As a college student needing to earn extra money to help myself stay afloat, I took to mowing yards March through October, then raking November through February. The pay was good, and it served as excellent exercise, so as far as I was concerned it was win-win. Although I had a fixed rate insofar as what I charged, I did make concessions for the elderly and infirm. One such example of this was Opal Entwistle. When I first approached her about her yard, I had to be completely honest about its unkempt state. "Because of all the cleaning up I would need to do first, Ma'am, not to mention that the grass is over a foot tall, I'd have to charge you fifty dollars the first time out, but every time thereafter, I'll charge you just twenty."
"Well, that lazy granddaughter of mine isn't going to do it, so I guess I don't have much choice," she said. "Can you do it today?"
"Yes, ma'am. I'll get right on it."
The cleaning itself, which included getting up limbs and pine cones, took almost two hours while the mowing took about thirty minutes. Once finished, I told her that it needed a good raking and I would charge just fifteen extra for that, and she complied. That took another two hours, but as I explained to her, now when I came back every three weeks it would be a much simpler job. She wrote me a check, thanked me, and I was on my way.
I liked Mrs. Entwistle from the start. She was a feisty old gal, but she seemed to have a good heart. As I worked that day, and every time thereafter, she would bring me a glass of lemonade because I "looked parched." I would take a five-minute break and drink with her as we talked, then it was back to work.
The third time I was at her house mowing, as I passed by a window looking into her living room, I glanced over and saw her ironing a dress. All she had on was her underwear, that is, panties, and nothing more. She had huge breasts that sagged, but not to any great degree. I just stopped and stared as she ironed while watching TV. She eventually looked my way, so I immediately got on my way to finishing her yard.
Afterward, I loaded my mower back into my pick-up, pulled a bottle of water from my cooler, lit a cigarette, and took a moment to myself before collecting my pay. It was at this time that Amy, Opal's granddaughter, pulled up in the driveway. She looked at me and said, "Hard at it, huh?"
"Was," I said as I exhaled. "Finished now, though."
She rounded the front of my truck and put on a pleasant smile. "Jacob, do you think you could rake a six-by-six area for me out back? I was wanting to catch a little sun today."
She could have asked me to dig a hole to China and I would have. She was one of the hottest women I have ever seen, but I had never seen her in her bathing suit. "Sure. Why don't you go get changed and I'll have it done by the time you get back out here?"
"You're a sweetie," she said as she skipped to the entrance of her house. I finished my cigarette, then my water, and then I made my way out and raked an eight-by-eight, hoping she'd notice. She came back out with a towel wrapped around her and one under her arm to lay down on. She saw the area, then said, "Thanks."
"You're welcome," I said. I just stood there, not thinking.
"Was there something else?"
"What? NO! I ... Would you like to go out some time?"
"Well, I'm seeing someone."
"Can I at least see what you look like in your bathing suit, then?" I meant it as a joke, but ...
"Perv. Get the hell out of here."
I went to the front door, knocked, and received payment for my service, then left. Amy made it a point to avoid me every time thereafter, but no big loss. In the months that followed, my five-minute breaks with Mrs. Entwistle grew to ten, fifteen, twenty ... I enjoyed talking to her. She had led a pretty interesting life, and she seemed to be up to snuff on current trends. I even got to the point where I would call her before coming to mow. "I'm headed to the store. Can I pick up anything for you?"
There was always something she needed because, "That lazy granddaughter of mine won't go whenever I need her to," so I was happy to oblige.
On one particular day, I called, and she asked me to pick up some baby red potatoes and baby carrots. "Today is Amy's birthday, so I'm going to make her favorite: pot-roast."
I delivered the groceries, then got to work mowing. Afterward, we talked for about half an hour, then she paid me, and I took my leave. About two hours later, Mrs. Entwistle called me. She sounded distraught. "I'm so sorry to bother you, Jacob, but I really don't have anyone else with whom I can talk."
"It's okay, Mrs. E. What seems to be the problem?"
"It's Amy," she began. "Here I've cooked this nice dinner for her and she told me she's spending the evening with friends. I asked if she'd be home in time for late supper, and she told me to just put it in the fridge and we could eat it as leftovers."
"Well, I think she is being very disrespectful," I said. "You went through all that trouble ... She should appreciate that of you. I sure as hell would."
Silence, then, "Well, why don't you come over and join me for dinner?"
"Me?"
"Sure. Why not? When's the last time you had a nice, home-cooked meal, anyway?"
I didn't want to tell her damn near every night seeing as to how I knew how to cook since the age of fifteen, so I graciously accepted. "It's been a while, Mrs. E. Okay, what time?"
"Oh, any time, Jacob. When would you like?"
I figured the sooner I got there, the sooner I could leave without Amy seeing me. The last thing I wanted to do was cause strife between she and her grandmother, or more between she and myself. "I can be there in about thirty minutes," I told her. I hung up the phone, got dressed, and was on my way.
"Wow, Mrs. E, this is without a doubt the best pot roast I have ever eaten."
"Why, thank you, Jacob," she said with a prideful smile, "and call me Opal. The secret is to sear the meat first, then make a rue, and then add just enough water to make a nice, thick gravy. I add that to the crockpot, and voila, my grandmother's pot roast recipe." We ate in silence for about a minute, then she said, "So why is it that you aren't out on a date on a Saturday night?"
I finished chewing and swallowing a potato, then answered, "Oh, well, after my girlfriend and I broke up, I just threw myself into work and my studies. This is the closest thing to a date I've had in almost four months." She looked at me when I said that, so I added, with my most pleasant smile, "And I couldn't think of anyone better to be with."
"Oh, pishaw," she said with a laugh. "You're better suited for my Amy."
"Amy and I travel in different circles," I told her. I then placed a hand upon one of hers and said, "Besides, I've always been attracted to older women."
"You have?"
"Oh, yes. In fact, the older, the better." The moment I said that, I immediately regretted it. The statement was true, but even though I was joking, I didn't want to send the wrong signal. As luck would have it, though ...
"Wh-What are you saying, Jacob?"