Flattery Got Me

I had a steam cleaner come in today to clean the basement carpet, the dining room rug, the stairs and the couch. A tall, husky man in his fifties showed up wearing a necklace and big rings on his fingers. I thought, Uh oh, does he know how to clean?

The cleaner said in a European accent, My machine is 400 whatever power, most people use only 100. That means the suction is very strong and your things will dry in half a day, not four days.

Well, okay.

The cleaner was smiling as he cleaned. He said - I like your house very much. It's very clean.

- Oh, thank you.

- You won't believe the filth and mess some houses are. Makes cleaning very difficult. Have to move things all over the place.

- We still have to move things here.

- But they are big pieces, no mess on them. Easy to do. You keep your house clean.

Well, with that kind of flattery, I was ready to forgive the way he looked and give him whatever he wanted. He wanted water. To drink and to put in his cleaning machine.

During the cleaning, I was mostly in the backyard, trying to stay out of his way. He just did his thing. When I came in to see the last bit of the cleaning, I saw that it was true what a powerful machine he had. The parts he went over came out light. The dirty parts were several shades darker.

When he finished, he said he preferred payment in cash. I went to the bank to get it for him. I didn't want him to leave. I wondered if he did windows. What about roofing, or gardening. Nope, he just did carpets and upholstery.

Sigh. A blinged man who cleans with powerful suction.