An antique clock sat on the mantle of a brick fireplace. It looked out of place among the modern look of the home; the hardwood floor and leather L-shaped sofa added to the contrast. The blinds of the home were down and covered the three windows that were around the room. A man, dressed in a bathrobe and slippers had his legs crossed and thumbed through his phone.
A small stand sat by his recliner and had a steaming cup of coffee. It was as black as the beans that it had come from, a dark roast imported from Columbia or so the eight dollar bag said on the front. The coffee cup had an inscription written on the front along with a picture of a ram holding a baseball bat midswing, "Son's Favorite Slugger." The mug itself was ceramic, handmade by his son, and given to him the last time his son had visited from college. Reaching towards the small stand, the large male grabbed the handle and brought it to his lips to take a sip. A pleased smile crossed his lips and a sense of pride. Maybe he could get back out to the field again. It had been a while since he joined the co-ed baseball team since he pulled a muscle in his throwing arm but the muscle was returning. His forties haven't done him in yet.
It was another bright, summer day and birds were chirping outside yet he was lounging indoors. It was no wonder why his neighbors thought his house was vacant. Although the inside was well-maintained, the outside needed some serious tender, loving care. Luckily, one of the neighbors ended up giving him a card for a landscaper. The card sat on the end table as well with a small, adorable cartoon ram with a bright grassy green background. The gardener wore overalls with one of the buttons undone and a hoe over his shoulder. He was adjusting the bill of his cap and his mouth was open in happy elation.
Below, in white font it said, "Mow and Hoe" followed by a phone number which the mountain lion had dialed earlier. It was only a matter of time before he received a knock on the door. He hoped that whoever would be sent to his door would be ready to work because he wanted to swim and lounge by the poolside. There was nothing like a cool dip on a hot day.
As if on cue, there was a rapping at the door and the homeowner's ears perked up as if trying to turn in the direction the sound came from. Peeking into his cup, he noticed there was hardly any coffee left. He could finish it in time if we went fast enough. He sucked in a breath, the lip of the coffee cup up to his mouth and he tipped the cup back. Inhaling too quickly, rogue droplets made their back far too fast and he started to cough. The violent nature of the fit was heard through the door and in his flustered state, he did not realize that one of the strings to his bathrobe was starting to shimmy its way out of the loop.
"Mr. Dowel, it's Josh! Are you okay?" A voice said out from outside. The timbre was clear and rich.
"C-coming!" Mr. Dowel said in between another spasm of coughs. He cleared his throat and the little droplets that were lodged in obnoxious places began to wiggle their way out. His voice had an unpredictable rattle to it. He gave his throat one last "ahem" before reaching towards the bronze knob of the door and giving it a twist. He opened it to see a very broad worker standing at the doorway with a concerned but still polite smile.
He had a nice smile and his sun kissed was on full display. He was dressed in overalls about a size too small for his thick physique. It looked as if the small snaps holding the shoulder loops on could snap any moment and fly across the environment. Two bright, enthusiastic blue eyes glittered as they scanned over Mr. Dowel's form with concern. His beard was trimmed and well-kept. His short brown hair matched the full beard around his jaw. It mismatched Richard's grey that peppered his beard along with the streaks of gray in his hair.
"I was afraid you might have been choking, Mr. Dowel," Josh said. The older gentlemen shook his head and gave a reassuring smile.
"Oh no, no...just coffee down the wrong pipe," Mr. Dowel chuckled, slightly embarrassed. "Also, please just call me Richard." There was an unintended growl to Richard's voice and he forced a cough.
Josh seemed pleased with the answer and his body relaxed. This time, the smile brightened and Richard thought he saw his son somewhere in the young man right at that moment.
'Such a youthful spirit. Looks to be about mid twenties, too,' Richard thought to himself. He would be a perfect candidate to go through the ivy on the fence and his arms looked like they lifted plenty of landscaping blocks.
"I'm glad that I won't have to perform CPR because of coffee. My lifeguarding days are long past, Mr. Dowel...errr, sir," Josh corrected and added an emphasis to the honorific at the end. Josh gave an adorably awkward shuffle before he continued.
"Anyway, you mentioned that there is some ivy trimmed along with some landscaping done? Just so I know what I need out of the van."
Josh hiked his thumb over his shoulder and it pointed to a simple white van with the same cute ram emblem and "Mow and Hoe" underneath.
"Yes, yes. That would be perfect, but I would like some unruly brambles to be taken care of. I know you mentioned that the landscaping is going to take a while, but it's my fault that I let things get out of hand," Richard replied with a handwave and gave another small cough.
"It's not a problem, sir!" Josh exclaimed. "I got it all under control. Just point me in the right direction."
"Oh, if that's the case then I was about to go take a dip in the pool. Why don't you take the time to gather your tools and we can meet in the backyard?" Richard offered. His voice was clear and concise but his luck was starting to turn. He began to fiddle with his bathrobe, particularly the strings, as pressure slowly started to build in his chest.
A tickling started to work its way up along his throat and the gentlemen's pride started to fight with his own physiology. Although the air threatened to come up he kept it stifled so he would not cough right into his new landscaper's face.
"I'll get right on that, sir," Josh chirped. "It will be nice to have a regular customer for once. Honestly, I've seen worse houses."
Right before Josh turned around to get to the van, Richard's hand jerked slightly on the tassel and he said, "Oh, and Josh, if you need anything at all...please make sure you let me know."
