Seymour Leggs - Tease Them With Ease

However, by the afternoon Neil was already tiring of the constant attention. He wondered how movie stars and politicians ever put up with it. Even in the bathroom, as he tried to take a private leak, he was joined on each side by back-slapping new pals.

But the thing which bothered him the most was the eyes of the girls. They would face him straight on and say hello with all the necessary friendliness and admiration due him. By the time he responded to the greeting, Neil noticed their eyes had drifted. It seemed that no one, the girls especially, failed to notice his publicly revealed endowment.

Neil was glad to get to work that afternoon. At last he felt he was among adults, people who could handle themselves and wouldn't be thrown into a lather over a stupid picture. But of all the people in the apartments to quickly dispel the notion, it had to be Mr. Crocker.

Mr. Crocker! Dear old Mr. Crocker. Neil's pal, his friend, his mentor, had to speak up and remark, "Say, Neil, that's quite a spread you got for yourself in the paper.

"Thank you, Mr. Crocker," replied Neil.

"As a matter of fact, I'm gonna cut that picture out and hang it on my wall," the old man continued.

"Oh, you don't have to do that that," said Neil with honest humility.

"No bother, no bother," said Mr. Crocker. "Matter of fact, it should be easy, seeing there's a hook already on it! Heh! Heh-heh!"

Mr. Crocker giggled himself to sleep and Neil despondently set to work on his blue tile pool rim. He told himself not to let the simple joke bother him, Mr. Crocker had a talent for digging the dirty side of anything right up to where everyone could see and laugh with him. He didn't mean it viciously.

Neil had little time to worry, though. He was soon visited by Mr. Walker himself. Mr. Walker, his boss, owner of the apartments, had come home early just to speak with Neil.

"Neil, my boy, you've done a wonderful thing. Wonderful thing! You've not only saved the life of a dying child, you put the Green Palms on the map!" said the jubilant round man.

"Thank you, sir," answered Neil. Mr. Walker's nearly bald head reflected the sun and dots of perspiration sat all over it.

"Come, let's get out of this blasted sun! We'll go in the lanai, I want to talk a little more about this," said Mr. Walker.

Neil followed his boss's squat body to the lanai and sat opposite him on the couch. That's when he saw the stain. It was shaped somewhat like a butterfly and sat across two of the colorful orchids on the fabric. Neil couldn't help but notice that the butterfly remains of his relationship with Gloria had one lavender and one chartreuse wing.

Mr. Walker leaned toward Neil with a big smile. His hand landed right on top of the come stain to crush the innocent butterfly into oblivion. "Son, between you and me, all this business about heroism aside, you've done me a great service. You saved me from one terrific lot of trouble."

"It was nothing, sir, all I did…"

Mr. Walker held his free hand in the air to silence Neil. Neil saw the beads of sweat on the palm and hoped the other hand wasn't as wet. "No… none of this humble business, Neil. I'm a businessman, I face these issues straight on. That girl's mother and father could have sued the pants off me."

"Oh?"

"Yes. I could have been wiped out. And I'm grateful that you were here. I only wish the rest of my employees were half as quick-witted as you."

"Really, Mr. Walker… "

The hand went in the air again. Neil was silenced. "And I believe such deeds should be rewarded, my boy. Yes. And I want to reward you… "

"That's not necessary, sir. I really don't need any reward," Neil said without interruption.

"No. No. I must do something for you. Anything. Anything I can do, my boy." Mr. Walker's magnanimous offer touched Neil deeply. He didn't know what to do. Then it hit him, the time was right.

"Well, there is one thing, Mr. Walker."

Mr. Walker was fully prepared to hear Neil protest and refuse again. As a matter of fact, he already had his hand halfway in the air before realizing the young man was taking him up on his offer. A quick reappraisal of the young man flashed through his mind. He inhaled and prepared himself for a trip to the bank. "Yes?"

"I could use a few more hours work a week – that is, if it's possible. I mean, if the work is available… "

With a great sigh of relief Mr. Walker's wide smile returned to his red, circular face. "Of course! Why of course! I'd be glad to help, my boy! How many hours do you have in mind?"

Neil was ecstatic. It worked. He had told himself to wait until the time was right, the time came, and he acted and succeeded! From that point forward it was all a matter of working the hours out. By the time Mr. Walker stood to leave, Neil was authorized to come every day after classes, in addition to his pool-cleaning duties he would assume some of the less difficult repair jobs constantly cropping up in the complex.

Then Mr. Walker noticed the stickiness on his left hand. He rubbed it, sniffed it, terrified Neil with his close visual inspection of the sofa cushion. He stood back up and turned to Neil. "My boy, I also want you to keep watch on the lanai area. It looks like some children have been eating ice cream in here, they dripped all over the cushion."

"I'll clean it up right away, sir," said Neil

"Fine!" Neil got slapped on the back with the sticky palm and was ushered back to his pool duties by his jubilant boss. "Now, remember, Neil, anything I can do for you… all you have to do is ask. My door is always open to fine young men like you.

"Yessir."

Mr. Walker started to go but stopped. A light had gone on inside his head. Some minor detail of the day which had floated across his desk. He turned. "Uhhhh… I think it's apartment twenty-seven. Yes, that's it Number Twenty-seven. They have a broken light switch. As soon as you're finished here, go take care of it."

To Mr. Walker's heaven-pointed index finger Neil answered, "Yessir."

Now Mr. Walker was gone. Neil finished sweeping the pool, flushed the filters, cleaned the butterfly stain off the sofa, and found a light switch and tools in the maintenance shed. He hummed happily to himself as he crossed the pool area for the wing in which apartment twenty-seven was.

As he passed Mr. Crocker the old man stirred. Half sleep, he waved and smacked his lips. "Neil, my young friend, let me tell you something."

"Yes, Mr. Crocker."

"Every man has his day. At times the world is at his feet, at other times the world is at his knees… but when the world starts to hug you about a foot and a half higher – you have it right where you want it. Heh! Heh-heh!"

Neil stood in shock as the old coot tee-heed himself back to sleep. He shook his head and resumed his trek to apartment twenty-seven. As he walked he wondered if Mr. Crocker might be getting too much sun. The elderly gent was enjoying Neil's fame to the fullest, but not in a manner most appreciated by Neil. He shrugged it off before knocking on the door with the brass number 27 on it.

It was an awfully long wait before he heard the sound of footsteps. Then he saw the shadow behind the watch guard eye in the center of the door. Then a woman's voice: "Yes? Who is it?"

"I'm here to repair your light switch," called out Neil.

"What?" she asked at a slightly higher volume.

"I'm here to fix your switch!"

"Switch?"

"Yes, light switch!"

The door cracked open and Neil saw one of the prettiest hazel-green eyes he could remember. Then a strand of brilliant red hair fell in front of the eye. It was brushed away by a hand sporting very long, beige-polished fingernails. The eye blinked, then a hidden mouth repeated, "Switch?"

"Yes… a light switch. I'm here to fix it. Do you have a busted one?"