, so to speak. I opened the door and screamed down the hall, "What Dad?"
"Come here Mayra," he yelled back. "I've got a job for you."
As I walked into the kitchen, Dad had just opened a beer and leaning against the kitchen counter was taking that first long cold swig. I stopped in the doorway and just stared at him with a
'what the fuck do you want'
look on my face.
Wiping the beer from his lips with the back of his hand he asked, "What are you doing tomorrow?"
"Well, I have Sociology at two. Other than that, nothing," I responded. I didn't tell him I was planning on going out tonight, sleeping till noon tomorrow and then hanging out with Carlene the rest of the day -- 'cause it was none of his business anyway.
"Well, I've got a job for you tomorrow."
"Doing what?" I asked, slightly interested.
"Making $200 bucks," he answered. "You need the money, don't you?"
"Well, duh," I said. "But what do I have to do?"
There was a long pause as he took another lengthy swig of beer. "It's easy; it's just the final cleaning of a new house for Clearwater Homes. Just grab the vacuum cleaner and all the cleaning supplies you can find around the house, throw them in your car and be there by seven tomorrow morning."
"Seven AM, why in the hell seven AM?" I shouted.
"'Cause he has to get it done tomorrow, and if you get your fat ass in gear you could finish by one, make a fast $200 and still make it to school on time for your class," he snapped.
Fat ass... I hate it when he calls my ass fat. But I needed the money bad, my car insurance was already late and besides, I was just whining, and I knew it. "Okay Daddy-O, what do I do?"
"Like I said, grab the vacuum cleaner and all the cleaning supplies you can find around the house and throw them in your car. The house is in West Field, here is the Superintendent's card, and the address is on the back. He'll meet you there and help you get started. All you have to do is gather up all the trash and throw it in the dumpster, clean all the windows, dust all the windowsills and counter tops and then vacuum and mop the place real-well..."
His voice trailed off. I quit listening somewhere after
'the address is on the back.'
I was just staring at the business card. "Richard Cabeza," I said. "His name is Richard Cabeza -- Dick Head -- his name is actually Dick Head?"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Dad said trying not to blow beer out his nose. "So, he has an unfortunate name. He's got to get that house ready to show this weekend and he's flat ass out of time. Besides, he's willing to pay you $200 cash, so I wouldn't worry too much about his name. Besides, he's a nice guy -- really."
I tried to keep a straight face, but the more I tried, the more I laughed. Of course, that got Dad laughing and before long he opened two more beers and we just sat at the kitchen table sharing a little quality Father/Daughter time until Mom got home.
Dad is a Journeyman Electrician and frequently takes me out to job sites to help him. Usually, it's just to clean up and hand him tools, but he also likes to show me off. I know he gets a huge kick out of me flirting with the other subs on the job. But this was the first time he had ever sent me out alone to one of his worksites. I wasn't worried, just a little curious if there was more to this job than just taking out the trash.
I set my alarm for 5:30, but after hitting the snooze button a couple of times, it was 5:50 before my feet actually hit the floor. I had no idea how long it would take to drive out to West Field, but I figured I'd better leave myself at least an hour. I peed, brushed my teeth and threw on hiking shorts, an old bra and a blue work shirt. Other than flip-flops, I didn't have time for anything else.
I had loaded the car the night before, so I was out of the house and rolling by six, my original plan.
Surprisingly I had no trouble finding the house. It was on a brand-new street and was the only house fully completed. Richard's (Dick's) truck was parked at the curb, and I saw him standing in the front yard surveying the freshly laid grass and new flower beds that were probably only twelve hours old.
Dick, as I'll call him, was probably in his mid-30s, big chested, broad shoulders, short curly black hair and probably of mixed Cuban ancestry. Kind of typical for South Florida, and overall, he was not a bad looking guy.
I pulled up and parked behind his truck, jumped out and yelled to him, "Richard?"
Turning to face me he responded, "Hey, you must be Mayra."
"Yeah," I said. "My dad said you needed some help."
"Yeah, we're having an open house this weekend and the God damn electrician just finished yesterday."
I knew that he knew my Dad was the electrician, so I wasn't sure if he was trying to be funny or was just being a smart ass. I just sort of stared at him and waited for the next line.
Sensing that his joke hadn't gone over very well, he grabbed my hand to shake it and added, "I know your Dad is the electrician, he's absolutely fantastic and when he said you'd be available to help me today I knew I could trust you to do a first-rate job."
"Well thanks, Richard," I almost called him Dick. "I've never done this before, so where do I start?"
"Oh wow, a virgin. I don't get those very often. Let me show you," he said, as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder and led me to the house.
I was beginning to feel a little uneasy about this guy now. A virgin, what in the hell does that imply? I'm no virgin, but it's none of his damn business one way or the other.
Once inside the house he closed the door and started showing me around. He told me pretty much the same thing Dad had said. Pick up all the trash, clean the windows, dust the windowsills and countertops and then mop and vacuum like hell. I nodded my understanding and started to head out the door to get my stuff.
"Just one more thing," he said as he grabbed my shoulders and yanked me back to face him. "You said you were a virgin and I'm afraid I can't have any virgins on the job site. It's just a company policy."