"I told her you were honest, and I was satisfied with your work. And I'm sure you will be fair with her."
"Well, thanks for thinking of me, Betty. I can always use some extra work. What exactly does she need done?"
I heard shuffling on the phone, then a pause. "Here, let me put her on..."
"Hello?" a soft voice took over. "Hi, I'm Mrs. Atkins, Abby, Betty says you do handyman work?"
"Hi, yes, nothing electrical. Pretty much odd jobs. If I think it's too much for me, I'll tell you. I won't risk doing it wrong. What is it you need done?"
"Well, it's a few things. They laid new carpet, and now the doors are too tight." "I can handle that."
"Great! And then maybe I can show you other little things, pictures hung, a loose cabinet door. When can you do it?"
"I got nothing planned today, if you want."
I heard rustling again, and Betty was back. "Jake? She doesn't have the money right now, is that okay?"
"Betty, if she's a friend of yours, no problem, I trust her. Give me her address."
Which she did. Then she whispered, "You'll have to stop by soon, Jakie! I'll dress special for you. I miss you! You take good care of Amy for me, okay? She's as dear to me as you are."
I promised I would. A real firecracker at 65, she was a flash from a fifties Hollywood studio, still hot and still horny. Just thinking of her gave me a hardon.
An hour later, I rang the doorbell. A small white house, flowers everywhere, rocker on the porch, with a basket of knitting. This woman was most likely even older than Betty, and no way another 65 year old was gonna look that good!
The door opened, and behind the screen was Amy. Not only was she built like Betty, she was younger! By about two decades!
"You must be Jake. Please, come in." She held open the screen door and I moved past her, tool box in hand. I took off my Yankee cap right away, and the room was bright and sunny.
"Hi, Mrs. Atkins, I hope I didn't keep you waiting."
"Oh, no, not at all. I was surprised when you said you could come so soon. I'm expecting a check, but I won't be getting it until next week. I hope you don't mind... I hate to be owing."
Only now did I realize she was black. Her hair was straightened and blond, obviously from a bottle. Her big eyes were light brown, unusual for women or men of color. The features most associate with blacks were muted if not non-existent. A striking woman, and I had no idea her age now.
She seemed to feel me staring, and led the way into her bedroom, keeping the conversation going. "Betty speaks very highly of you. I've known her for a number of years at the gym."
I smiled. "It doesn't surprise me that she goes to a gym. She's in amazing shape for her age, whatever that may be."
"You don't know? She'll proudly tell you, seventyone last month, and she still gets looks in her leotards, believe me!"
"Wow, I didn't know she was that old!"
"Maybe I shouldn't have told you. I wouldn't want it to affect your relationship."
"Rela... Oh, there's not... I mean..."
"I'm sorry, Jake. I have a way of always saying the wrong thing. I didn't mean it like that. I know the age difference and all."
I smiled. "With Betty, there doesn't ever seem to be an age difference, if you know what I mean."
She lowered her head. "Yes, she makes people very comfortable, no matter the age or the sex."
That was curious, the way she said it. Was I sensing something? Could my sweey old friend Betty be flirting with women too? Well, why not? Amy was definitely female, and quite attractive.
I thought back to the phone call, Betty saying, "She's as dear to me, as you are."
I told her the door needed shaving to allow for the new rug, and went about removing it, bringing it out onto the hood of my Jeep, and planing it until it fit. Half hour later, I was done, and Amy had a pitcher of lemonade, which I hate, but I had to be polite.
She had sat watching me, from her rocker, knitting, smiling at me, and my mind went back to Amy and Betty. How close were they? Looking at Amy's body, which the sundress mostly hid, I saw she was well-endowed, bust-wise, and her legs were strong, tanned. Her light brown skin glowed from a recent sunburn, making her a reddish brown, and those light eyes were mesmerizing.
We sat inside for lemonade, across from each other. As she sipped, she chatted. "So, you met Betty at the Hardware store?" And I told her about the faucet and the gasket. I was sure Betty had already told her this, but i left off the part about us getting really friendly.
She seemed to smile as I related it, then I posed the same question.
"We met at the gym on Route 80. I joined after moving here. The house was left to me, and when my husband passed away, I had no reason to stay in LA, so here I was, and Betty befriended me the first day. She's very good like that, seeing people who could use a friend."
I nodded, said I was sorry for her loss. That was 3 years ago, she said. I could tell it still haunted her, his death.
"Anyway, Betty had me over for dinner. You've seen that house, it's like a memorial to the Fifties! I fell in love with it. A little too much wine, and I wound up spending the night, she and I like two teenaged girlfriends, sitting up, talking about boys, relationships. She's been married three times you know, every one died on her! How tragic!"