(here's why you might want to become a chronic voter, too)
It's local election day and there's only one thing on the ballot, a property tax hike for some vaguely-defined purpose. Saying no to that was an easy call. On the walk home he spots Francie hosing down the banquette in front of her house.
She's as cute as ever, wearing a sun hat and a flowery sun dress, white cotton anklets and powder blue trainers. He gets close and feels the cool fog from the splashing water, sees Francie's arms and face all sparkly with tiny droplets.
The noise of the water and her misted over glasses lets Francie pretend she hasn't noticed, pretends she doesn't know he's watching her. She's wiggling and scooting around, squirting water left and right, raising steam off the hot sidewalk. She uses her free hand to flap the hem of her skirt.
~ ~ ~
Francie teases a bit longer, then cuts off the water. She pulls out an enormous red handkerchief and makes a big deal out of wiping off her coke-bottle-bottom glasses, squinting around -- she probably sees as well without her glasses as she does with them all fogged up -- sniffing, licking her mouth, cocking her head to listen. There's the birds and a few cars passing and the sound of his shuffling feet.
"Oh!" she says, after she puts on her specs. "It's you!" She leans close, spots his I VOTED TODAY sticker.
She flashes her pretty smile. "I'm sure you did the right thing, right?"
"Of course I did."
"Mmmm-hmmm." She blinks, then turns and zips through the breezeway on the side of her house dragging the hose behind her, her handkerchief flapping away like the red signal on a caboose. "C'mon back and let me... say thank you."
He follows her through the breezeway, closing and locking the big gate-door and catching her up in the courtyard. Francie twists off the faucet, drains the hose on her flowers and rolls it up, carefully wiggling and scooting around the whole time.
She hops skips and jumps across the courtyard to the fountain -- a short brick semicircle against the rear wall with Undine the Sprite on a rock surrounded by naiads squirting streams of water.
Francie bends over and swishes her hands around in the pool. She looks back, peeping under an armpit, sparkly pixie smile even cuter when it's upside down. "Oh, this reminds me," she says. "I haven't had a bath yet."
She stands, turns and dries her hands on the big red handkerchief. "So I should be stinky enough for you."
She does a pirouette back away from him, reaches back and pinches her skirt. She sticks out her behind. "Sniff for yourself!"