Yardwork. “Does anyone like it?” you think aloud.
Well, the folks do. Their pets are green and leafy, wanting to be watered. Which you’re now doing. Better than housework, at least for a little while. While they had moved out years ago, they still visit, and still check on their “babies.” Nothing like inheriting someone else’s hobby.
The backyard has nice green grass although its past time to mow it. Some of the “weeds” are about a foot tall in places, but it looks nice plus the birds and butterflies like them. The mango tree provides a nice bit of shade, but damn if the stupid thing doesn’t set off your allergies horribly when its blossoming. But, its Hawai’i. Something is always blooming or fruiting.
Spray here, spray there, spray the bananas in the back corner.
“Screeee!”
A wet fluffy goes bounding out from behind the banana plants, running out of your yard, into next door’s yard, and out of view. Given there’s no fences between a lot of the houses, its hard to tell if that’s how it came or not.
“Huh.”
“So, they made it down to old house, eh?” Mom’s voice sounds amused over the phone. “Just the one?”
“Yep. How about you and dad,” you ask, walking about in the living room. “Any make it there yet?”
“No, not yet. The home owner’s association raised our monthly fees,” she sighs. “To get the whole neighborhood ‘fluff-control’ or something.”
“Sounds like throwing money out the window to me,” you laugh.
“Speaking of money,” she says, pausing. “The gardening store just started carrying fluffy manure! Its really expensive though.”
“What do you expect? They’re shipping it in from the mainland.”
“Well, I got some and my roses love it.”
You stifle a groan.
“I have an idea where this is heading, mom…”
“Well, smart kid, aren’t you?”
Ah, the things you do for cheap rent. Relatively speaking, of course. Keep up the house? Okay. Keep up the yard? Fine, whatever. But, as you sit in the back yard while evening falls, you never quite imagined yourself doing this.
Your old dog’s house got moved from the front of the house into the yard. Inu died a few years ago, but it never felt right to get rid of it. So, there it is, sitting on top of some bricks to keep it above the ground, old towels placed inside. Big, white, wooden, it used to fit a Husky-Shepherd comfortably, so surely a fluffy would be no problem. Between your back neighbor’s chain-link fence and the mango tree, it has a decent view of the night sky.
Originally you thought about putting the house under the tree, but when it starts fruiting the mangoes get heavy and drop. You don’t want the fluffies to get killed by falling fruit.
To the left back corner are all the banana plants, where you saw the fluffy the first time. None of them are bearing fruit right yet, for which you’re thankful. Each plant gives you one massive bunch then never again. So once its done you’ll have to chop it up and haul it off to make room for the new keiki plants growing up around it. Its annoying work, and the damn plants don’t cut easily at all being mostly water and fiber. Right now its shady during the day, so maybe they’ll like to hang out there?
The right back corner? Well, that kept you busy the past few days digging up a big hole in the ground for green waste and the fluffy poop you’re hoping to get. You’ve never made compost before, but this ought to be good enough for now. Its not like you’re going to start selling the stuff or anything. Enough for the folks and their yard full of plants, plus the plants here.
But for now? You’re just sitting and waiting. One earbud in, audiobook playing, with a drink and snacks while you wait. A metal bowl with fluffy treats sits right next to everything else. No telling if the fluffy would be impressed by kibble, but treats are treats, right?
When you realize you dozed off four chapters have gone by but at least your snoring didn’t keep the fluffies away. They’re at the back of the yard, looking around and sniffing.
“Nice housie.”
“Smeww wike bawkie munstah, tho.”
“Any t’ing fow nummies? Onwy gwass nummies?”
There’s three of them; none have wings or horns that you can see. Their colors are hard to make out now that night has fallen. A yawn, a stretch, and a quick call out to get their attention, “Want nummies?”
One of them freezes, while the other two dart off in separate directions, hiding in the shadows.
You stay still, putting the earbuds away.
“I have nummies if you want some,” you say, tossing one of the treats in its direction.
The lone fluff sniffs it, not taking its eyes off you. You watch as it licks it, sniffs it again, then takes the treat into its mouth.
“Mahawo.” It says. Someone taught it to say “mahalo” instead of thank you?
“Would you like another?”
“Nu t’ank yu,” it says, slowly moving towards the neighbor’s empty yard. You can hear rustling as the other two pop out past the bananas, the three heading off.
Part 2 ---->
((Not sure how long this will be or even where I’m going. Fun! Feedback is appreciated!))
nice idea than buying expensive ones
