Chuck
Part I
I was hot. Horny and hot, let’s be honest. My options for cooling off were few, but promising. I could head to the public pool, where there were open showers and where, in the past, I had enjoyed showering in close quarters with a few men. Or I could head to the university gym, which was air-conditioned certainly. But that would mean I’d actually need to work out – getting even hotter and sweatier – before “earning” my time in the locker room, where jock-watchers could have a jolly good time. I could also go to the mall or out to a movie, but those would require money. And I supposed that if I were going to spend money, I ought to just finally have my own a/c fixed. Fine. To the phonebook, I went.
“CB Heating and Cooling,” said a middle-aged female voice. She had the huskiness of a chain smoker. “How can I help you?”
“Uh, hi. My a/c is down and has been for some time now. I have no idea what it’ll take to fix it, though. Is there a way that someone can come and check it out and let me know?” I resisted the urge to suggest that she send her biggest, burliest man.
“Well, of course,” she rasped. “That’s how we do it.”
“Great,” I replied. “How soon can I get someone here?”
“Umm…” There was a shuffling of papers and a brief squawk on a two-way radio. “Where do you live?” I told her. “Oh, you’re just down the street! I can have someone there within 15 minutes.”
Sure enough, 15 minutes later there was a knock at the door. I padded on bare feet to answer, wearing nothing but a t-shirt and plaid boxers. It was too damn hot for much more. The man whom I found on the other side of the door was such the picture-perfect “repair man” that I actually smiled. He was a big guy – stocky certainly, but not really “fat” – with a barrel chest, thick arms and a trimmed salt-n-pepper beard. Probably in his 50’s, he stood there in blue Dickies and a long-sleeved lighter-blue shirt. His embroidered tag read “Chuck.”
“Hi, I’m here about the air conditioning…?” he said.
“Yup. Come on in,” I replied, and swung the door open. If he wondered at my sparse attire, he didn’t show it as he stepped in and I closed the door behind him. “What do you need to see?” I ran a hand over my face. Shit. I haven’t shaved today.
He raised his eyebrows slightly. “Well, I should probably check your filters where the air draws. And I need to look at your unit.” I couldn’t resist. I cocked my head innocently and gave him a quizzical smile. He didn’t miss a beat. “The big air conditioning box. Do you know where it is?”
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Stay tuned for more!