"You can do this," I whispered to myself as I knelt down next to the lawn mower and read the instructions on the side.
Something about turning a switch and there was a cord involved. I looked around the lawn mower for anything that resembled a cord.
I couldn't find it. Kneeling down, I reached under the mower and felt around for the string.
"You trying to get your hand ripped off?" A gravelly voice barked.
I jumped back to find Fredrick standing in my yard, glaring at me. Pretty sure his face was frozen that way.
"The mower doesn't seem to want to start," I explained half-heartedly.
Fredrick shook his head and muttered under his breath. "Kids these days. Don't know how to do a darn thing."
I took a small step back as he charged forward and began studying the motor. "What seems to be the trouble? I like to tinker with motors every now and then. I might be able to fix it. For a price, of course."
"Of course," I said in agreement. I'd teased Nola before about not being able to afford me. Well, I knew I wouldn't be able to afford Fredrick. He'd probably demand my firstborn or something along those lines.
"Did you have the choke on all the way?"
The choke? What was the choke? "Now that you mention it, no, I don't think so."
Fredrick huffed as he straightened—as much as he could with a hunched back—and pulled a small orange lever on the lawn mower handle. "Can't start a cold engine without opening up the choke. Remember that."
"I'll tuck that away." I tapped my temple.
Fredrick glared at me again before he reached down and grabbed a handle that sat on top of the motor. He gave it a quick jerk—that was where the string was that I'd had so much trouble locating.
The motor roared to life.
Fredrick reached back and grabbed his back. "My rods are acting up again."
It was his only comment before he stepped behind the mower and grabbed the handle, pulling back the orange lever—the choke—a bit. "Makes a nice sound, doesn't it?"
"Sure does," I agreed quickly as his face took on a serene look.
"Mind if I take it for a quick spin? I'm thinking about upgrading my mower soon—I'd like to see how this Honda runs."
"Be my guest."
Fredrick readjusted the thick glasses on his nose before he pinched the long bar up against the handle.
The mower began propelling itself across the yard, the man trailing behind. I stepped back onto the driveway, narrowly avoiding Fredrick clipping my toes.
The man moved at a surprisingly quick pace for someone with metal rods in his back.
He made another pass across the lawn.
"I can take over from here," I told him.
He shook his head and made another pass. When he came by again, I spoke, "You don't have to mow the yard. I know you're busy."
He glared at me and kept mowing.
"Why don't you stop—" I tried once more.
"Are you trying to steal the only joy I get in life?" he barked at me on another pass.
Well, if mowing lawns was the only joy in his life, then who was I to steal that from him?
A car honked behind me, and I turned around to see Nola pulling into the driveway in her minivan. I still couldn't quite get over the fact that that was what she drove. What young woman in her right mind would get behind the wheel of a minivan? But then again, Nola wasn't exactly in her right mind. She was the kind of woman who broke into houses and hung her underwear to dry in the bathroom.
Unforgiveable things.
Things like feed me Hawaiian food and curry. Comforting me after accidentally getting elected as president of the HOA. She was terrible.
After she parked the car in the garage, she came outside to stand next to me. "Why are you making that poor man mow our yard?"
My heart made a little jump at the word 'our.' "I'm not making him mow it. I've tried to get him to let me have a turn, but he refuses. I think he likes it."
Nola lifted a brow. "Really? What is wrong with him? I hated mowing the lawn growing up."
"Wait. You mowed the lawn growing up?"
"Yes! Didn't everybody?"
I shrugged and turned to face the yard again. No, not everybody mowed the yard. Some people grew up in apartment buildings and didn't have the benefit of having a yard to call their own.
It may seem like a small dream to some people, but I'd always wanted to have a lawn. A lawn that I had to mow regularly. Today was going to be the day that I mowed a yard for the first time. But now Fredrick was stealing my joy. I could at least understand his glee at getting to mow a yard.
"Does it look like he's having trouble keeping up?" Nola asked as she brushed against my arm.
I could smell her citrus perfume over the scent of cut grass. Fredrick did look like he was falling behind the mower—just a little. His back was hunched a little more than usual, and his legs were moving rapidly.
"I told him he should stop mowing and give me a turn," I complained.
Then Fredrick reached forward, pushing the choke lever he'd been talking about. The lawn mower took off across the yard.
"Oh, no!" Nola gasped as Fredrick tried to run and keep up with it. He only managed three leaping steps before the mower finally pulled away from him.
Only Fredrick didn't let go. He held on. Someone shrieked. I'm not sure if it was Nola or me.
"Let go!" I yelled as I ran after him. I latched a hand onto the mower, digging my heels into the ground, pulling back against the powerful engine. "Fredrick, let go! You're going to get dragged all the way through the neighborhood."
Fredrick spit some grass from his mouth before he yelled, "No lawn mower has ever gotten the
