A submission in the annual
Summer Lovin' Story Contest 2023
. A vote (and perhaps a comment?) would be welcome!
All rights reserved, the characters presented here are fictional and bear no resemblance to anyone vaguely familiar to the author. Unfortunately. Enjoy!
*
The house next door had sold. The older woman who had lived there, probably the original owner, had passed and the property barely hit the market before it was taken. There was only a little activity, evidence of some renovation and updating, but nothing much, and only a quick glimpse of who I thought might be the new owners.
One late Spring day I happened to see a woman planting a few flowers and pulling up some weeds in the front yard. I decided to go introduce myself, at least to let her know we were neighbors.
I announced myself and waved as I entered her yard. She looked up, smiled and smacked dirt from her gloves and stood to greet me. I could see she was Asian, thirties or so (I'm terrible with age!) with long jet black hair, almond eyes and a bright smile.
"Hello. I am Li Sha, I believe we are neighbors. A pleasure to meet you." Her voice was as bright as her smile. A slight accent, but very pleasing in the warm air that indicated Summer was not far off. "I just bought this property, my cousin and uncle will be moving in soon. I want it to look welcoming. I live a few miles away, so they will be close. But not too close!" She smiled and laughed slightly, covering her mouth as she did."
"I'm Dave, yes, I live right next door and wanted to just say 'hello' and let you know that if you need help or have questions, I am happy to be of assistance. I had an extra copy of the township newsletter, it has all the information about services like trash pickup, yard waste and contact information. I look forward to meeting your uncle and cousin." I handed her the paper.
"Ha! You say that now. They do not speak much English, but I will let them know. Thank you for introducing yourself. It is good to know who is next door. I apologize, but I have a meeting in a short time and must be off." Li Sha removed her glove and shook my hand, bowing slightly. "I look forward to a longer visit in the future." With that she turned, collected her tools and disappeared into the house.
-0-
Not much else happened for a while. Then one day as I was riding my mower around the yard, partly cutting the grass and partly just enjoying a warm Summer day with a nice blue sky and a gentle breeze, I noticed Li Sha struggling with an ancient push mower, one of the old reel types. I put my mower in idle and went to offer assistance.
"Hello again, Li Sha. I wonder if you would allow me the honor of cutting your lawn as a 'welcome' gift? I have my mower right there, and it will take me no time at all." I stood down a slight incline so we were about the same height. I could sense a feeling of relief from her. While it was a pleasant enough day, trying to push the rusted antique was a bit more effort than my driving around.
"Oh, that is most kind, but I cannot impose such a task on you, dear neighbor. Dave, right?" She dabbed a hanky at the moisture on her forehead.
"No imposition at all. I am sure your uncle and cousin will take over the duties as soon as they get here. It will only take me a few minutes, and I am right here." I motioned to my still idling mower. "It is just a neighborly gesture."
"Well, if you insist. But I also insist that you join me in some cool tea when you finish. We can become much better acquainted. Thank you, Dave. You saved me a lot of sweat and trouble!" She turned and went into the house.
Her yard was smaller than mine, so it only took about a half hour to ride around and make the yard look presentable. It had been looking a little shaggy, but given the equipment she had, I wasn't surprised. Still I had only collected one container of clippings in my bagger. Quick work for me, and it always made me smile to do a good deed.
I knocked on her back door by her kitchen. It was starting to get warmer, a typical Summer day. The cool of the morning giving way to a much hotter afternoon. Glad I had finished now, I had barely broken a sweat. I heard the door open and Li Sha greeted me. She had changed into a dark silky blouse and yoga style pants. They were black and stretchy fabric which showed off her tiny form. I couldn't help but notice that she had a very nice round ass that had not been noticeable in her other clothes.
"Please, come in. Welcome to my home. As I promised, I have some cool tea and a few treats. Just a simple thank you for such a great job. You saved me a lot of trouble. It is greatly appreciated." She turned and led me into the dining room on the other side of the kitchen.
The house was sparsely furnished, not everything had arrived, it appeared. But there was a small table with four chairs and a nice pitcher of iced tea and a plate of small cookies. "This looks perfect. And we can get to know each other a little. Your cousin and uncle are not here yet. I take it?"