My tennis partner, Blake, asked me to come to his new-home party. Usually, I tried to skip events like this one, and sit at home in front of my TV to watch one of the sports Channels or an action movie. However, he said I should come because later on, he'd ask me to do work in and around the house. In addition, some of the guests may also be interested in using my services. So I agreed.
I shaved, wore my favorite jeans pants with a short white blouse, and drove to the location. By the time I arrived, all the tables had guests around them, although some empty chairs were still available. I sat between an older guy and a young woman of about 25.
Blake saw me coming and introduced me to my neighbors. The older guy said, "Pleased to meet you," and turned to the other side, to chat with his wife. The young girl seemed more inclined to talk to me.
Her eyes inspected me before meeting my eyes, and she smiled, "Hi, I've never seen you with Blake before. How do you know him?"
"We play tennis together 2 nights a week."
"That explains why both of you are in such great shape."
"Lady, 2 other evenings I go to LA Fitness and exercise for an hour or so. In addition, my work is physically demanding."
"What do you do?"
"I am the lead guy in one of the teams of the largest landscaping companies in DC. But enough about me. What is your story?"
"I am just a spoiled brat. I finish college next year, planning to become an interior designer."
I chuckled, "You and I could have worked together. You'll fix the indoors, and I'll do the outside." She laughed, "It's too early for me, but if you talk to me in a couple of years, we may find common grounds..."
"I was joking, of course. You are too young. What do you do in your free time? Do you like to travel? Any hobbies?"
She grinned, "As a daughter of a diplomat, I've been to many countries, mostly in Europe and Asia, but I haven't been to Australia, South America, or Africa."
"I am jealous. I am older than you, and visited only Italy, Greece, Maui, and Mexico."
"You may be older, but not by much. You'll have enough time to see many interesting places in the future."
We chatted for about half an hour, and then I asked, "Did you arrive here alone?"
"No. The guy to my left is my boyfriend, but he is busy debating much more important subjects with his buddy - Did Kelce score in the 12th or 17th minute? Was he trying to score a goal or score with Taylor? Did Taylor Swift's presence convince Mahomes to throw the ball to Kelce rather than to a guy who was free at the time?"
We both laughed, and I said, "I know what you mean. When we guys start talking about our favorite sports, there is nothing more important."
"You sound like an interesting guy, but I doubt you'll be interested in talking to me about shopping or fashion."
"Sorry, ma'am..."
Blake shushed us, thanked everybody who showed up, offered a tour of the new house to those who were interested, and pointed to the corner tables that had all sorts of foods, buffet-style. I put a mixture of small portions and returned to my table. When I sat down, the girl and her boyfriend were gone. I finished eating and left 1/2 an hour later.
...
I was born 38 years ago in Texas to a Mexican father and an American-born mother. As a student I was mediocre. The teacher told Mom that I had great potential, but I was much more interested in sports and 'fixing things' than important subjects like math, biology, or literature. She was right, of course. I played football and baseball, and was a decent mid-distance runner. My father was a handyman. I joined him on multiple occasions, learning how to repair plumbing, appliances, electricity, etc. I loved doing it, and confided with him I wanted to do it when I grew up. He tried to convince me to continue studying, but I resisted. After high school, I joined my uncle's landscaping business in Washington, DC. His business was much larger than Dad's, and even had branches in the nearby states. Five years later, I became one of the 5 teams leaders, and, at a time, had up to 8 employees under me. I loved my job, the salary, and the benefits. In my free time, I met my friends, exercised a lot, and kept myself in good shape.
I remembered Blake telling me during one of our tennis games that there were many girls watching us.
I smirked, "What's new today? I always see large crowds of women following our tennis games."
He smiled. "You are right. But this is what I was saying - Whenever YOU are on the court, girls ogle you. I play tennis with 2 other friends, and frequently we change our days. I've never seen large number of women checking OUR games.
I knew what he was saying. At 6'3", 190 pounds with good muscle tone and minimal fat, the members of the other sex found me attractive since my growth spurt started. Over the years, except for 5 'official' girlfriends, that lasted between 7 months to 3 years, I had casual sex with too many girls of all colors, shapes, ages, and religions.
Yes, I loved good sex, and cared less who my mate was, as long as I enjoyed the act. I had my own 3 bedroom home in a nice area of DC, and was happy, despite the fact that for almost a year I didn't have a steady girlfriend.
...
Two days after the celebration at Blake's home, I got a phone call, "Is this Leonardo Ayala?"
"Yes, lady. What can I do for you?"
"I heard you do landscaping work."
"I do. Where did you learn about me? My name does not appear in the phone book and my company never used me to advertise our work."
"My name is Lilian Thompson. Remember Blake's party? I was there. I needed a landscaper to do some work around the house, and he recommended you. If you have some time, I'd appreciate you stopping by and see what it's all about."
"If you give me the address, I can stop at your house tomorrow around 4:30."
"Perfect."
The following afternoon, I finished my scheduled work at 3 pm. I went home, showered, changed clothes, and at 4:35 rang the bell of a large mansion in Georgetown. The door was opened by a pleasant looking, middle-aged lady of about 40, 5'6", 130 pounds.
She smiled at me, "Hello Leonardo, my name is Lilian. We spoke on the phone. Do you want to drink something before I show you around?"
"Coffee will be nice. I had time to shower, but not much else."
"I'll make you a coffee. Care for cookies or a chocolate cake?"
"I love chocolate. I think I'm addicted to good dark chocolate, so chocolate cake will be a good addition."
She laughed, "I like good chocolate too. I'll tell you what, each day you work here, I'll make sure you have excellent Belgian or Swiss chocolate. While we sit here, tell me what can you do for me. The maintenance of this large house was neglected for too long, and it needs major improvements, both inside and outside."
"Ma'am, my official job is landscaping. However, over the years, I've done other jobs, so if you are interested, I can take a look at other jobs too."
"Good. For the landscaping work, you can bring other workers to help you, but if you accept the jobs inside my house, you'll be the only one working there. Deal?"
"Thank you for the coffee and the cake. They were great. Let's see what is the work you want done."
Next, she led me outside. She was right. The lawn was cut, but everything else was in bad shape. When we walked around, I estimated that with the help of 3 other employees, we'd finish everything in 5-7 days. Then we returned to the house. It was built in the 1930s and the plumbing, electrical system, and basement required major overhaul. If I did everything without help, it would take me at least a week. I told her what I thought.
She smiled again, "I'd rather you increase the number of workers outside and finish the job in 3 days, even if the cost is higher. The work here does not have to be finished on a certain date. You can work here for 2 days on one project, and move to the next one when you have free time. Again, money is not an issue, as long as I am happy with what you do around here."
"First of all, I'd rather you call me Leo. It's shorter, and I am used to it. Is it OK if I call you Lilian?"
"Sure. I planned to suggest it before you left."
"Lilian, My crew is currently busy with 2 other projects. We'll start in 10 days outside. I can spare up to 6 people working simultaneously on your yard. Weather permitting, I believe we'll be able to finish in 3 days. I will begin working on the plumbing in 5 days, but 2 days later, I must go to New York for a day or two."
"Everything you said is fine. Please, write a proforma with all the details, and I'll sign it. And, please, I'd like to know 24 hours in advance before you start working inside. Leo, it was nice meeting you. According to Blake, you are a man of his word. I hope he is right..."
I laughed, shook her hand, and left.
...
As agreed upon, I arrived at her house Tuesday morning. The traffic was unusually light, and I arrived 15 minutes early, at 6:45 am. Lilian opened the door wearing yoga pants and a sports bra. She smiled, "Leo, you are early, and caught me in the middle of my yoga session."
"Sorry, ma'am. I arrived early. Initially, I thought I'd wait for 15 minutes, but then decided to start the work early and finish early."
"Not a problem. I'd like you to begin with the master bathroom. Hopefully, you'll finish it today, so I can use it tomorrow."
"I think 4 hours, and I'll be done. If I need to replace a part, it may take another hour but no more."
I brought my tools, shut off the main water valve, knelt under the sink, and started unscrewing the tubes. It was an old system, and I needed all my strength to open everything and lay it on the floor. I was wearing pants, and a tee shirt. By the time I disassembled all the parts, I was sweating like a pig and the back of my pants exposed the upper part of my crack. I turned around, and saw Lilian rushing back to the living room. Was she just passing by? did she watch me? I was too tired to think. I rested for 5 minutes and began cleaning the dirty, stinky parts. Every tube had black, oily clogged part in it, with the worst one being 90% blocked. No wonder the water pressure was poor. I brought a right size filter and a rubber ring, installed them, and reconnected everything together. I opened the water, and It poured at a much higher pace. Good beginning.
Next, I had to find out why the water in the large tub was not draining. Ninety percent of the time it's a combination of hair, soap, and occasionally other things that fall into this area. Again, dealing with very old pipes is not easy. The screws are not the ones we use today, and rusted. I bent down and tried. Pretty soon I was sweaty again. I removed my tee shirt, and added another tool to use as leverage. This time it opened. I was relieved. I sighed and moved back.
