Written by: LJ
NOTE: This is a pre-relationship story.
Darby rolled onto his stomach, pulled a pillow over his head and pretended he hadn’t heard the knock on his door.
Not getting a response, Rowan entered Darby’s bedroom, stepped over to the bed and yanked the blankets off his young roomer. “You promised you’d help me finish the spring cleaning,” he gently reminded his friend.
“Yeah, but I didn’t know you were planning to start in the middle of the night,” Darby complained, peering out from under his pillow.
“It’s eight o’clock,” Rowan informed the other man as he tried making his way over to the window without stepping on anything, only to give it up as a lost cause. “Darby, why is just about everything you own on the floor?”
“I didn’t get around to putting things away,” mumbled the sleepy young man, sitting up on the side of the bed with his head in his hands.
“Well, you have ten minutes to get dressed and come downstairs for breakfast. Bring all your bed linen down with you, please.” With those parting words, Rowan left the room.
Darby grumbled as he pushed himself to his feet to pull on a pair of sweat pants and a T-shirt. “I don’t know why we have to get up so early on a Saturday morning. Besides, who else has to put up with such a nit-picking landlord?” Then he remembered his promise. “I guess I did say I would help him and I kinda like spending time with him.”
Rowan was just putting cereal, toast, and juice on the table when Darby came into the kitchen with an armful of dirty linen.
“Thank you! Let’s get the laundry started before we eat,” Rowan suggested.
************
Half an hour later the two men were standing in the doorway of Darby’s room and surveying the chaos in front of them. For the second time that morning Rowan headed for the window. He pushed up the blind and turned around. ‘My God,’ he thought. ‘This is even worst in the daylight.’
“You have been living here for less than seven months, Darby. How did you manage to make such a mess in so short a time?” Rowan glared down at his young roomer.
“I guess I’m not very organized.”
“Now, that’s an understatement.”
“Yeah, well someone should have told me you were a clean-freak,” Darby griped. “You’ve only been home for a week and you’ve already cleaned every room in the house except mine.”
“I was saving the best, hmm…make that the worst for last,” Rowan teased and then chuckled at Darby’s look of indignation. “Let’s get started. I’d really like to get it done this weekend.”
“Man, what should we do first?” the younger man was obviously overwhelmed.
Rowan was astounded at Darby’s sense of shock. After all it was the kid’s own mess. “I think locating the carpet would be a good start. Maybe we should use a rake,” Rowan joked before suggesting, “How about we pick everything up and make separate piles for clothing, books, games, etc.?”
“Okay,” Darby sighed loudly. “I’ll just put all my clothes in the hall so I can sort them out later.”
While Darby was collecting his dirty clothing, Rowan was gathering scattered books, video games, and CD’s. Next, he piled them in neat individual stacks on the dresser. “I never would have thought you’d be interested in a magazine for young women,” Rowan commented during a perusal of the article in his hand.
“What are you talking about?”
“This magazine I found behind your bed. It’s an issue of Cosmopolitan.”
“Oh, that’s not mine. It’s my friend’s, Shelley. She bought it on her way over here one day when we had a school project to do together. She only discovered it was missing when she got home.”
“Imagine that! Losing something in this room,” Rowan commented, glancing over the cover one more time. “This is last November’s edition. It’s over five months old. Hmm, I wonder what other long-lost treasures we’re going to find today. How about if I put this in your backpack so you can give it to Shelley on Monday?”
“Thanks! That’ll work,” Darby replied. He was attempting to pick up an article of clothing from the floor.
“What’s the problem?” Rowan asked when he noticed the young man struggling.
“These jeans are stuck.”
Crouching down on one knee, Rowan quickly detected the problem. “There’s a wad of bubble gum holding them down.” He stared up at the fidgeting boy beside him. “Go get a few ice cubes, please,” he sighed deeply and rolled his eyes.
Returning a couple of minutes later, Darby handed the ice to Rowan. “Sorry. I guess I dropped my gum. I usually swallow it,” he murmured, blushing with embarrassment.
Rowan was flabbergasted. He just shook his head and began to work on releasing the pants presently adhered to the carpet. ‘This boy needs help,’ he thought, rubbing his right hand on his jean-covered thigh.
“Here!” he said, handing the freed jeans to Darby. “Put these with your other clothes in the hall. You can start separating things for the wash after you go downstairs and bring up the two baskets from the laundry room.” He couldn’t help laughing at the other man’s groan of irritation as Darby trudged down the stairs.
A little while later Rowan called out from where he was on his hands and knees beside Darby’s bed. “Hey, Beethoven, I didn’t know you were taking a science class.”
“I’m not! I’m a music major.” Confused, the young student looked over to see what the older man was talking about.
Holding out a plate of molding and unidentifiable leftovers, Rowan asked; “Then can you explain why there’s a laboratory project in mid-development under your bed?”
“Oh! I thought I had taken that down to the kitchen.” With a shrug of his shoulders, Darby added a soft, “Sorry.”
“Well please take it down now and after you scrape the mold off, you can put it in the dishwasher.” Rowan absently rubbed his right hand on his jeans as he watched Darby head out of the room to comply with the request.
“Everything has been cleared off the floor, including the areas under the furniture, and is in orderly piles to be put away when we’re ready to do so,” Rowan explained as he came into the hall. “Oh, I hope you don’t mind if I toss out the plant on your window sill. Chances of its’ survival are non-existent.”
“Very funny,” Darby mumbled, dropping the last dirty shirt on top of the basket containing light clothing. “I’m done. The laundry is all sorted.”
“Good boy! You grab that basket and I’ll take this one. You can transfer the linen to the dryer and get the next load into the washer while I make lunch. Okay?”
Darby nodded and wondered why he instinctively knew the older man expected his request to be obeyed.
************
The afternoon found Rowan shampooing the carpet while Darby scrubbed down the walls. The room was gradually taking shape but a foul odor still lingered in the air.
A short time later Rowan was washing the window when a bowl of what looked like muddy water caught his eye. “Darby, what is behind this picture on your nightstand?” he inquired as he walked over to the small chest of drawers to get a closer look.
“That’s Ernie and Bert, my goldfish,” Darby answered from where he was kneeling on the floor and cleaning the woodwork.
“The water is so dirty, I can’t even see through it.”
“They’re lying on top.” Darby informed him and went on to explain further. “They’re dead.”
“And just how long have you been harbouring these deceased fish?” Rowan questioned, finally locating the small, floating bodies.
“Only for a couple of weeks or so.” Seeing the not-too-happy expression of the older man’s face, Darby stamped his foot and hollered. “I’ve been busy. I had a music assignment due and I was taking part in the mid-term concert at school. I just forgot about it.”
“Be careful how you are speaking to me, young man,” Rowan warned in a stern voice. “You know, Beethoven, you have a bad habit of allowing your music to over-ride everything. You are going to have to learn to pay some attention to other things.”
“Well, I try but I just kinda get sidetracked,” Darby murmured sheepishly as he stared at the floor. Then looking up, he softly added; “I’m sorry for yelling.”
“Okay, kid. New house rule. NO PETS ALLOWED.”
“That’s not fair,” Darby pouted.
“I’m sure animals everywhere will consider it more than fair. Think of all the lives we could be saving by having this rule.” Rowan couldn’t help laughing at the young man’s look of outrage. “After you flush the contents down the toilet, take the bowl downstairs and put it in the trash.”
“I’ll do it later ‘cause I’m tired of going up and down the stairs.” Darby glared up at the older man.
“I expect you to do it now!” Rowan spoke firmly as he raised one eyebrow and stared down at his young roomer. His right hand was really getting itchy. “And I mean right now. You can change the laundry while you’re down there and bring up the clean linen.”
‘What is it with that look?’ Darby wondered as he unwillingly complied with the order. “Up. Down. Up. Down. What does he think I am? A yo-yo or something?” he grumbled all the way to the kitchen.
Several minutes later, Darby reappeared and Rowan noticed he was empty-handed. “All right, kid, where’s the bedding I asked you to bring up?” He was getting rather frustrated.
“Crap! I forgot. I’ll go get it.” Darby sulkily headed down the stairs once again.
“Okay, Darby, you can get your bed made while I start assembling the new bookcase,” Rowan suggested when the young man reappeared and dumped his armful of fresh laundry on a chair.
“Done!” Darby announced five minutes later. “What do you want me to do next?”
“As soon as I get this finished, you can put all your books and games on the shelves. Then I’ll set up the computer desk. While you’re waiting, why don’t you empty those boxes you have stashed in your closet?”
“All right.” Darby began hauling out articles he hadn’t gotten around to unpacking since moving in last fall. “It wouldn’t surprise me if your last servant died from over-work,” he joked.
“He did! Fortunately I have you now,” Rowan returned the teasing. Several minutes later he announced; “The bookcase is ready, Darby.”
“It’s starting to look a lot better in here,” Darby said, sniffing the air. “And it smells better, too!”
“We’ve done a good job today and it shouldn’t take long to finish in the morning,” Rowan commented as he pushed the newly assembled desk into place against the wall. “How about you setting up your computer while I go downstairs to start supper and fold the last of the laundry?”
“Good idea! I’m starving! Wha’cha going to make?”
“Homemade pizza.” Rowan ruffled the young man’s auburn hair as he left the room.
************
“That was a great pizza, Rowan. Thanks!” Darby spoke from where he was curled up on the sofa, watching a movie on TV. He had already showered and was winding down after what he termed ‘a hard day of slave labour’.
“You’re welcome, Beethoven. Glad you liked it.”
“Do we have to get up early tomorrow?” Darby asked, hoping it wouldn’t be necessary. “We don’t have too much left to do, do we?”
“We can sleep in a bit and still be finished by noon.” Rowan replied, smiling at his young friend. The older man was stretched out on his recliner and reading to relax after the long day. He knew Darby was tired but a good night’s rest and the boy would be raring to go come morning.
Glancing up from his book, Rowan noticed his roomer had fallen asleep. He got up and having already locked up for the night, turned out the lights, gently woke Darby and helped him climb the stairs.
‘Tomorrow will come soon enough,’ Rowan thought, rotating his arms to relax his neck and shoulders as he entered his own room to get ready for bed.
************
By noon the next day the room was finally clean enough to meet Rowan’s expectations. The two men stood side by side as they inspected their work.
“Wow! What a difference!” exclaimed Darby, taking in the neatly made-up bed, the new desk and bookcase, the pictures on the walls, and the clean carpet. “I really like this!”
“Good!” Rowan smiled at his friend’s enthusiasm and placed an arm around Darby’s shoulders. “I hope you can keep it this way…for a little while anyway.”
“I’ll try. Honest!” Darby sincerely promised. “By the way, how is your hand feeling? I noticed you rubbing it on your leg several times yesterday.”
“It’s fine, thanks. I think the problem started as a result of, hmm…leaving the worst for last.”
The End
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