Posts Tagged ‘story’

The doorbell begins its annoying song, setting off a blur of dog tumbleweed racing through the house and smashing into the front door. The blinds chink and clink as the dogs attack them, looking for an opening to investigate who dared approach their domain.

‘Alright, quiet girls!’ I yell over the yowling. Still hoping against hope, I peer through the blinds.

‘Heeeey,’ Alfred calls, his standard greeting, grinning widely so as to best show off all four of his remaining teeth.

‘Yeah, Alfred.’ This is my standard greeting these days, delivered in flat tones while taking his measure. Looks like this could be a doozy. He’d made the extra effort and worn his eye patch over the empty left socket- a mixed blessing at best. He’ll expect to be paid a few dollars just for the courtesy. It made him look a pirate’ ragged at the edges, certainly one who’d seen better days, but still out to plunder what he could.

Oh, and the neck brace. How nice for me- a double header. Ever since he’d been hit by a slow moving car a year ago the brace came and went according to whim. Since it was here today, he must be looking for a little sympathy cash on top of the eye patch bonus.

‘I come to do some work. These leafs got to be taken care of. It looks bad.’ He points to a single leaf that had fallen onto the sidewalk, his manner both proprietary and reproachful: How could you let my walkway sink to this state’

‘Not today Alfred, I’m in the middle of…’

‘You in a mood’’ He eyed me critically, trying to calculate how far he could push today. ‘Hey, your pimple’s gone! God is good, see!’ he said, buttering me up. Read the rest of this entry »