Circumstantial

Chapter 3

"Hey kiddo," I speak into the phone as I sign for the package from the delivery guy. Anyone receiving a massive box via the postal service would be ecstatic. I'm not one of them. I had just received a bulk assortment of bolts, nuts, riverts, nails and screws that I'd have to sort through to replenish the shelves.

"Hey. Sorry, I just saw your missed call now. What's up?" Kate asks in a hushed voice.

"Nothing much. Was just thinking about you last night when I got home to an empty house, and thought I'd give you a call, but obviously you're too busy for your old bro."

"You're missing me, aren't you?" She laughs softly. I can imagine her teasing hazel eyes and playful smile.

"No way! I'm having the time of my life. I get to walk around nude at home." Truth is I did miss her, terribly. I had lately made it my mission to get home as late as possible to avoid getting depressed walking through our big, dark, lonely house.

She giggles then apologises to someone in the background. "I've been so focused on studying for this afternoon's paper that I forgot to give you a call. I promise I'll make it up to you. Tomorrow, I'll come over and make us mom's good ol' spaghetti bolognaise, whatcha say?"

I smile as the memories of our happy family dinners flash through my mind. "Sounds great. Should I pick you up after work or are you going to have your frat boyfriend drive you so that I can finally meet him and kick his ass?" I tease.

She stifles a chuckle, then sighs loudly. "Pick me up at six. I'm at the university library and I'm supposed to be studying. People here are giving me death stares. I gotta go," she whispers.

"Okay. Me too. A customer just walked in," I mumble distractedly as the door bings.

"Oh, wow! The only customer of the day," she replies sarcastically. "How's business going?"

I roll my eyes. "Booming. I'll have you know that this is my second customer of the day," I lie. The other customer was the delivery guy, but she doesn't know that. "Take care of yourself. See ya tomorrow, and all the best for your exam."

"Thanks. Love you, Mikey," she gives an audibly wet kiss into the phone before hanging up.

After speaking to Kate, my day suddenly feels brighter and I look forward to seeing her tomorrow. I continue sorting through the inventory, softly humming a random tune. As much as I didn't want her to move out and live on her own, I had come to the realisation that she'd have to do it someday. She's all grown up now, and even though she'd always be my little sister, she has her own life to live.

I hear footsteps approach my counter and a woman clears her throat to get my attention. God, I hate it when women walk into the hardware store. They are mostly clueless and helpless and don't understand why measurements are important when picking out stuff. Come on, ladies! Don't you all use the phrase, "size matters"?

I glance up and mutter, "How can I help you?" Then do a double take. It's Sarah, the snob from the gym. I try to hide my surprise and figure she probably doesn't even recognize me let alone remember my name (which I had told her a couple months ago).

"I'm having trouble with my geyser switch," she states, her red, glossy lips pronouncing each word eloquently. It's as if she's speaking a higher level of English.

"It keeps tripping every time I try to switch it on."

"Any other issues with the main power box?" I ask, gazing into her brown eyes. I've never seen her in a business suit before.

"I don't think so. Everything else seems fine. It's just the geyser." I can't help but stare at her mouth. Why does it look as if she's mouthing the words in slow motion?

"I could give you a new switch but that wouldn't solve your problem. Sounds like you have faulty wires." I want to crack up as soon as that last sentence leaves my mouth. She definitely has a short circuit, in her head.

She frowns, brushing a few stray strands of hair behind her ear, and glances around in despair. Her black hair is always pinned up in a tight bun, adding to her stony aura.

In a moment of empathy, I felt the need to help her. If it were my sister, living alone, having geyser issues with no clue as to how to solve the problem, I'd hope some guy would be nice enough to offer his help.

"I can come take a look if you'd like. If nothing else on the distribution board is tripping, then it's a small electrical fault. Won't take long to fix," I assure her, trying to read her expression.

She stares at me for a moment as if thinking it over. "Okay. Can you come over now?" She finally asks.

God, this woman really does believe the world revolves around her.

"I'm working…" I gesture around the store.

"Oh. Right. Are you the only employee here?" She asks, looking around.

I feel like slapping a hand over my face. "Yeah. I own this store." I correct her.

"You should employ a few people," she states matter of fact-ly.

"Well, as you can see, business isn't doing that great. When the need arises, I'll expand on the staff." I reply with a hint of annoyance.

"Okay..." She hesitates for a moment then pulls out a business card from her purse. "Call me later and we'll schedule an appointment after working hours."

I can't stop the laughter from bursting out of my chest. "You serious?" I ask incredulously, my eyebrows raised. I take in her stern frown and clear my throat awkwardly. She's dead serious. This chic is a freakin' control freak.

"Right. Anyway, so… I close the store at five. You could just give me your address and I'll meet you there when you're home?" I reasonably suggest.

She blinks and tilts her head stiffly. "That works. I finish work at four, but today is Friday so… hmmm," she seems to be doing some calculations in her head. "Seven. I'll be free at seven." She concludes.

"Great." I give her a pen which she uses to neatly jot down her address on the back of her business card, then holds it out to me.

"Don't lose it," she warns before turning to leave. "See you at seven… Michael, is it?" She calls over her shoulder.

Holy cow, she remembers my name. "Yeah. See you," I call back as the door swings shut behind her swaying ass. That pencil-skirt and black stilettos looks damn good on her. 
If only she had a more approachable  personality…

I glance over her business card. Yup, all my stereotypical assumptions were spot on. She is a lawyer. Lord have mercy on her victims.