Arlene Shovald  Men's Work

"Ouch!" Darcy said aloud.

She wiped the scratch on her leg with a tissue. Working with chicken wire was like fighting with a cat.

She wished Grandpa Bill had taught her about carpentry, but he always said that was "men's work." Ladies belonged in the kitchen.

Sometimes it was difficult being raised by grandparents. But they had provided her with a wonderful home after her parents died in a car accident. Now the home was hers, but so was the maintenance. Ugh! Another scratch and more blood.

I'll need a transfusion before I get this fence up, she thought.

After Grandpa died, Grandma lost interest in her flowers, partly because her health was declining too. Darcy was determined to get the garden back as a memorial to them. Her job as a receptionist at the medical clinic hadn't prepared her for farming nor did it pay enough to hire someone, but she figured out how to use the garden tools in the garage and got it planted.

Then came the deer. The newly emerging plants were like a salad bar for them.

With some help at the hardware store, she picked out a couple of rolls of chicken wire  and T posts and dug in.

Pails of hot water softened the dirt so she could pound the T posts into the ground. Exhausted and nearly in tears, she was ready to give up but the job had to be finished on her day off.

The chicken wire seemed to have a life of its own and kept snapping back to scratch her.

What I need is a handyman for a boyfriend, she thought. But between work and the house, there wasn't time for relationships.

She let out a yelp as the roll of wire scratched her leg again.

"Looks like you could use a little help," a deep voice s came from behind her.

"Craig - where did you come from?" she asked. "Yes, I sure could."

"It's my day off too," he said. "I was riding by on my bike. I live just around the corner. "

"I've seen you at the clinic, " she said. "You work in the lab, right?"

"I do," he said, grabbing the roll of wire. "I'll stretch this and you attach it to the posts. "

With Craig holding the wire and Darcy anchoring it, the project was done in just a few minutes.

"Looks good," she smiled. "Thanks so much. Would you like a glass of tea now?"

"Gotta run," he said.  "My wife is waiting. We need to pick up some stuff. We bought a little house and it's going to involve a major remodel. But in the meantime, we're just around the corner if you need help."

Craig greeted her warmly in the hospital cafeteria after that. It was nice to know she had a friendly neighbor to call on. Maybe he'd even bring his wife over and they could get acquainted. It would be nice to have a friend to have coffee with in the back yard. It was beginning to shape up nice but it was a lot of work.

The next project was cleaning grandpa's garage. That would be physically as well as emotionally taxing. The garage held decades of stuff he’d collected. Treasures to him but junk to her.

"Need any help this week?" Craig offered.

She hated to ask but since he offered....

 "I could use some help moving the heavy stuff out of the garage," she admitted.

 "I'll be there," he said.

 She was tugging a heavy chain to the dumpster when the guy showed up. He looked a lot like Craig.

"Hi," he said. "I'm Glenn, Craig's brother.  He got called back to the lab and said this was your only day off."

She smiled, wishing she had put her makeup on. The guy was gorgeous!

A "little help" turned into all morning.

"You certainly know how to work," Glenn laughed. "When Craig sent me over I thought I'd be doing most of the work, but I can't keep up with you."

"My grandparents taught me to work," she laughed. "I just wish grandpa had taught me more about what he considered men's work."

It seemed only logical to make sandwiches and invite Glenn for lunch.

By evening they were exhausted but the garage was looking better. A few more days off and it would be done.

"Thanks so much," she said.

"My pleasure," he said. "And since you've fed me lunch, it's only fair I treat you to dinner. How does pizza and beer sound? "

"Great," she smiled.

And for the first time, she was glad Grandpa hadn't taught her much about men's work. DSS

 

Arlene Shovald of Salida, CO., is a journalist and psychotherapist who has written three books with provocative titles: 'Let Your Dreams Be Your Doctor,' 'Presumed Dead' and 'Two Gallons of Sun Tea.'

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