“Say, uh, I noticed as I was coming up the steps that your porch rail is loose. Didn’t know if maybe you or your husband had noticed and—”
“Oh, I’m not married,” she interrupted, somewhat hastily.
“Oh, I see. Well, maybe your boyfriend might want to take a look at—”
“I uh, I don't have a boyfriend either,” she said.
“Really?” I blurted out without thinking, surprised that she didn’t and kinda taken aback at how quickly she had corrected me. It was good to know, though. “Well, since I'm almost done mowing my lawn, and I’m pretty good with a hammer, how about I see if I can get that fixed for you? It won't take more than, say, 15 minutes.”
“Oh no, I really couldn't ask you to do something like that; it would be—”
At that moment, my phone started ringing in my pocket.
“Excuse me, Vivienne,” I said as I took my phone out and looked at the screen. The babysitter. “I just need to take this call.”
“Sure.”
I answered the phone.
“Hey Maggie,” I said. “What's up?”
Maggie explained that she had come down with a bad cold and thus wouldn't be able to babysit my daughter, Janie, tonight while I was at my meeting.
“Oh no, sorry to hear that, Maggie. I sure do hope you get better soon. I'll, uh, I'll find someone else to look after Jane tonight. Thanks for calling and letting me know.” We said our goodbyes, I put the phone back in my pocket, and shook my head and sighed. Maggie was the teenage daughter of my contact at the school board and essentially my only option for a sitter.
“What's the problem?” Vivienne asked.
“Oh, that was my babysitter. She can't take care of Jane tonight. Seems she's come down with a bad cold.”
“Oh, you're a father?” her eyes widened a little, and it was quite clear that she was surprised.
“I am, yeah. My lil' Jane is three years old.”
“And your wife isn't able to look after her tonight?” she asked.
“I'm not married . . . We've uh, we've been divorced a couple of years now.”
She nodded. “Ah, I see. Well, I'll tell you what, Everett, how about I take care of Jane for you tonight in exchange for you fixing my porch rail? I know it might seem a little weird, you know, me offering to do that when we've only just met each other, but I happen to have a lot of experience with very young children. I own a daycare 15 minutes away from here. See? Here's my card,” she said, reaching into her handbag from the coat hook next to her on the wall and taking out a business card to give to me. “It's got my cell number right there if you need to get hold of me for anything.”
“Thanks! Actually, that would work out perfectly. I've just taken a job as principal of JFK High School, and as you know, the new school year starts in a few days, and I've got a meeting with the teaching staff tonight about certain, uh, issues that have been plaguing the school in recent months.”
“Sounds like important business. Like I said, I'd be happy to take care of Jane tonight if that would help you.”
“If you could, it'd be great,” I replied. “But you gotta allow me to compensate you with more than just fixing your porch rail, as I don't feel like that's too fair a bargain. Fifteen minutes of easy work for me compared to three hours of dealing with a three-year-old for you. Can I at least pay you for your time? Or mow your lawn or something?”
She chuckled. “I appreciate the offer, Everett, but I'm not really in need of any extra cash. However, if you're anything of a handyman . . .”
“I am. See those boxes in the back of my truck?” I pointed to my black 4x4 sitting in my driveway.
“Yeah?”
“Those happen to be my power tools. I'll be setting them up in my garage tomorrow if I get everything else unpacked before then.”
“Great. So then, if you wouldn't mind helping me fix a few things around my house in exchange for any babysitting needs you have, I'd really appreciate that.”
I extended my hand and she took it, and I gave it a firm shake.
“That sounds perfect,” I said. “I enjoy working with my hands, so it’s a win-win.”