Short Story Saturday

The sound of the buzzing saw interrupted any thought of a nap she was delusional to think she might get to take. For the last three days, her home was not exactly her home anymore. Instead, it was a crazy mix of sawdust, hammers, saws, wood, and strangers.

     It was disconcerting, really, that everything that belonged to her, and her family was on the outside of the house, looking in. Or shoved in a cabinet, or piled high in either bedroom, the only place where any of them could safely walk barefooted. She has not seen her comfortable shoes for three days now.

     Stranger yet, were the strangers. Making themselves so free with her home. Leaving toilet seats up, sitting on the new flooring they were installing, eating taco's from the local Jim Boy's, seemingly care free, not worried that perhaps, they might spill taco sauce on the beautiful oak they were installing. Doesn't matter anyhow, they still have to sand it.

     Then, the annoying one showed up. The one who had done the shuck and jive to get hired for the job, then turned out to be a disappointment. Yes, he is doing a good job on the floor. Yes, it will be beautiful when it is done. But it doesn't make up for a lack of communication, a no show day (2 no show days if she was really counting) and his condescending attitude when he DID finally show up. To make matters worse, on this day, he wanted money. She knew she'd have to fork it over eventually, but, it was nice to hold onto, for awhile anyhow. After she wrote the check, she, for the third time? Or was it more, went over stain colors with him, yet again, and told him NO, he was not to be making the base-boards. We can do that ourselves. Just put the old, perfectly good baseboard's back on, please... He had told the annoying one the exact same thing yesterday. She had told the annoying one the exact same thing the day before. I am sure that on Monday, after a weekend off, the annoying one will have to be told the exact, same thing, again.

     "It will be worth it, it will be worth it" she chants to herself, quietly, so that the strangers don't hear her. She is stuck in the bedroom, all day, like a sick invalid, because it had the temerity to rain, and then SNOW in the last twenty four hours. Snow on all their belongings that are on the outside, looking in. She has only her computer, and her extremely freaked out cats for company. One of the cats was curled next to her bent leg, refusing to be dislodged, glaring at her with ire when she had the nerve to move her leg to a more comfortable position. She didn't really mind, this same cat spent the morning flinching every time a nail gun was fired off. Which was so often that the poor guy looked like he was having a seizure. Her more adventurous cat had taken the opportunity to wander amongst the floor installers earlier, when one of them opened the door to finish the hallway. She found the cat at lunch time, in the same closet as the furnace. Good thing the heater wasn't on. The three cats were going to be extremely disappointed when the furniture was moved back in the home, because their cat tree was a casualty of bad weather shenanigans. It got rained on, then snowed upon. The carpet that covered it is wet, and she fears it will get moldy when it dries. Rebellion of the cats may be near.

     And the dogs. Initially shoved into a bathroom, then thrust outside in the weather. At least they had been running free. Free, that is, until the evil neighbor called and complained that the dogs had the nerve to actually bark (gasp). In fact, they had not been barking, but said neighbor, who is wanting to rent out her house to some poor, unsuspecting fool, wanted to complain BEFORE they barked, thinking she would bring the dogs into the house. Complaining neighbor did not bargain for cranky she, though. Complaining neighbor got told off. But the dogs? They suffered the most, they got tied up. Just in case. Because she doesn't want complaining neighbor to come over and complain even more, because her crappy house didn't get rented. At least it isn't raining, anymore...

"it will be worth it, it will be worth it, it will be worth it"