Mow the yard

You decided to start with mowing the lawn so you head out to the shed and fire up the mower. You start in the back yard, which takes about 15 minutes to complete.

While it is still early summer, it is nearly 2pm and it is hot and humid at this point. You have already worked up a nice sweat as you push the mower around to the front of the house to finish the yard. After you get to the front yard, you realize the gas tank is nearly empty so you go grab the gas can and realize it too, is almost empty. “Of course” you say to yourself. “Well, I guess I will need to break to grab some gas if I’m going to finish this up today.”

You grab your keys and the gas can, hop in the car and are on your way. The gas station is only a mile or so down the road, so it’s not too inconvenient. After arriving, you get out of the car and head over to the pump. As you put in your credit card, you notice the price has jumped again. “Fuck,” you mutter to yourself. “$5.20 per gallon. I’m going to need to get a side hustle soon just to be able to fill up the gas tank for my fucking mower.”

As you fill the gas can, a familiar looking car pulls up to the pump next to you. It’s not an overly common car but you’re not sure why you recognize this vehicle. Then, a mid-twenties gentleman steps out of the car and it clicks.

“Ryan! Great to see you again!” Matt says sarcastically.

“Likewise,” you reply, secretly hoping this isn’t a long conversation.

“What brings you to this side of town?” asked Matt.

“I live close by. Just needed to grab some gas for the mower so I can finish the lawn.” you reply.

Chuckling, Matt asks, “Who mows their own lawn anyway?”

“I do, motherfucker” you think to yourself. Your patience wearing thin. “So you from around here too?” you manage to ask without letting your emotions get the best of you.

He replies, “Yeah. We live a over by the high school. I am hanging out with the boys since Melanie said she is heading out with a girlfriend tonight.”

“Interesting… Melanie is ‘hanging out with a girlfriend tonight’,” you think to yourself.

“That sounds like a good time.” you manage to reply.

“Of course it will be. Beers with the boys and no nagging girlfriend,” he says.

“What a fucking d-bag,” you mumble to yourself as you turn to hang up the gas pump and close the lid on the gas can. “Well, maybe I’ll see around sometime or up at the course again.” you say trying to exit the conversation.

In typical Matt fashion and with a strong sense of sarcasm, he replies “Wouldn’t that be great?”

With that, you throw the gas can in the trunk, hop in the car and head home. As you pass the high school on your way home, you realize just how close they must live, maybe even the same neighborhood. You think back to his comment about Melanie spending the evening with a girlfriend. You decide to text her to confirm your plans. “Hey Melanie! I just ran into Matt who said you were hanging out with your girlfriend tonight. Just wanted to make sure we were still on for tonight.”

She quickly texts back, “Oh were definitely still on for tonight! I hope you don’t mind if my friend Kat joins us for drinks.”

“Don’t mind at all! See you tonight!” you reply.

You shut off your phone, fill up the gas tank on the mower and get to work on the front yard.

A quick 15 minutes later, you finish up the front yard and head back inside. You look at the clock and see it is nearly 4 pm. You realize that you don’t have a ton of time before you need to start getting ready for tonight but also need to make some progress in the garage. You fill up your water bottle, then head out to the garage to start cleaning up.

Time flies and before you know it, the alarm you set on your phone is ringing. It’s 6:30. Time to stop working and cleanup as you don’t want to be late for drinks with Melanie. Satisfied with your work, you head back inside, make yourself a sandwich before taking a quick shower.

After you get ready and before you head out, you call Sarah on FaceTime so you can see the kids. She answers and notices that you are dressed nicely and even trimmed your beard. She jokes, “You look nice! Are you having your girlfriend over since we’re gone?”

You laugh and respond, “Oh Sarah. You are so funny.” You tell her that you are headed out for a couple of drinks with a friend from the golf course. You feel a slight bit of guilt but it’s not too far from the truth, you convince yourself. You finish the call, say your good nights and head out to the car.

It’s 7:55 as you pull into the parking lot at the bar located on the other side of town. “5 minutes early, just as planned!” you think to yourself. You shut off the car then give yourself a quick glance in the rear view mirror. Running your hand over your neatly trimmed beard you say to yourself, “looking pretty good for an old guy!”

As you go to get out of the car, you spot Melanie walking toward the door. She is wearing a shortcut black sundress with floral pattern featuring red and yellow flowers. It is the perfect blend of classy and sexy and accentuates her petite frame in all the right ways. You quickly move toward the front door so she isn’t kept waiting too long. As you enter, you spot her at the bar where she has saved a seat for you. As you walk toward the bar, she makes eye contact and flashes you a brilliant smile that makes your heart beat a little bit faster. When you reach the bar, she moves toward you and gives you a big hug saying, “it’s great to see you again Ryan! I was looking forward to our date all afternoon.”

“Me too, Melanie. Me too!” you reply.

Your embrace is interrupted by a young lady who asks Melanie, “Mel, is this the handsome gentleman you were telling me about earlier?”

“Oh my goodness,” she says, “Ryan, this is my friend Kat who I told you would be joining us tonight.”

“Pleasure to meet you Kat!” you say, offering your hand for a handshake.

She pushes your hand away and gives you a big hug saying, “a friend of Mel’s is a friend of mine, especially a good looking guy like you!”

“Two hugs, from two beautiful women, all in one night. How lucky can one guy be?” you say causing both women to blush.

The two women look to each other flashing slightly devilish grins when Melanie says, “let’s find out!”