This is part one of a two-part story about Brenda, who has no problem making friends, whether traveling or at home.
Have you ever met someone while traveling or at home and thought the person was fun to talk to at first? Then, as you got to know this person, your gut feeling kicks in.
This happened to Brenda when she befriended the pest control guy who came to her home.
Then he kept bugging her—a real pest.
A bad problem with pests
As Brenda cleaned up around the house, she noticed more bugs than ever scrambling around. The bug spray wasn’t working.
Spider webs hung all over. Wasp nests clung to the outside of the house, way out of reach.
And so many ants marched in a perfect single-file line into her home.
Because she worked and traveled so much, she could not keep up. No matter how often she raked leaves and dumped the trash, the bugs still came into her life.
Brenda read articles about natural ways to kill bugs and tried different natural scents, but nothing worked.
Pest control to the rescue
She researched pest control companies and contacted one with good reviews. They told her to get on a monthly schedule to eliminate the bugs.
Brenda agreed.
A man at the company asked, “What kinds of problems do you have? Do you have field mice? Spiders? Ants?”
“Yes! Yes—everything!” Brenda pleaded.
He told her they charged $100 and had a great guy named John who serviced her area. So, they scheduled a house visit in one week.
Hallelujah!
Brenda raised her palms to the ceiling. Although she had misgivings about them spraying with pesticides, she wanted relief.
She no longer worried that the pests would start multiplying.
And about wasps buzzing around… and huge poisonous spiders…
The country had all kinds of roaches, crickets, ants, and mice to worry about.
So far so good
The time finally came for the pest control guy to arrive. Brenda answered the door and introduced herself.
The man looked at her from under his cap and muttered, “Pest control… John.”
Brenda took him outside the house, and he peeked into cracks and holes.
Then they went to the garage.
John asked if she wanted any traps for the mice. Brenda thought that was a good idea, so he laid traps in the garage.
He got his canister and sprayed outside the house. Then, he swept all the spider webs and removed the wasp nests.
John asked about pests inside the house, but Brenda didn’t like strangers coming into her home. However, she thought he should inspect it.
She had watched enough ‘true crime’ to know there were too many strange and toxic people out there.
They went inside, and John pointed out cracks in the kitchen tile where ants could enter.He sprayed those areas and went down the hall.
He poked his head into Brenda’s bedroom, which was decorated with ornaments and old pictures of family.
“Oh… you don’t have to go in there,” Brenda said.
John stood there like a statue, pointing the canister wand at the bed.
“So, would you like some water?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he said.
Brenda walked to the kitchen, peeking at John with slits as eyes. She poured a glass of water.
“You know… you can come back to the kitchen area,” she said.
The swishing of the canister and clanging of the wand against John’s heavy footsteps echoed across the floor.
Brenda handed him the glass of water, which he knocked back—gulp—gulp—gulp. Within seconds, he returned the empty glass to her.
Raising her eyebrows, she wondered if he had not drunk water in days. Then they locked eyes, and the silence between them lasted one whole minute.
Brenda shrugged, waiting for John to speak—he parted his lips like he had something to say.
“So, I guess you’re all done here… I’ll see you next time then?” she asked, opening the door.
“Yeah,” John said, stepping outside and glancing back at Brenda.
He fidgeted with his ring of keys while trudging down the gravel driveway to his car.
Then he shoved his car key into the lock, yanking the door open. The cr—eeeek from the door hinges was heard down the road.
Pest control gets a gold star
In a few days, the pest control company called Brenda and asked if John did well. She told them she saw fewer bugs and she was happy.
They reminded her that John would be back soon to do another treatment.
At the end of the month, John texted Brenda, “Hi, it’s John, reminding you that I’m coming to spray tomorrow.”
Brenda texted, “Ok.”
John came over the next day and sprayed outside.
The following nine months went on like this. John showed up at the end of each month and reminded Brenda ahead of time.
While he worked outside, Brenda began chatting with him on visits. Sometimes, John came inside to inspect and spray while she worked from home.
When Brenda traveled, John still sprayed the outside. He would even do some light cleaning in the yard and pick up trash.
One day, John called to remind Brenda of the upcoming treatment. She told John she wouldn’t see him when he came over because she had to prepare for a trip.
When John arrived the next day, Brend did not talk to him. And he did his usual spraying around the house.
But this time, instead of doing light cleaning outside, he did much more. He trimmed the overgrown bushes and raked the leaves scattered throughout the yard.
Too much of a good job
One week passed, and Brenda received a text message from John asking if she was okay.
“Thank you so much for checking on me,” she replied.
John mentioned the extra work he did around the house during his last visit. Brenda slumped over the piles of papers strewn across her desk.
Her job was so stressful she wanted to quit!
She toiled over work and traveled so much that she didn’t even notice John’s lovely trimming. He refused her offer to pay him more.
John told Brenda she could always call him if she wanted to talk. Brenda thought—that’s nice.
What a sweet guy to check on her and go out of his way to help her around the house!
She was excited about making friends with John, and they started texting and talking on the phone every other day.
They chatted about their days, their plans, and what they ate. Brenda was happy to have someone to chat with.
But she figured they didn’t have much in common—he was in his 30s and much younger than she. He played games and watched scary movies, while she enjoyed traveling and long walks in the neighborhood.
It’s exciting to meet someone new and learn all about the person, right? Where do you think this friendship is heading?
Hmmm…. You’ll have to read the second part of the story to see if you’re right!
Updated: November 1, 2024
