Walker.
Neil followed his boss's squat body to the lanai and sat opposite him on the couch. That's when he saw the stain. It was shaped somewhat like a butterfly and sat across two of the colorful orchids on the fabric. Neil couldn't help but notice that the butterfly remains of his relationship with Gloria had one lavender and one chartreuse wing.
Mr. Walker leaned toward Neil with a big smile. His hand landed right on top of the come stain to crush the innocent butterfly into oblivion. 'Son, between you and me, all this business about heroism aside, you've done me a great service. You saved me from one terrific lot of trouble.'
'It was nothing, sir, all I did…'
Mr. Walker held his free hand in the air to silence Neil. Neil saw the beads of sweat on the palm and hoped the other hand wasn't as wet. 'No… none of this humble business, Neil. I'm a businessman, I face these issues straight on. That girl's mother and father could have sued the pants off me.'
'Oh?'
'Yes. I could have been wiped out. And I'm grateful that you were here. I only wish the rest of my employees were half as quick-witted as you.'
'Really, Mr. Walker… '
The hand went in the air again. Neil was silenced. 'And I believe such deeds should be rewarded, my boy. Yes. And I want to reward you… '
'That's not necessary, sir. I really don't need any reward,' Neil said without interruption.
'No. No. I must do something for you. Anything. Anything I can do, my boy.' Mr. Walker's magnanimous offer touched Neil deeply. He didn't know what to do. Then it hit him, the time was right.
'Well, there is one thing, Mr. Walker.'
Mr. Walker was fully prepared to hear Neil protest and refuse again. As a matter of fact, he already had his hand halfway in the air before realizing the young man was taking him up on his offer. A quick reappraisal of the young man flashed through his mind. He inhaled and prepared himself for a trip to the bank. 'Yes?'
'I could use a few more hours work a week – that is, if it's possible. I mean, if the work is available… '
With a great sigh of relief Mr. Walker's wide smile returned to his red, circular face. 'Of course! Why of course! I'd be glad to help, my boy! How many hours do you have in mind?'
Neil was ecstatic. It worked. He had told himself to wait until the time was right, the time came, and he acted and succeeded! From that point forward it was all a matter of working the hours out. By the time Mr. Walker stood to leave, Neil was authorized to come every day after classes, in addition to his pool-cleaning duties he would assume some of the less difficult repair jobs constantly cropping up in the complex.
Then Mr. Walker noticed the stickiness on his left hand. He rubbed it, sniffed it, terrified Neil with his close visual inspection of the sofa cushion. He stood back up and turned to Neil. 'My boy, I also want you to keep watch on the lanai area. It looks like some children have been eating ice cream in here, they dripped all over the cushion.'
'I'll clean it up right away, sir,' said Neil
'Fine!' Neil got slapped on the back with the sticky palm and was ushered back to his pool duties by his jubilant boss. 'Now, remember, Neil, anything I can do for you… all you have to do is ask. My door is always open to fine young men like you.
'Yessir.'
Mr. Walker started to go but stopped. A light had gone on inside his head. Some minor detail of the day which had floated across his desk. He turned. 'Uhhhh… I think it's apartment twenty-seven. Yes, that's it Number Twenty-seven. They have a broken light switch. As soon as you're finished here, go take care of it.'
To Mr. Walker's heaven-pointed index finger Neil answered, 'Yessir.'
Now Mr. Walker was gone. Neil finished sweeping the pool, flushed the filters, cleaned the butterfly stain off the sofa, and found a light switch and tools in the maintenance shed. He hummed happily to himself as he crossed the pool area for the wing in which apartment twenty-seven was.
As he passed Mr. Crocker the old man stirred. Half sleep, he waved and smacked his lips. 'Neil, my young friend, let me tell you something.'
'Yes, Mr. Crocker.'
'Every man has his day. At times the world is at his feet, at other times the world is at his knees… but when the world starts to hug you about a foot and a half higher – you have it right where you want it. Heh! Heh- heh!'
Neil stood in shock as the old coot tee-heed himself back to sleep. He shook his head and resumed his trek to apartment twenty-seven. As he walked he wondered if Mr. Crocker might be getting too much sun. The elderly gent was enjoying Neil's fame to the fullest, but not in a manner most appreciated by Neil. He shrugged it off before knocking on the door with the brass number 27 on it.
It was an awfully long wait before he heard the sound of footsteps. Then he saw the shadow behind the watch guard eye in the center of the door. Then a woman's voice: 'Yes? Who is it?'
'I'm here to repair your light switch,' called out Neil.
'What?' she asked at a slightly higher volume.
'I'm here to fix your switch!'
'Switch?'
'Yes, light switch!'
The door cracked open and Neil saw one of the prettiest hazel-green eyes he could remember. Then a strand of brilliant red hair fell in front of the eye. It was brushed away by a hand sporting very long, beige-polished fingernails. The eye blinked, then a hidden mouth repeated, 'Switch?'
'Yes… a light switch. I'm here to fix it. Do you have a busted one?'
'Oh! Yes, we do! I forgot… it's been so long since we complained about it.'
The hair and eye, the bright Christmas colors, disappeared as the door shut and Neil heard the clatter of a chain lock being undone. Then to Neil's great surprise the door swung open and revealed much more of the lady than he had ever hoped to see.
She was wearing a house robe. Terrycloth, nothing elaborate. Tied around the waist with a terrycloth cord. But that was about the only area where the house robe came together. He saw directly into the cleavage between two small but firm breasts. Right into the center where the ribs met. From there on forward it was the small, round mountains of soft-textured tit.
Their smooth whiteness and visible lines of broad blue veins were a pleasant, exciting sight for Neil. Unfortunately, the house robe managed to just conceal the tips, the nipples, the spongy buttons. From the breasts it cut a slow vee to where it was tied at the waist.
But from that point the vee opened up again. Like an hourglass trying to conceal an hourglass figure, Neil's eyes drank the sleek, liquid lines of two long, limber legs and a crotch unmercifully squeezing pink satin panties into the tightness of a full-mounded vee.
Her thighs were the full, supple thighs of an athletic person. Their graceful, solid curves sloped down to flat knees and calves which further evidenced a love for sports. But no tan. She was stark white. It suddenly dawned on Neil that this lady had too light a complexion to take much sun without burning, so she wasn't the type who could enjoy a golden tan.
She must have noticed his goggle-eyed stare because she quickly readjusted the terrycloth robe to leave herself in a more modest state. Neil was somewhat embarrassed but decided if she wanted to open the door that way she might as well expect to be looked at, and what a sight!
She closed the door behind him and held a long-nailed finger to her lips. 'Shhhhh… my roommate's sleeping. She got in late last night… had the midnight flight from New York.'
Neil nodded. 'Where's the switch?' he asked.
She tiptoed across the room and Neil followed. As she got to the door on the far side she again held her finger to her lips. Neil nodded to save her from having to 'shhhhh.'
She smiled back gratefully and pointed at the bed in the room. Underneath a pile of disheveled blankets was a sleeping lump. All Neil saw was a tangled mess of healthy brown hair and a small, dainty foot. The rest was blankets, a twisted sheet, and a constant wheeze of deep breathing.
The redhead pointed at the light switch just inside the door. She reached out and flicked it up, then down.
