Hi, Bob
A short story by L.B. Lewis
“This is Bob. I’m here with my truck. Where’s there a place I can park so I don’t get towed?”
“Hi, Bob,” I muttered.
All the back and forth about scheduling this appointment had my stomach in a knot.
And somehow, the landlord forgot to tell him where to park.
I wanted to disappear and have him take care of this.
This new apartment and the roommates really sucked.
“Uh, I’m not sure. Maybe in the back of the building? I’ll meet you there in two minutes.”
The white pickup truck with the red hose was now parallel parking between two large trash cans. I watched thinking how many apartments he has to go to today and if he has ever been here before and when was the last time he was here before…
“That wasn’t so bad. I’m Bob. It won’t take long. No one likes these things.”
“No one likes these things,” I repeated my new mantra.
“That’s right, no one likes these things but we can fix it and you’ll feel better.”
He seemed almost like Mr. Rogers, friendly, polite, trustworthy.
I walked him back to my apartment. I pushed the door open with my right hand and held it open while still standing outside.
“Go ahead first. Tell me where you need to work and I’ll clear any stuff out of the way.”
He went to straight to the bathroom and yelled, “You got roaches, ants, and flying termites…oh, my! Let me spray right away!”
