I probably shouldn't even tell this story, but it has been almost 20 years since it happened and you might find some enjoyment in it. I was 23 at the time and working for a property management company while going to school. Being the new guy, I got all the crap jobs – literally: clogged toilets, busted sink disposals, rodent and pest issues, etc. The pay was decent so I kept my gripes to myself.
On this particular day I found 2 job tickets for Gateway Village in my basket. I hated going out to Gateway. It was an out-of-the-way trailer park and, other than possibly some tax perks; I can't imagine why the company owned it. The denizens of Gateway were basically white trash and I don't mean any offense by that – it just happens to be the best way to describe them.
I did my local tickets before lunch and drove out to Gateway in the early afternoon. It was a hot day, but they always were and I was dressed accordingly in shorts and company t-shirt.
The first ticket was an easy one; a pothole needed filling. I dumped a bag of gravel in the offending hole and patted it flat with my shovel, barely breaking a sweat.
The second ticket was more trouble. Some kids had knocked over the electric meter board. The board is a large piece of wood, basically a wall, on two poles. Mounted on the wall are the neighborhood electric meters – giving the meter reader one place to stop, all the meters are in one place.
The kids had done a good job of knocking it over and it was going to take some effort and time to get it standing again. After struggling with it for about 15 minutes, I was sweating like a pro basketball player. I stopped to drink some water and tossed my shirt into my van.
With renewed energy I returned to my task. While I toiled, I felt like I was being watched but paid it no mind; probably just curious neighbors.
It took over an hour, but I finally got the board in place and was standing there admiring my work.
"Hey!" somebody shouted at me. "Hey, you! Come here for a sec!"
I turned to see an older woman standing in the doorway of her trailer. She was skinny, scrawny being a better description, with a swirl of hair tied atop her head. She had bony legs with knobby knees and a huge chest. Her breasts were gigantic on her thin frame. She was wearing a pair of shorts – we used to call them shortie-shorts – and a dirty white tank top. The top was stretched to its limit and her little round paunch stuck out beneath it.
"Come here," she gestured again, so I strolled over.
"Can I help you?" I asked, taking another sip of my water.
"You with Hendricks?" she asked. Up close she looked even older; the years had not been kind to her.
"Yes, ma'am," I answered. "Something I can help you with?"
"How come you haven't fixed my shower yet?" she demanded. "I'm tired of washing in the sink."
"I wasn't aware you had a shower problem, ma'am," I told her honestly. "I don't know if I can fix it, but I'll take a look if you don't mind. Let me get my shirt."
"You don't need your shirt," she said, gesturing me in.
I stepped up and into her trailer and it took a moment for my eyes to adjust after being in the sun all morning. There was a large woman sitting on the sofa in the main room. I couldn't be sure since my vision was blurred, but it looked like she quickly pulled her hand from between her legs as I entered.
"This is Jess," the woman in the doorway told me. "She's a friend of mine."
Jess stood up and extended her beefy hand. I shook it politely; it felt very warm and maybe a little damp. She was a big woman – fat, but not soft. She had short cropped hair and broad shoulders. A long t-shirt draped over her large stomach and wide chest. I say wide because her breasts weren't large in a protruding way, but large in their spread across her chest.
I stood awkwardly for a minute, feeling their eyes on my bare chest, before saying, "Ok, let's take a look at this shower of yours."
There was only one place it could be, so I took the lead down the narrow hall; the skinny woman and her friend right behind me. The bathroom was, as is often the case in trailers, very small. The three of us filled the room to bursting. Jess crowded the doorframe.
"What's the matter with it?" I asked, looking it over.
"Uh ... it won't turn on," she stammered uncertainly.
I twisted the knob and the shower burst to life; the water feeling terrific on my arm.
"It seems to be working fine," I said, turning to face the women.