Hello and welcome to my readers. I appreciate the votes, comments and feedback you have given me on my previous stories. It is always a pleasure to hear from you. Thanks to my editor Rogue Lurker, she of the infinite patience, and to geekychick_76 for her helpful comments and suggestions.
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Brad parked his SUV before a bright yellow building with the words 'Welcome to The Recycling Center' painted in blue on the wall. "Let's get this over with," he grumbled as he climbed the metal steps and entered the cavernous interior. He stood staring in amazement at the hectic scene before him. Rows of people in brown coveralls stood next to moving conveyor belts filled with trash, deftly plucking cans, bottles, foam cartons and other items from them and dropping them down brightly colored chutes.
He jumped as a horn blared and a voice shouted, "Watch it, comin' through." A yellow forklift carrying a cube of crushed tin cans passed in front of him, the female driver scowling.
"May I help you, young man?" Brad turned to see a tall woman with a shapely body and long blonde hair with streaks of silver woven through it, smiling at him. Her eyes were bright blue, set in an oval-shaped face. Her aquiline nose, generous lips and delicate chin gave her a friendly, yet dignified look. The wrinkles and laugh lines around her eyes and mouth defined her age, but did not diminish her attractiveness.
She's beautiful,
Brad thought as he replied, "Yes ma'am, I'm looking for Ms. Daisy Carpenter. Is she around?"
"You're looking at her," the woman replied. "And I'll bet you're the young man Judge Barstow said would be stopping by. Let's go to my office and talk."
Brad followed Daisy into a small room built against the building's wall, his eyes watching her ass the entire way. A window overlooking the sorting floor flooded the small room with light. Daisy sat behind a battered metal desk piled high with papers and manuals, motioning Brad to a folding chair.
"Judge Barstow told me you had been in a bit of trouble, Brad," Daisy said with a grin, shuffling the papers on her desk. "Something about a stolen Weiner dog balloon as I recall."
Brad immediately felt comfortable and he began a detailed recounting of how he and his friends had stolen the balloon from a restaurant's roof and put it on the roof of the City Library. By the time he was finished, Daisy was laughing and wiping her eyes on the hem of her tie-dyed blouse.
"That sounds like something I did when I was young," she said, leaning back in her swivel chair. "How did they catch you?"
"Climbing down we set off the burglar alarm," Brad said with a chuckle. "We all ran for it, but my buddy and I ran right into a police car coming to investigate. What we did was stupid, but it was fun."
"And now you are here for one hundred and twenty hours of Community Service," Daisy replied. "Let me see, what shall you do? We are conducting our Blitz for Bottles and Crusade for Cans campaign in conjunction with the Earth Day events next week, so we need to clear some space on the sorting floor. You look like a strong fellow. I think I'll have you carry the crushed aluminum cans to the baling machine."
"Whatever," Brad replied, shrugging his broad shoulders.
***
Three weeks had passed since Brad's assignment had begun. As she watched her young charge, his muscles rippling as he lifted the heavy loads of cans and bottles, Daisy felt attracted to him. He reminded her of the numerous boys she dated in college. With her free-spirited nature, she could never stay true to one boy. There was always another seeking her out, craving her attention, pledging his love-all taking her to new heights of ecstasy as they fucked in their dorm rooms, vans and secluded places on campus.
Before she knew it, she had graduated, been recruited by a major corporation, and was working as a division manager in the corporate world she had once decried. She still enjoyed a healthy and varied sex life. Men appeared and disappeared in the whirlwind of her life. She left a trail of broken hearts behind her when a new, more virile individual struck her fancy. There were the parties, the vacations in exotic locales, the fun and adventure. The years passed quickly and Daisy never stopped enjoying life, never settled down.
Then her employer forced her into early retirement, and she took the position as manager of the recycling center out of boredom and financial desperation. No longer in the social mainstream, she was lonely. Her life had become humdrum and predictable until the fates brought Brad to the center to pay for his foolish prank. Now, she looked forward to going to work, as she knew he would be there. Daisy began considering the young man as her chance to give something back to the world that would live on after she was gone.
Daisy saw in Brad a reflection of herself at that age, strong, ambitious and full of promise. She observed his innate capacity for problem solving and leadership, which she carefully cultivated. In measured increments, Daisy encouraged him to take on more responsibility, to lead and motivate his co-workers. He became her protégé', her assistant and then before she knew it, she began to develop a genuine affection for him, his energetic demeanor making her feel young again.
As the days went by, Brad also began to feel attracted to Daisy. He guessed that she was as old as his grandmother, yet she was so different. Unlike many other women her age, Daisy appeared young and full of life. She had the body of a much younger woman, diligently maintaining it with a regimen of diet and exercise. The silver-haired beauty was so interesting to talk with; her varied interests and life experiences so unlike the girls his own age whose conversations revolved around the latest fashions, music and the club scene. More importantly, she seemed genuinely interested in him and treated him as an equal, interested in his thoughts and ideas, listening intently as he shared his plans for college and his future.
They began to sit together in Daisy's office or in the break room, laughing and talking, thoroughly enjoying each other's company. As their feelings for each other increased, the little smiles and touches they exchanged made it apparent that they were becoming more than friends. When Brad's responsibilities to the court ended, he continued to work for Daisy at the Center, neither wanting to be apart as their relationship deepened into love.
***
Brad dashed up the metal stairs, across the sorting floor and into the office; a bouquet of yellow daisies and a gaily-wrapped box held behind his back. "Happy Birthday," he cried, holding out the flowers and gift.
