Water Guy

"Okay. I have 32 and a third," he said. "Can you remember that?"

"Thirty-two and a third," Kim repeated.

"Good. Now we're going to mark where we'll be cutting and then...you can saw away."

Craig explained how to read the tape then let Kim make their mark. He handed her a pair of safety goggles then held the pipe after placing it where it could be cut then told Kim to go ahead.

"Slow and easy until you get a groove. And push down on it or the saw will slide around."

The first time the saw slid and left scuff marks.

"Sorry! I'll do better," Kim said.

"No worries. Use two hands. One on the handle, and the other on top."

Kim pressed harder while following his instructions and the blade bit and started cutting the pipe.

"I'm doing it! Craig, look!"

"Nice! You're a pro!" he told her as she kept sawing.

It wasn't perfectly flush, but it didn't need to be as that end would be jammed into an elbow coupler which he'd show Kim how to use as well as how to apply 'pipe dope'.

Laura was now interested and moved closer.

"Mom! Look what I did," her daughter said, proudly displaying the new cut.

"I watched you. Nice job, honey!"

"Craig is the best teacher ever," she informed her mom.

"He definitely knows what he's doing," Laura remarked as Craig fished out an elbow joint.

"Okay. Let's get dopey!" he said before showing them the kind of 'glue' they needed for PVC pipes and what it was called.

"Mom? You wanna pitch in?" Craig asked.

"Come on, Mom! It's fun!"

"Well, okay. What can I do?"

"How about you hold the pipe while Kim puts pipe dope on it then you can stick the elbow joint on while I dope up the other end?"

"I think I understood all of that," Laura said as she took the pipe.

"Be very careful, okay?" Craig told Kim as she pulled the applicator out of the can.

"It smells good!" she said.

"It does?" Craig asked. He'd never liked the smell, but Kim clearly did.

She painted some of the thick, purple gel onto the end of the pipe right where Craig showed her while her mom slowly turned it 360 degrees to make it easier.

"You two make a great team!" Craig told them as he took the section of pipe to put into the other piece that was ready to go.

"Voile!" he said once it was in place.

"Can I do some more?" Kim asked excitedly.

"That was kind of fun!" Laura said.

"And I enjoyed the company," Craig told her with a warm smile that Laura feel warm all over.

"Now the fun part. We have to put the new unit in. So if you want to help me carry it in just let me..."

"I do want to!" Kim said while he was still speaking.

"It's kind of heavy, so you'll need some muscles."

Kim showed him her bicep which looked more like the PVC pipe, but Craig dutifully squeezed it and said, "Oh, yeah. That'll do!"

Laura smiled happily, again loving the way they got along.

"Is three a crowd?" she asked.

Craig smiled. Then as he walked by her said, "Not if the third person is you."

Laura felt 'warm' again as she laughed quietly.

"Come on, Mom! We're gonna carry the unit in," Kim told her as she grabbed her mom's hand.

When they got outside, Kim used her free hand to grab Craig's. He hadn't expected it, but when he felt her hand take his, he said, "You ready to...follow the Yellow Brick road?"

Kim had seen the Wizard of Oz, and the three of them skipped out to the truck singing, "Follow the Yellow Brick Road!" at the top of their voices.

"Behold the Emerald City which isn't green!" Craig said as he gestured toward his white truck.

Kim giggled again, and Laura said, "You goof!"

Craig stood by the rear doors then said, "I am the great and powerful Oz!"

Kim laughed along with her mom as Craig asked if they should pull back the curtain.

"Yes!" Kim said.

"Here. You get that door and I'll get this. One three, okay? One...two...THREE!"

The doors flung open and there was the RO unit.

"Nope. No great and powerful Oz. Just a boring hunk of metal."

To both his and Laura's surprise, Kim hugged Craig and told him, "This is the most fun time ever!"

He hugged her back with one arm then, as he looked at her mother said, "This child needs to get out more."

"I suppose that's true, but since I never get out myself, I'm not one to talk."

Craig saw his opening and went for it.

"Well, you could get out...with me...anytime you like."

Before Laura could answer he said, "Both of you."

She was going to say, "Oh, no, I don't think so," but when he included Kim and she started saying 'pleeeaaase'!!, Laura gave in.

"Well...I suppose that might be okay," she said instead.

"Really?" Kim said before turning around and hugging her mom.

"I love you so much!"

"I love you too, honey," her mom said, wondering what she'd just gotten herself into as Craig stood there smiling at them.

"Okay, let's get this baby hooked up and get you some soft, sweet-smelling water!" he said.

He knew clean water didn't have a smell, but the point was made quite nicely.

Two hours later, Laura was running a load of laundry with clean, 'fresh-smelling' water.

"Welcome to heaven," Craig told her when Kim mentioned how the water didn't stink anymore as he waited to make sure it was functioning properly.

She didn't get the reference but her mom did. She laughed at the joke then smiled at Craig and thanked him—for everything.

"Oh, sure. My pleasure. And I have to say I didn't feel like I was working today," he replied with a smile. "Gee. I wonder why that might be?"

His words and his smile brought back that same warmth, and Laura said, "I have no idea," as she flipped her hair in a clearly flirty way before laughing loudly.

Normally, she'd not only never have done that or anything like it, but had she done so, she'd have been deeply embarrassed because that just wasn't her. But this time, she was still smiling as she walked away and happy she'd done it.

Craig cleaned up the last of the mess he'd made, dumped it in a trash bag then carried it out to his truck. When he went back in to get his tools, Laura asked how much she owed him.

"Oh, right. I even forgot I was getting paid," he told her, that smile still there.

He gave her the amount then went to get his tools as she wrote him a check, and Kim asked if she could help.

"If you're not tired of helping, then...sure."

He handed her as much as he thought she could easily carried then picked up the rest himself.

"I wish I could help you every day, Craig," Kim told him as they put the tools away.

"I'd like that, but you'd miss out on school and all your friends, and that wouldn't be such a good idea, because you'd never go to college or fly fast planes."

"Yeah, I guess," she said with a smile. "I just like it when you're here."

"Well, you know what? I do, too," he told her as he closed the doors.

"You wanna do the Yellow Brick Road back to the house?" she asked with a happy smile.

"You better believe it!" he told her.

Kim grabbed her hand and Craig said, "Weeee're...off to see the Wizard!" as they started skipping to the porch. "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz!"

Laura watched from the window in her home office and started to tear up. She grabbed a tissue, dabbed her eyes, then put on her best smile as they came inside together.

"Mom! We did the Wizard of Oz again!" Kim said as she drug Craig to the office.

"I saw that! You're a regular Dorothy!"

"Oh, no. Please don't tell me I'm the Scarecrow," Craig said as he imitated that character's goofy antics and tried to sing, "If I only had a brain!"

Kim cracked up, and Laura couldn't help herself, either.

"I think someone missed his calling," she told Craig.

He switched to the Cowardly Lion, and did the 'put up your dukes' thing as he said in that voice, "Hey! Are you telling me I ain't got no brain?"

Kim was laughing so hard her side hurt, and Laura shook her head while trying not to laugh the best she could.

Craig really hammed it up, as he switched to the Tin Man.

He knelt in front of the desk, put his hands over his heart then sang, "If I only had a heart!"

"Oh, my goodness!" Laura said, finally giving in again and laughing.

"If I pay you will you stop?" she said, trying to sound serious.

"That depends—-my pretty!" he said as he stood up then raised his arms like the Wicked Witch then cackled loudly.

Kim was on the floor begging him to stop.

"I'll stop after I get you and your dog, Toto!" he cackled as he bent over and tickled her.

Kim had tears mixed with snot and were she any older, she'd have been embarrassed, but she was loving the improv, and so was the other female in the room.

Craig stood up, straightened his shirt, cleared his throat, then said, "Okay. I'm done."

"Something tells me we haven't seen the last of that," Laura said as she handed him the check.

He looked at it, then in his best Tiny Tim voice said, "Please suh, may I have a little mo'?"

Trying to sound put out, Laura shook her head and said, "So much for being done."

"In all fairness, I didn't say 'I promise'," Craig told her with a tilt of his head and a raised eyebrow.

"He's funny!" Kim said now that she had control again.

"He's...something, that's for sure," her mom said, again trying not to smile. "On a serious note, if that's even possible, thank you again so much, Craig."

"On a serious note, you're welcome, and I was wondering if you really did want to do something together sometime?"

He saw Kim's face light up and quickly said, "The three of us."

"Can we, Mom? You said we could. Remember?"

She hadn't forgotten, but had Craig not brought it up, she wouldn't have reminded him. She'd had the best time she'd had since Mike was alive, and it came when someone was upgrading her water purification system, of all things. She knew Craig would be fun to spend time with, and he was definitely easy on the eyes, but there was that whole age thing staring her in the face every time she looked at him.

But because she had promised and he brought it up, she said, "I suppose we could do something...together."

Kim did a 'yes!' and a fist pump, while Craig floated an idea.

"I'm guessing you've seen the Territorial Prison."

"We have," Laura told him. "It's okay, but it's really a ten-minute stop."

"I heard that but haven't been. So...how about the camel farm?"

"I love that place!" Kim said, recalling it from one of their first weekends in Yuma.

"Do you remember that?" her mom asked.

"Uh-huh. You can feed the animals and pet them," Kim told her.

"Yes, you can," her mother agreed. "So if you don't mind going back, I'm game."

"Okay. The camel farm it is!" Craig said. "Now we just need to decide when."

"Kim's out of school the day before Thanksgiving, and I'm not working. Does that work for you?" Laura asked.

"I'll make it work," he told her as he got out his phone to make sure they'd be open. "And...we're in luck. They are indeed open. So...what time works best for my two new assistants?"

"How about right after breakfast?" Laura suggested, hoping to get it over with as early as possible.

"Perfect. Say...nine o'clock? Right here?"

"Oh. I thought we'd meet you," she replied.

"I do have a car," he told her with a smile. "So no worries about riding around in The Emerald City."

"I like your truck!" Kim told him.

"Thanks. It's a little old and beat up, but it gets the job done."

"Okay. Nine o'clock," Laura agreed.

"Excellent! I'll be here," Craig told them.

Now more than a little concerned, Laura asked Kim to say goodbye so she could walk outside with Craig. Kim gave him a big hug and told him she couldn't wait to go to the camel farm with him.

"Back atcha!" he said before letting her go.

As they walked out, Laura said, "I had a very nice time today."

"Same here."

"But...just so we're clear..."

Craig stopped at the passenger side door and listened.

"Well, I'm not...I don't..."

Not wanting to sound rude, but feeling the need to convey what she was thinking she said, "You're not under the impression this is a...date...are you?"

He smiled but it was weak. "Honestly? I was kind of hoping it might be, but if you don't want to think of it as a date, we can say it's just spending time together."

Laura's confidence was fading fast, and the feelings she'd experienced earlier came back so strongly it surprised her.

"It...it isn't that I don't think you're a great guy, it's just that, well, I...I don't really date."

"So it's not that I make you want to throw up or anything, right?" he said, trying to keep a straight face.

"What? No!" she told him. "Not at all. In fact, if I did date, and were I...well, a lot younger...I'm sure I'd love to go out with you. But, I'm not dating and I'm not younger and I'm just..."

"Just beautiful?" Craig suggested.

Laura made 'pfft' kind of sound then said, "Please! Get real! "I'm forty..."

"Wait. You're...forty?" Craig asked, his eyes wide with surprise.

"I...used to be," Laura told him. "Until eight months ago."

"I swear I thought you were maybe...32. Maybe."

"Oh, my goodness. Are you serious?" Laura asked, her eyes now wide with surprise.

"Well, yeah. I kind of thought maybe you got married out of college and then had Kim, and..."

"Craig? Were I 32...I'd say 'yes' in an instant—if I was dating. But I'm not. And while I don't know your age, I'm pretty sure you're not even 30, so please understand how I feel."

"No, I think I understand. You'd find it embarrassing if someone you know saw you out with someone my age, and..."

"No. That...that isn't it," she said, even though that actually was a big part of her concern.

On the other hand, she didn't care what anyone else thought when it came to who she dated, it was just that she wasn't dating. At all.

"Is it my lack of a college education?" he asked without any hint of being hurt.

"No. Heavens no! I don't care about that. You have a great job, you work hard, and some people with college degrees don't know their heads from their...elbows."

Craig laughed politely then said he agreed.

"I don't want you to feel uncomfortable, Laura. I just happen to really like you, and I've always enjoyed talking to you, and it seemed like we had a lot of fun today."

"We did. We definitely did. It's just that I'm not sure I'm ready to start dating just yet," she said, hoping that would be enough.

"I respect that, and I won't pressure you. I just wanted you to know that you're the only woman I've even been interested in since I moved to Yuma, and..."

"Wait. Craig. Are you serious?" she asked, not sure she heard him correctly.

"Yes. Very serious."

"But...you're a great looking guy. I can't imagine you don't have women, you know, hitting on you all the time."

"They hit. I just don't hit back," he told her much more quietly. "But that's because I've been waiting for an opportunity to let the one woman I would hit back on let her know how I feel. And now that I have, I understand how she feels, so you won't have to worry about that from here on out, okay?"

His voice was gentle and sincere, and now Laura felt terrible. And paralyzed.

She stuttered then said, "Thank you for being so understanding."

"Of course. After what you've been through, only a fool would keep trying. But will you do me a favor?"

"Sure," Laura said quietly.

"When you are ready, will you let me know?"

Out of the blue, the warmth she'd felt several times came back as they looked into one another's eyes.

"I...yes. Sure, I'll...I'll let you know," she said as she broke eye contact.

"And if you want to cancel our...camel farm hanging out thing, just..."

"No. Not at all. I'm actually looking forward to it. Unless you're telling me you'd like to back out."

"Uh-uh. No way. And I think Kim would be very upset if we didn't go."

"Yes. Yes, she would," Laura said. "She um, she really likes you."

"She's a sweetie," Craig told her, the smile on his face back again.

"I'm very lucky to have her," Laura told him, her smile back, too, but not as bright as before.

"Okay. So I'll be here around 9am or 0900 to you military types."

Laura laughed remembering how Mike used to say that only in reverse for civilians.

"That sounds nice, Craig. And I really am looking forward to it."

"Yeah. Me, too," he told her. "So...I guess I'll see ya 'round."

"Okay. See you soon."

There was an awkward moment when they weren't sure what to do, so after offering a hand then balking at a hug, Craig ended up sticking his hand out again.

Laura looked at it but didn't take it. Instead, she hugged him. It was definitely a 'friend' hug, but it was still a hug.

"Take care," Craig told her as he let go then moved to walk around to the front.

"You do the same and thank you for taking me to heaven today!" Laura called out before realizing what she'd just hollered out in public.

She ducked as she covered her mouth with her hands and looked around to see if anyone heard that remark, hoping and praying no one had.

"You're safe!" Craig told her with a smile when he realized what she was doing.

She winced then waved as he started up the truck. As he drove off, she was so suddenly conflicted she couldn't think.

Why did she have to go and make such a big deal out of this not being a date? For that matter, why did she make such a stink about the age difference? She could have just gone and had a nice time without saying anything. Then again, those seemed like valid concerns, and she wanted to make sure she aired them.

But the nagging, unanswered question was still...why?

Fortunately, it was almost time to start thinking about dinner so she was able to at least temporarily try and stop analyzing why she felt the way she did.

Laura was no sooner back inside and in the kitchen when Kim asked if she could help make dinner. That was so unusual, it caused her mom to ask about it.

"Sure, but why the sudden interest in helping with dinner?"

"I just feel happy, Mom," Kim told her.

"I see. Any particular reason why?" her mom asked, pretty sure she already knew the answer.

"I had fun helping Craig today. He's really nice, huh?"

"Yes. He's very nice," her mom agreed.

"And I'm so happy you agreed to go on a date with him. I'm really proud of you, Mom."

The confusion returned with a vengeance as Laura thought about the way she'd just made sure Craig knew this wasn't a date. That made her ask why it would be so wrong to call it one whether it was or wasn't.

"What makes you think it's a date, honey?" her mom asked as she busied herself to avoid looking at Kim.

"Well, we all had fun, he's really nice, and he's...hot."

"Hot. When did you start calling men his age 'hot'?" Laura asked even as she knew her daughter was right.

"It's just a word, Mom. It means 'handsome'," Kim explained as though her mom had no clue. "He is handsome, right?"

"Well, yes. I suppose he is," her mom said, still puttering around with her back turned to Kim.

"And he's really nice, right?"

"Yes, he's very nice."

"So why wouldn't you want to go on a date with him?" Kim asked.

"I didn't say it wasn't a date, honey. I only asked why you thought it was," she said, now feeling even more confused.

Kim thought about it for a few seconds then said, "Okay. So...he's a man and you're a woman. He's single and asked you to go somewhere with him and you said 'yes'. That's what a date is, right?"

Laura finally turned around and looked at her daughter.

"Honey, men and women can do things together and it not be a date."

The look on Kim's face changed dramatically.

"So you don't like him?" she asked, her 10-year old mind assuming it was always an either/or kind of thing.

"No, I...like him. And he is nice, but..."

"And hot, right?"

Laura exhaled loudly then said, "Yes. He's very attractive, but you're forgetting something really important."