Such was the strict, forcefulness of her tone, that I almost shrank in my demeanour, my spine rattled. “Sorry, ma’am,” I said nervously, my throat feeling tight. “It’s just…if there’s anything I can do to convince you to let me off the fine, please, just tell me and I’ll do it.” I licked my lips. “I already apologise like you wanted, so you can see I’m willing to compromise.” The advice of my friend was fresh in my mind. Be reasonable, be amicable and come to a compromise.
Carol was silent for a moment, her arms crossed while she sat the picture of confidence. Her one foot was still dangling over the knee of the other, and casually swung from side to side. It was such a bizarre scene to be taking place, with myself being an easy twenty years younger than her, while she was the one barely dressed and laying around in the sun. She squinted her eyes in my direction, almost considering me. “What are you suggesting?” she finally asked.
I gulped, before shakily adding, “Well, someone told me that you let him off a fine because he changed the tyre on your car?” I didn’t have a clue how to change a tyre, but it seemed way more appealing to me than a $600 fine.
Carol cocked her head. “Are you offering to work off your debt?” She pursed her lips in contemplation and shrugged as if it was a possibility. “I may be open to some kind of community service arrangement in leu of your fine payment, I suppose.”
“Community service?” I was already envisioning the humiliation of having to sweep the streets or something, as if I was on day-release from prison. That wasn’t at all what I’d envisioned when I’d bought my new home, but everything seemed to be going tragically wrong. Still, having to do that for an hour was better than having to dip into my emergency fund. “What kind of community service?” I figured that if it was something reasonable, then it might be worth it. Something along the lines of changing a tyre, but something I was actually capable of doing. Especially with the way she’d framed it, maybe I could offer some of my skills to the local children, perhaps arrange some fun activity in the communal park area.
Carol had slotted one arm of her sunglasses between her teeth while she thought, before her eyes wandered around her garden. “Well, I suppose my grass could do with cutting.” She then nodded towards the trees along the rear fence line. “There’s a lot of leaves that need raking, and some have blown into the pond water.”
“You want me to clean your yard?” I asked in surprise. “I thought you meant…do something for the community, not just for you.”
Immediately, Carol’s eyes shot to me in a scowl. “Are you suggesting I’m being selfish? Because I was actually considering a way out for you that didn’t involve a financial penalty. That’s the thank you I get for my generosity? You twist my kindness as if I’m trying to personally profit from your labour?”
“No, no…” I said anxiously. I was on the verge of finding a solution to my predicament and I didn’t want to blow it at the final hurdle. “I wasn’t suggesting that. I was just surprised. I’d be happy to clean your yard in exchange for the fine being written off.” I had a quick look around her garden and it really wasn’t that bad. She obviously did a pretty good job herself looking after it.
“Well, don’t let me stop you then,” she said, with another casual swing of her foot. I could see she was enjoying tormenting me, despite her expression remaining neutral. “It’s not going to clean itself, is it? If you do a good job, then I’ll waive your fine.”
“What? Now?” I asked in surprise. I was hardly dressed for gardening duty; decked out in a blouse, shorts and my favourite boots.
“It’s entirely your choice,” she said. “Don’t act like I’m forcing you to do anything. You can just pay off the fine and we’re good. If you choose to work instead of paying it, well, that’s up to you.” She signalled with her head towards the rear shed. “There’s tools and gloves and stuff back there. I’m sure if you put some real effort in you can have it finished within an hour.”
The thought of this all being brought to conclusion within an hour was most welcoming. “Yes, ma’am,” I said, and I even offered a moronic salute, as if trying to lighten the mood.
Carol just had this way of talking in a constant patronising manner and barking out unreasonable demands and orders as if she was a drill sergeant. On the face of it, I knew that cleaning her yard in exchange for the cancellation of a fine, one I didn’t even deserve, was ridiculous. But, this was the situation I found myself in, and I lamented the fact I hadn’t kept schtum about the party I was having. That first day when she’d shown up, I should have just brushed her away, but I had to go ahead and front up to her, didn’t I? Perhaps this was all a punishment for my petulance. I mean, I was the one that had called her a Karen straight to her face, hadn’t I? I’d figured I could show her that I didn’t care about her self-imposed authority, but evidently, I was completely out of my depth and now I was about to clean her frickin’ yard while she lay around enjoying the sun.
Carol shook her head dismissively at me, clearly finding no amusement in my behaviour. “Just get on with it and stop bothering me.”
I gulped at the audacity of her, and the way she casually gave me instructions as if I was the hired help. It was such a strange feeling, to be attempting to please a woman like her. She was a Karen, there was no denying it, and Karens were fucking annoying. Everyone knew that. They were a constant source of amusement as they ranted and raved about some imaginary injustice they’d been forced to undergo. You know, like smoke from a BBQ from across the other side of a gated community. But, Carol wasn’t being mocked, was she? She was laying back without a care in the world, and instead, it was me that was going to be the subject of mockery. I mean, people were going to see me working in her garden, weren’t they? Her yard was right next to the security gate, so whenever someone drove in, the first thing they’d see was Carol reading with her feet up, while I was cutting and raking the grass. Those who didn’t know me would probably figure I was her employee or something.
I gulped at the thought of that, considering I was basically doing this unpaid. Yes, it was to wipe off a fine, but that was an injustice in the first place. I’d basically been trapped into working for Carol’s benefit, taking care of her yard while she’d fined me for having fun in my own!
I grabbed some shears and a rake from her shed, and then came back out to the garden. Carol was still sprawled out on the lounger, and busy reading her book, sat in comfort with her feet up relaxing. I looked over at her and was suddenly overcome by an intense feeling of contempt. It was so damn unfair, but she appeared to have no remorse at all for what she was about to make me do. She was just going to lay there and chill out while a girl twenty years her junior cleaned her yard for her. It wasn’t as if I was doing it voluntarily either to help out an aging woman. I was pretty much being forced against my will, but evidently, that didn’t mean diddly squat to her. She’d even framed it like it was my own choice, that it was my fault for not paying a fine I so clearly deserved.
Will there a part 2?