R.V. Roush
�Good evening, Ms. Brolin,� Robert greeted the woman as she opened the screen door to him. She was as tiny as a child, but he suspected that if anyone made the mistake of not respecting her, she�d make them very sorry. She had a very mature air about her, though the style of her short hair was fresh and youthful without seeming like a pathetic attempt to fit in with the teens.
�Oh, you�re from Applegate then?�
�Yes, Ms. Brolin. I�m late. I try not to be late.�
�Please come in.�
�Thank you. I noticed the damage on your steps.�
�They certainly don�t meet neighborhood beautification standards. I don�t know about the potential danger to casual visitors.�
�That would depend on a number of things,� Robert said in his best voice. He practiced enunciation for public communication with customers, but lazily slurred and used shorthand slang when a job wasn�t at stake.
Inside her home, he noticed several areas that were in various stages of refurbishment. If he stayed alert, he might hear opportunities to promote other services.
�What kind of variables?�
�You know, whether it�s light or dark out, raining or sunshine, whether the visitor has trouble walking or seeing, those kind of things. If you don�t mind my asking, is this a new home for you?�
�I moved in about four months ago. It�s my first home. It needs a lot of work, but I�m in no hurry to get everything taken care of.�
�I�ll bet there�s some very nice yellow pine under this carpeting,� he said. �I notice you have some kind of security on your windows. Is this a bad neighborhood?�
�You never know,� Beth answered.
�Better to be safe than sorry. Do you know if there were any warranties in the purchase agreement that insured against structural damage that you might find in the months after your purchase? That�s how insurers define crumbling access routes from public byways. Under �structural damage� in the contract, I mean.�
�Well, at the time I thought the realty agents gave me a fair and honest shake. I didn�t think the sellers might be trying to take advantage of me.�
�I only mean that the work might be paid for by the bank that made the loan if the damage was preexisting and it constitutes a danger that the seller knew about. The sellers usually have to set aside a fund for repairs.�
�I really don�t remember anybody explaining all that to me.�
Robert sensed that he�d made the woman feel a little foolish and hoped that the chance to save money on the repair would help her get over any ego damage.
�I�ll look into it, Robert. Is it okay if I call you Robert?�
�That�s fine. Just to let you know, I�m not a lawyer or a realtor. I just pick up on these practices when other customers discuss them with me.�
�Can I get you something to drink, Robert?�
�Thanks, Ms. Brolin. I�d wouldn�t say no to a glass of water.�
�Bottled okay?�
�Sure.�
�So, let�s get out there and see what the damage is,� she said eagerly.
There was something about her, Robert thought. Something familiar. He couldn�t have gone to high school with him; she had to be in her late thirties, maybe five years older than him. Her wrists, he noticed as she walked ahead of him onto her front porch were thin but not bony. He noticed the distinct outline of firm back muscles through her shirt. Her neck muscles also stood out. And a thick blue vein.
The shadow of a cloud passing over the sun fell across her face as she stood at the bottom of the steps. He finally recognized her voice, recognized the planes of her pixie-ish face, recognized a scent of lemons that he hadn�t noticed in the house. He flinched and visibly pulled up three steps from the sidewalk, feeling suddenly like running away. His own voice felt reserved, small, and faraway as he finished a sentence. If he recognized her, she might recognize him.
His sudden change of demeanor puzzled Beth. When he caught her eye, he lowered his head again and spoke in a dull monotone about how he�d fill the cracks alongside each step so that water couldn�t seep in and expand in winter and erode the binding properties of the concrete from the inside out. She wanted to understand why his manners had suddenly turned shy. She guessed a rugged man like him, a little paunchy but not bad looking in a rough sort of way, had nothing to be shy about with her. Maybe he was simply out of his element. She had a certain sophistication that even more educated men found intimidating. Though he bent his head forward to avoid looking at her, she noticed that his neck was strong, tanned, and she guessed unaccustomed to bending to the will of a woman. His changed attitude gave her the impression of a domesticated bull.
She wondered at the effect she was having on him, feeling a little pride to be able to weaken such an apparently headstrong man. She could tell he was normally more forward by his confident descriptions of how he would beat away the crumbling edges of the bottom step and jam a wooden form over the remaining base and pour the concrete into the form.
�If there�s no rain,� he said, scruffing his beaten tan boot toe into the crux of one of the step joints, �the steps should set up in about three days, and I�ll be back around to do all the finish work. I�ll use this new plastic composite masonry powder.�
He noticed that Beth was looking at him strangely, as if she had some emotion that tugged anxiously at her lips. What she said, though, was harmless enough.
� 2004 R.V. Roush