mysteryscribe
TPF Noob!
- Joined
- Feb 1, 2006
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- 6,071
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- in the middle of north carolina
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- retrophotoservice.2ya.com
- Can others edit my Photos
- Photos OK to edit
Edgar was dressed in a pair of cut off jeans and a butchered sweat shirt on Monday afternoon. It was about three PM when the knock on the door startled him. Me might have looked out just to make sure that it wasn't a home invasion, if he had given it any thought. You see in the two years Edgar had lived in the Condo, not a single person had visited him unexpectedly. He therefore assumed that it was a delivery man with some forgotten package.
To his utter amazement it was Tammy Smith, minus her gaggle of children, who stood on his stoop. "Tammy?" he asked through the closed storm door.
"The Kid are at 'Mother's afternoon out. I thought I would stop by to find you before the middle of the night on Saturday."
"Well you found me, come on in." Edgar said stepping back. "Forgive this mess, I never have company."
Tammy looked around before she answered. "Edgar, you need to hire a cleaning lady. Maybe one of those maid services."
"I guess I should, but about once a month I break down and clean."
She turned up her nose at that thought. She looked as though she wanted to run away before the clutter attacked her. Her face was a scene right out of some fifties horror move. "Calm down Tammy, it's just clutter. Trust me, I'm not harboring ebola virus in here."
"Mr. Taft, if I had more time, I would help clean this place right now. I'd put you to work as well. This is disgusting."
"Well, when you come back on Saturday morning, remind me not to invite you in for coffee and donuts." Edgar's voice took on a sarcastic tone.
"And they said you weren't a thoughtful man," her sarcasm matched his. It seemed the Yuppie Soccer Mom could hold her own.
"Who said that?"
"No one, they actually said a lot worse." She broke into a smile. "Okay, you're a slob. Thank god its only for two days. I can live with it. I had a college room mate almost this bad once."
"Did they ever find the body?" Edgar was smiling as he said it. Somehow in the few words they exchanged that afternoon their relationship was defined.
"I think it might have been spring before she emerged from under her own clutter." Tammy stopped to think a minute. It broke the mood as well as gave her time to find the right words. "Edgar, I really wanted to ask if we could leave on Friday? If we leave that early on Saturday, we are not going to have time to sleep at all. We will both be a wreck before we even get started. I will be happy to pay for my own motel room that night. I would rather do that than drive."
"I should take your money, but I won't. I didn't suggest leaving on Friday because you have kids."
"Michael, my former husband, can pick them up from our sitter's house on his way home from work. It just means subjecting them to another evening with him, and the slut de jour, but it won't scar them for life. Don't worry, I checked with my therapist before I suggested it."
Edgar wasn't sure if she was serious about the therapist, but he wouldn't have been surprised. "I wasn't at all worried. You have the responsibility for your own life. I can't and won't try to interfere." It was an easy promise to make, since Edgar didn't know or care about her life. "As for leaving on Friday, what time?"
"It's a three hour drive, and I read the on-line brochure about the festival. If we get there by four, we can get our space assignments Friday. We will know where to go first thing Saturday morning. Since we won't have to stand in line to get our assignment, setting up that early shouldn't be too hard."
"Okay, can you be here around noon? If you do that, we can eat a late lunch somewhere on the road."
"Since you insist on me driving your teeny tiny convertible, maybe and extra hour is called for. How about I get here about 11am?"
"That's just fine, would you like a cup of coffee? I think I have a clean cup somewhere."
"No thanks, I hate to tell you Mr. Taft, but I wouldn't eat or drink anything in this house. It should be declared a super site by the EPA. I'm going shopping for a hazmat suit as a matter of fact."
"You wouldn't like one of those. They don't come in pink." Edgar hoped it didn't hurt her feelings.
"Oh I bet you like pink sometimes." She said it as she turned for the front door. He was surprised by how fast she could leave a room. No good-byes no wind down of conversation, she was just gone.
To his utter amazement it was Tammy Smith, minus her gaggle of children, who stood on his stoop. "Tammy?" he asked through the closed storm door.
"The Kid are at 'Mother's afternoon out. I thought I would stop by to find you before the middle of the night on Saturday."
"Well you found me, come on in." Edgar said stepping back. "Forgive this mess, I never have company."
Tammy looked around before she answered. "Edgar, you need to hire a cleaning lady. Maybe one of those maid services."
"I guess I should, but about once a month I break down and clean."
She turned up her nose at that thought. She looked as though she wanted to run away before the clutter attacked her. Her face was a scene right out of some fifties horror move. "Calm down Tammy, it's just clutter. Trust me, I'm not harboring ebola virus in here."
"Mr. Taft, if I had more time, I would help clean this place right now. I'd put you to work as well. This is disgusting."
"Well, when you come back on Saturday morning, remind me not to invite you in for coffee and donuts." Edgar's voice took on a sarcastic tone.
"And they said you weren't a thoughtful man," her sarcasm matched his. It seemed the Yuppie Soccer Mom could hold her own.
"Who said that?"
"No one, they actually said a lot worse." She broke into a smile. "Okay, you're a slob. Thank god its only for two days. I can live with it. I had a college room mate almost this bad once."
"Did they ever find the body?" Edgar was smiling as he said it. Somehow in the few words they exchanged that afternoon their relationship was defined.
"I think it might have been spring before she emerged from under her own clutter." Tammy stopped to think a minute. It broke the mood as well as gave her time to find the right words. "Edgar, I really wanted to ask if we could leave on Friday? If we leave that early on Saturday, we are not going to have time to sleep at all. We will both be a wreck before we even get started. I will be happy to pay for my own motel room that night. I would rather do that than drive."
"I should take your money, but I won't. I didn't suggest leaving on Friday because you have kids."
"Michael, my former husband, can pick them up from our sitter's house on his way home from work. It just means subjecting them to another evening with him, and the slut de jour, but it won't scar them for life. Don't worry, I checked with my therapist before I suggested it."
Edgar wasn't sure if she was serious about the therapist, but he wouldn't have been surprised. "I wasn't at all worried. You have the responsibility for your own life. I can't and won't try to interfere." It was an easy promise to make, since Edgar didn't know or care about her life. "As for leaving on Friday, what time?"
"It's a three hour drive, and I read the on-line brochure about the festival. If we get there by four, we can get our space assignments Friday. We will know where to go first thing Saturday morning. Since we won't have to stand in line to get our assignment, setting up that early shouldn't be too hard."
"Okay, can you be here around noon? If you do that, we can eat a late lunch somewhere on the road."
"Since you insist on me driving your teeny tiny convertible, maybe and extra hour is called for. How about I get here about 11am?"
"That's just fine, would you like a cup of coffee? I think I have a clean cup somewhere."
"No thanks, I hate to tell you Mr. Taft, but I wouldn't eat or drink anything in this house. It should be declared a super site by the EPA. I'm going shopping for a hazmat suit as a matter of fact."
"You wouldn't like one of those. They don't come in pink." Edgar hoped it didn't hurt her feelings.
"Oh I bet you like pink sometimes." She said it as she turned for the front door. He was surprised by how fast she could leave a room. No good-byes no wind down of conversation, she was just gone.