242/365 – ESTIMATES

Word Count: 339

Her husband told her to get estimates. At least three.

“Do you want to talk to them?” she asked.

“No,” he said and rattled off a list of questions for her to ask them. She scribbled as he came up with each. He was the boss, she was the worker. He was management, she was help. She was glad when he finally left for the city.

The first man came the next morning, early. She’d just managed to shower and dry her hair. She showed him the tree half-bent by the storm. “We want the whole thing down,” she said. He was lean, wiry, darkened by summer’s sun. About her own age, she guessed, or maybe a couple years younger. And he had crinkly green eyes. Amazing crinkly green eyes.

He left her with an estimate that she thought sounded fair. He told her he’d lay down plywood so as not to leave ruts on the lawn. Said he’d haul the wood and brush away since she didn’t want it. He said he could come out before the end of the week. Anything else he said in that deep husky voice was fine by her too.

The second man came late in the afternoon. He followed her around, a slight limp slowing them both down. He was older, in his late fifties, she guessed, and didn’t seem to have much hair under his hat. He was jovial, and his price was within fifty dollars of the first estimate she’d gotten. The one from the tanned guy with the amazing green eyes. She said she’d let him know.

The third estimate was way above the other two and the man was gruff and showed up an hour late. She automatically wrote him off.

With a little enhancement of facts up or down she told her husband she’d felt Tree Man #1 was the most professional. He agreed.

When her husband came home Friday evening from the city, he was pleased with the work that’d been done.

So was she.