Lawn Boy

(If this is not your first time here, just go to the bottom and pick the next job.)

Chuck paused from mowing the wide, green expanse of lawn to wipe the sweat from his brow. His bandanna was soaked and not doing much good; his t-shirt was also very wet and only after an hour. He removed his shirt over his head, and he hung it on a nearby bush, along with the bandanna. He took another bandanna out of his pocket and tied it around his collar-length brown hair. He liked working outside with its honest sweat and tanning sunshine. Soon after he resumed mowing, the zen monotony of walking back and forth across the grass freed his mind to think of other things. He had balanced his checkbook the night before, and there wasn't much money left from his job in the bursar's office. It certainly wouldn't last for the whole summer. Chuck needed a job.

Having finished his first year of college, Chuck now lived at home with his parents in the suburbs. He had his old room in the basement, which he liked since it stayed cool in the hot, humid summer weather. Part of the bargain was doing the yard work.

In high school, he had mowed lawns for weekend cash, so while he worked, he thought through what he needed. By the time Chuck finished mowing and trimming, his plans were set. He put the equipment away and went inside.

"Dad, if I buy a new lawn mower to use for my lawn service, can I use the old one for a trade-in?" he asked as he poured himself a lemonade in the kitchen.

His dad replied, "Sure, as long as you still mow our lawn. Do you need anything else?", trying to encourage his son's entrepreneurism.

"I don't think so, but I'll ask you if I think of anything."

Chuck's first step was posting flyers in the neighborhood. The lawns around his house were pretty big, usually taking two or three hours to complete, so he thought that fifteen dollars an hour was a good rate. At that price, he would undercut the big lawn services by ten to twenty bucks per job. He also decided to give a free mowing after eight paid jobs. That would encourage people to get regular weekly or biweekly service.

Chuck took an hour on the computer to produce a snappy flyer announcing his service. After checking his bank balance, he took a floppy disk with the file on it to the copy shop and had a dozen copies printed on card stock. He figured the heavy weight paper would last longer, stuck to a telephone pole. Then he drove to the garden store to look for a new lawn mower. His dad's mower had been serviceable, but it was aging and difficult to start. He ended up buying a practically new mower for $160 after trade-in, its previous owner having traded it in after a year to get a riding mower. When he got home, he grabbed a staple gun and the flyers and walked around the neighborhood posting his signs.

Over the next couple of days, he got three phone messages from prospective clients. He returned the calls and set up appointments to give estimates.

First, there were the Morris', a couple with four kids, three daughters at nineteen, eighteen, and seventeen, and a son who was thirteen. They had a big ranch-style house a couple blocks away with a big yard. In grade school, he used to hang out with Sandy, the oldest. Their group of mutual neighborhood friends did all sorts of things together, like play street games, go fishing, trick-or-treat on Halloween, and have snowball fights. At the time, he had had a grade school crush on her. Once junior high started, they drifted apart for no particular reason. They just had different friends and interests. Chuck had seen Sandy since they returned from college; her skinny, tomboy frame had filled out into a sexy body with long brown hair, large breasts and a nice ass. Judy had just graduated from high school. She was shorter than Sandy, with short blonde hair, a thin body with small, perky breasts, and a lot of attitude. Bea would be a senior next year. She was very smart, one of the top in her class, as well as on the student council. She was somewhat severe with her reddish-brown hair always pulled back in bun and glasses. She dressed conservatively in knee-length skirts and tailored shirts, and she always had her arms crossed in front of her moderate bosom. Timmy was an annoying little brat, far too spoiled as the only boy. He reveled in finding ways to get his sisters upset, and he was very good at it. Tom was a manager at a big bank in town, and Angie Morris, who looked pretty good for forty-something with four kids, had an antique shop, which gave her an excuse to go to estate sales, something she loved.

Then there was Mrs. Wheeler and her two small boys across the street. Now there was a sad story. Sharon, her husband, and two-year old Bill had moved into the neighborhood a few years ago, just before little Nicky had been born. They seemed a perfect family, always happy and joyful, but a year ago, Jack Wheeler died in the car accident with a drunk driver. Luckily, he had a large life insurance policy that paid off the house, and he left her with substantial investments. Since that fateful day, happiness and joy were gone from her and her family. They had a split-level house and a beautiful set of gardens that took up much of the large lot.

Last, there were the Benson's, a young couple that had recently moved in from California. Ken owned a small software company, and Jill was an artist. She often worked outside, throwing pottery, painting canvas, welding iron sculpture, or some other project. Chuck had seen her several times while out in the neighborhood, and he liked her lovely athletic body and cinnamon-red hair. Their lawn had several of her large sculptures in it, something that sometimes irked the neighbors. Chuck figured Mr. Benson had to pull in at least six figures to afford the house and his wife's expensive projects. The Benson house was the biggest in the neighborhood with two full stories and a garage with a mother-in-law apartment above it. Mowing their yard would take longer than the rest, but it would be worth it for the extra cash.

(Author's Note: I've started a tip jar over at Ko-Fi. Drop-in and say hi!)