Dan Williams didn't really know his next-door neighbor, Dina Marshall, that well. He had seen the redhead around and waved over the fence, but he and his parents were relatively new in the community, having moved there from Toronto a few years earlier.
What he did know was that Mrs. Marshall was in a bind. Just a few months earlier, Mr. Marshall had moved out and taken everything -- their car, most of their money, everything. The word on the street was that Dina had gotten herself a shark of an attorney and the lawyer had already made sure the house was safe, but that whatever money she currently had was going to go to pay bills. The attorney had taken her case on a contingency basis, confident that he would prevail eventually.
Dan knew that Dina had a daughter but that she was away at school; she was ahead of her classmates in high school and went to a special school for gifted kids. He knew that Janine Marshall was some kind of gifted musician, a child prodigy or something like that. Dan thought that was pretty cool. He assumed that Mr. Marshall was still footing the bills for that; he'd be a total shit if he didn't. Or maybe she had a scholarship; Dan really didn't know much about it.
He did know that he felt sorry for Mrs. Marshall and wished that there was something he could do. "There's always something you can do, Danny," His mother said, using a nickname he wished she would avoid. He was 18½ now and 2 months shy of graduating from high school. He was making straight-A's and playing varsity football, he had a partial scholarship and his parents had more than enough to pay for the rest. "A lot of people think folks from Toronto are big-city snobs and we know that simply isn't true," She told him.
Dan Senior nodded in agreement with his wife. "You're right Petra, although to be fair, you grew up in Nova Scotia. Dan, her yard's looking a little scruffy and you could help with that. Use our riding mower; I'll pay for the gas. In the winter, you and I can help her shovel the snow and anything else she might need. You might not see it now, but good things always happen to those who help others."
Dan believed that too. He thought a lot of the kids his age were immature, too self-involved or caught up in video games and other things. Having hobbies was nice, but he wanted more out of life. He worked on weekends, but most nights after school, he participated in sports or worked on the student council. When he got home, he made sure to study and get good grades. His grandparents had raised two wonderful parents and Dan knew his own parents were proud of him. He didn't want to let them down, never had an angry word passed between them.
If his dad thought he should help Mrs. Marshall, then he was going to do just that. The following day was a school holiday and government offices and banks were closed too. Dina Marshall worked at the TD bank, he'd seen her there a number of times. He went to her front door and rang the bell.
Dina Marshall opened the door. A lot of the time, she was in sweat pants and a loose-fitting T-shirt, but today she was nicely dressed and her hair was styled. Until that minute, he hadn't realized that the redhead was a knockout. She had great legs, on display in a short skirt and high heels and her blouse clung to what obviously a nice pair of boobs. Dan shook those thoughts from his head; she was a neighbor and a lot older than him. Still, she sure as heck was a looker.
"Mrs. Marshall, hi. I'm Dan Williams from next door," He introduced himself properly.
"I remember you Dan, I saw you at the bank last week when you came in to deposit your paycheck," She smiled. Dan noticed that she had perfect teeth and a great smile -- she sure was pretty. "What can I do for you, Dan?"
"Not a thing Mrs. Marshall, thank you. I was wondering if there was anything I could do for
you
, help you with yard work or some heavy chores?" He asked politely.
Dina Marshall smiled again. "Oh Dan, that's very nice, but I can't afford to pay you, I ..."
"Oh no Mrs. Marshall, I wouldn't take a cent. I ... kinda know about your situation and my parents taught me that's what good neighbors do -- they help. Mom noticed your yard is kinda scruffy and being as how she's English, gardening is in our blood. My grandparents entire back yard is a garden, so if you'd let me, I'd be happy to do some weeding for you or cut the lawn. Dad says I can use our riding mower and he'll pay for the gas, it won't cost you anything," Dan told her.
"Oh my, what a lovely, generous offer," Dina gasped, her eyes a bit teary. "I'm going to say yes because I'd be an idiot if I didn't. "Dan, I have to go and meet with my lawyer today, but I'll be back around 3:30. Please come back then and we'll talk, this is so very, very kind of you."
"Ah, it's okay, Mrs. Marshall," Dan said kindly.
"Okay, no more `Mrs. Marshall', all right?" Dina told him. "If you're going to be doing such nice things for me, you get to call me Dina." She closed the door behind her just as a cab pulled up. Dina kissed him on the cheek and smiled. "You're a sweetheart Dan, a real lifesaver. I'm going to have to think of a way to repay you."
"That isn't necessary," Dan insisted but she was adamant as she left. Dan knew that it was no use to argue, his father had taught him that a woman is always going to get her way. He set about doing the chores that needed doing, getting the yard in tip-top shape, pulling weeds and mowing the overgrown lawn. As an added precaution, he fertilized the lawn with some of his parent's leftover fertilizer and gave it a good dousing, at it had been rather dry lately.
When Dina came home, she was astonished and grateful for all the hard work that Dan had done on her behalf. She offered again to work out a payment plan, but he steadfastly refused. "I'll come over every few days to see what needs fixing, your hedges need trimming," He told her. "I'll get to them tomorrow."
She gave him a huge hug and Dan noticed again how attractive she was. What kind of idiot was Mr. Marshall for leaving someone this sexy? Women like her didn't grow on trees!
The next day Dan was right at getting those hedges trimmed for Mrs. -- for Dina. He had lots of experience helped his folks and was getting them nice and even on his side. He looked over and saw her sunning herself, wearing a shiny, dark black bikini. She had an incredible body and his earlier thoughts about Mr. Marshall being an idiot came back to him. She wouldn't be single for long unless she wanted to be. They'd be lining up around the block to date someone as hot as she was.
The spring flew by and soon, it was mid-July. Dina was constantly thanking him for his hard work and praising his efforts. She offered to cook dinner for him or find a way to pay him or get him a job at the bank if he wanted one. He refused all of her offers. "It's just what a good neighbor does, Dina," He told her.
"But you're over here all of the time, even on weekends," Dina would reply. "Don't you want to have some fun, go on dates?"
"I go out sometimes, but I have school and a part-time job and other activities, it doesn't leave much time for dating," Dan told her. "I find girls my own age dull anyway -- they're too self-involved or they care about how much money you spend or what kind of car you drive. I'm just not that shallow."
Dina smiled at Dan; she really liked this kind, considerate, attractive young man. It was a pity he didn't have a social life, he'd make a great boyfriend. She had similar thoughts the next afternoon as he was working in her garden. It was a warm day, nearly 80°, so Dan was wearing just a pair of denim shorts and a T-shirt. His slender, muscular, athletic young torso was on full display. All of a sudden, it came to Dina. She knew
exactly
how she would repay Dan; she was surprised that she hadn't thought of it before, given her nature. She called him inside the house.
"Go upstairs and have a shower, there's a robe of my husband's you can put on after," She told a puzzled Dan. "After that, you can come downstairs and have a drink with me; I have something I want to talk with you about."
Dan had no idea what was going on, why she wanted him to have a shower when he wasn't done working. It didn't matter, he was tired and grubby and he didn't mind knocking off for the day -- things were in order and the rest would keep for another day. He got under the stinging hot spray of the shower and cleansed the outdoor grime from his body. He found the velour robe on the bed and put it on, Mr. Marshall must not have been as tall as Dan, because it was a bit snug. He felt as if he was showing off a bit too much of his body, but he wasn't worried, he was in good shape. He went downstairs to join Mrs. Marshall -- Dina, he still couldn't get used to that -- for a drink.
He entered the living room and stopped dead in his tracks. She was sitting on the couch, but this wasn't the Dina he knew, not entirely. She was wearing some kind of outlandish costume, some kind of shiny black thing that came under her tits and pushed them up. They were totally bare and even more impressive than any of his fantasies. Her legs were in black stockings and she was wearing 4-inch, or so he assumed, stiletto heels. Dina's hair was wild and tossed and she looked trashy, but still in a sexy way. She indicated a can of beer and told him to sit down. "Have a drink Dan," She told him. "I think you're going to need it. I've been trying to think of a way to pay you back for all the hard work you've put in around here, you've made it livable again."
