It’s January and time to go through all the old
paperwork and empty out folders and drawers. While I was doing just that, I
found this short-story from my college days and wanted to share it with you. I
really had to laugh. It’s a romance with a dog! Even back then. Imagine that.
Enjoy, but don’t expect too much. (lol)
“When I get my hands on Linda, I’m
going to kill her!” Karen clenched and unclenched her fists and let out a huge
sigh.
How could she let her friend talk her into
selling these stupid housecleaning products? No one sells door-to-door anymore.
Well, except maybe the Avon lady. Karen smiled. So the economy was really bad. She
could make more money flipping burgers for minimum wage than this degrading job.
Oh, the rude people she’d dealt with over the last two days. But finding a
summer job until college started in the fall proved almost impossible. Still,
she’d like to ring Linda’s neck. Door-to-door.
She scoffed. What was I thinking?
So I’m a neat freak, and I love to clean.
That doesn’t make me a great salesperson.
She hopped out of her VW Beetle and
grabbed the box of cleaning supplies from the backseat. Trepidation filled her.
She hadn’t sold one product yet. She straightened her back and approached the
cottage-style home with fortitude. Taking a deep breath, she rang the doorbell.
A huge commotion of yelling and barking ensued inside. She felt her confidence
slipping away.
The front door flew open and a shaggy
English Sheep dog bolted directly at her. Karen jumped aside to avoid a
collision. The dog bolted toward the street and then took off on a full run.
A five-o-clock shadowed man ran after the dog
to the end of the sidewalk, stopped and flung his arms in the air, frantically
calling. “Wally! Get back here. Wally. Come back, old boy.”
Wally scrambled down the street and
took a left.
Karen smiled. Despite the man’s attractive
features and physique, his clothes looked as “shaggy” as his dog’s hairy hide. His
jeans were frayed around the pockets, knees and bottoms, and his teal T-shirt
bore at least a dozen stains. He ran a hand through his unruly reddish waves
and then scratched his stubbled chin, staring after his dog.
He grumbled and turned in her
direction. “Oh, oh, oh. I’m sorry. Go on in and get started.”
“Excuse me?” she said.
Ring.
“Go on in,” he said, waving toward the
house.
Ring.
“Get that, would you? I’ve got to
round up Wally.” He walked away with determination in his stride.
Ring.
Karen reluctantly headed inside the
man’s house. Despite the fine furnishings, she couldn’t help but notice the
humungous clutter…and awful smell. She serpentined her way through the mess to
the ringing phone.
“Hello?” she said hesitantly.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I must have the wrong
number. I was calling my son, Dan, at 555-3355,” the woman said.
“Uh…uh…does he have a dog named
Wally?” Karen asked.
“Well, yes. Yes, he does.”
Dan came through the door carrying Wally
in his arms. He slammed the door with his foot and then dumped Wally on the
carpet. Wally trotted over to his empty dog dish in the kitchen and knocked it
upside down with a swat of his paw. Dan entered the kitchen area and pulled an
empty dog food bag from a lower cupboard.
“Hello?” the woman on the phone
questioned.
“Oh, hold on.” Karen held the phone
out to Dan.
“Who is it?” he asked, dropping the
empty bag on the floor.
“Your mother.”
“Hells, bells. Mom.” He grabbed for
the phone. “Hi, Mom…yes…yes…fine. How are you? No, of course not. She’s
the…the…” He looked Karen up and down and then spotted the box of cleaning
supplies she’d left on the coffee table. “Cleaning lady. You know. From one of
those services. You know me. I’m always working.”
This man didn’t need her adding to his
confusion right now. Karen crossed over to the coffee table and reached for her
box. Dan’s hand came around her waist, and he turned her around to face him. A
crooked smile curled his lips. He held up one finger, signaling her to wait.
Karen felt a slight tingle zip up her
spine at his close proximity. He really was quite attractive in a primal sort
of way. She noticed the half-finished landscape on an easel in the other room. From
what she could see, the mountain scene was breath-taking. However, paint
splatters riddled the room and carpet. He wasn’t exactly the tidiest person
she’d ever met. But creative people weren’t always neat or organized.
Creativity lent itself to passion and enthusiasm. And, from what she could see,
this man exuded passion. Oh my, what am I
thinking?
His expression sobered. “What? You’re
already in town. Well, no…yes. Of course. Yeah. Sure it’ll be fine.” Either his teal shirt suddenly reflected on
his face, or Dan had turned a pale green. “Bye now,” he said weakly and then
gulped.
Karen tried for the box once again,
but he stopped her.
“Where are you going?” he asked.
“I’m not from a cleaning service, and I
can see you’re much too busy for me to demonstrate these cleaning products.”
“Are you kidding? Demonstrate away.”
He waved a hand in every direction.
She picked up her box. “I’ll show
myself out.”
“But…but I need you! I told my mom you
were the cleaning lady and just look at this place. She’ll be here in less than
an hour to stay for the weekend. She’ll wonder what I was doing with a cleaning
woman in my house and my house looking like a total disaster.”
“Then I suggest you get started on
this pig’s-sty. I’m sorry. I’ve interrupted you as it is.”
Wally grabbed the kitchen tablecloth
in his teeth and ripped everything off the table. Plates and glasses shattered
to the floor. A wooden bowl of fruit bounced and apples, oranges and bananas
scattered in every direction.
“Good luck with everything,” Karen
called as she beat it to the door.
“I’m right in the middle of a
commissioned art piece,” he yelled after her. “I’m willing to pay top dollar. I
need you in my life.”
Karen slammed the door behind her and
smiled. She wasn’t sure which attracted her the most: the sound of that top
dollar or the words, “I need you in my life.”
Could she…should she…would she throw
caution to the wind and find out just how much Dan needed her?
She found herself ringing the bell
again. A huge commotion of yelling and barking ensued. The door flew open and
Wally took off down the street.
Dan smiled. “You’re the kind of cleaning
lady I’d like my mom to meet.”
Cindy A. Christiansen
Sweet romance, comedy, suspense…and dogs!
5 comments:
Aw, Cindy, this was wonderful!!! Thanks for the great story! :)
Well, MM, I can't say it's my best work. But, isn't it funny how we stick to what we love? I wrote that over thirty years ago when I'd never even envisioned myself as a writer. Life's interesting!
Great story, Cindy from your college days. I ought to get my college days stories out too. I took Creative Writing and pulled a C amongst English majors.
Believe me, Larry, I found some pretty funny stuff. You'll be glad you went back and reminisced. I'm still smiling at some of the stuff I wrote.
Shoot me an email when you post one of them. I'd love to read it.
Cindy, That was a cute story. You were a prolific writer even then.
You should submit it to Woman's World Weekly, as short romantic fiction. It believe it's that good.
I would hate to show anyone something I wrote 30 years ago. Gag. LOL.
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