Tuesday was a blur, but necessary for recovery. Mr. Larson's smoking left me with considerable work to do to wipe away the dulling smell from every surface that was exposed to it. Steaming the carpets, wiping down every surface with proper cleanser, I hoped that the tarry scent would fade. Another exchange of laundry that consisted of pillows, sheets, and blankets were cleaned and returned to the beds.
By the time I was finished, the house was clean enough for a visit from the President of the United States himself. Course, I wouldn't want another guy in the house expecting a blow job, no matter how charismatic he was.
Wednesday morning, about five am, my phone rang. It was still dark outside and I didn't know who could be calling this early.
"Hello?" I spoke tiredly.
"Hey, Madison. It's Mr. Larson."
His gritty voice perked me awake.
"Hi. What's up?" I asked, my heart pounding with worry.
"Oh, just thinkin' about you this mornin'."
He confessed.
"Oh, um," I was at a loss for words, "what about?"
Why did I even ask that? I knew what he was thinking about.
"Well, jus' lookin' around the house here and thinkin' that it could use a woman's touch. I saw you cleanin' up your house last night, and thought you could help an ol' man out today."
"Oh, just some cleaning?" My voice perked up. That wouldn't be too difficult of a request.
"Yeah, just for a few hours. I got everything here, just wanted to see if you could make an ol' man feel like he still had a wife in his home and do some things around the house."
I forgot that he was widowed. He must be lonely not having a woman at home to take care of him. To make him feel wanted and cared for. I felt sorry for him and pouted at the thought that he wanted his home to be cleaned by a woman's touch. It wasn't unreasonable.
"Sure. I could come over a little later."
"Well, if you come over now, we could have a little breakfast 'fore we get started. I got some eggs, bacon, and some biscuits 'n gravy I got workin' over here. Jus' come on over."
He was being kind and I wanted him to stay that way. Especially since upsetting him might make this situation ugly. He could threaten to tell Anna everything and I don't think he wanted to do that.
"Okay, I'll get dressed and be right over." If I got this done early enough, then I'd have more time and energy for David. Better to not upset Mr. Larson.
Jeans were pulled onto my shapely legs, and ankle socks on my feet. A sweater was put over my tank top I was wearing while cleaning yesterday. No sense in changing unless I had to. I slipped on my boots and jacket, then exited through the back door. Walking across the shoveled walk, the sky was still night blue. Crossing over the alleyway, I walked up the back porch steps of Mr. Larson's house and knocked.
I heard him approach and open the door. As it swung inward, the smell of cooking wafted across my nose at the same time the warmth hit my face.
"Good morning, Madison. Come on in." He was wearing a green plaid robe and a pair of brown slippers. No cigarette in his mouth, which was a plus since I didn't like it.
"Morning, Mr. Larson." I stepped inside, and surprisingly, the house didn't smell like smoke.
"Aw, call me Bill. No sense in being proper." I half expected each room to smell like tar and old cigarettes. Perhaps he didn't smoke inside of his house, which explains why everything looked fairly untouched. Some dust, but nothing too bad. This wouldn't be so difficult of a clean-up.
"Alright, Bill." I removed my jacket and hung it up on the coat rack mounted to the back of the door. Setting my boots onto the mat that had all of his shoes sitting on it, I turned around to approach the kitchen table. Bill was back at the stove, finishing up breakfast. There was a radio sitting on top of the fridge tuned to a jazz radio station. It reminded me of David, and thankfully it was chilly enough outside that my blush of arousal could pass for being cold.
Noticing that he had two plates, two cups, and two sets of silverware at the table, I picked up the cup. Pouring myself some coffee that was finished brewing on the counter, he turned to look at me.
"Coffee drinker, huh?" He asked.
"I do love my coffee." I said, filling it with cream and sugar.
"You're making it the same way that Beverly did. Lots of cream, lots of sugar." He said with a smile in his voice. In many ways, Bill had the same situation that I did. Our loved ones weren't near. Here I was, all by myself in the house I grew up in, and he was alone in the house that he raised and supported a family. Now, it was an empty nest.
"Hm," I took a drink, and holy shit, the coffee was strong! I was glad I left room for plenty of cream and sugar, because I wasn't sure how this man drank this strong of coffee. I returned to my seat, just in time for hot bacon and scrambled eggs to be served to me.
"Wanna biscuit and gravy?" He asked.
"Sure." I said. Why not have a meal? I had been living off of sandwiches and snacks. Having a substantial meal at the start of this day would probably help me get through it. After he portioned the breakfast for the two of us, I smiled and set my coffee down. Placing a napkin in my lap, I picked up my silverware.
"This looks good."
"Dig in. After we eat, we'll go over the chores I'd like you to get to." He opened up the newspaper and started reading. I was quietly cutting into the biscuit and eating each food on my plate one at a time.
It was nice to just sit with someone after spending nearly three weeks alone with cinnamon toast and coffee. This would also serve as a good distraction before I went to David's house tonight by passing the time.
It was about half an hour, and the sky was still a pretty shade of dark blue outside. I was never up this early except in the summer during cheerleading camp. If I had time, I would take a nap before meeting with David tonight.
Once we were both finished eating, he picked up the plates and set them into the sink. Bill walked over to me and held out his hand. I placed my hand into his and he helped me up, then guided me toward the rest of the house.
The interior was an open farmhouse pattern. There was a swinging door separating the dining room from the kitchen. Then, there was a sitting room that connected off of the dining room which was the room that held the stairway going upstairs and led into a side den and living room across from one another. This room also had the front door leading out to the front porch. Off of the living room was a play room turned into a lower bathroom.
Every wall had pictures hung of his family. His four boys that were all grown up, and dozens of pictures of grandchildren, his wife, and their happy lives together. Once more, I expected the home to smell like an ashtray, pleasantly surprised at how clean he kept the house. Was this really about cleaning or was it about being alone? I wasn't complaining. Perhaps some vacuuming and wiping down some surfaces that were dusty would suffice for him.