He was getting tired of them.
Those little weeds that kept popping up everywhere within his garden, and he didn't have time every week to go out there and pluck them. It was starting to get old and it was also starting to kill his other plants. He had spent too much money on his rose, hydrangea, and lisianthus flowers. They were what highlighted his mansion and plus they were handed down through his family and expensive to keep up. He didn't need weeds killing them out.
He had tried to keep the Maple trees, of his neighbors, from releasing their helicopters onto his yard, but no matter what they would continue to fly over his fence. It extremely aggravated him since it never seemed to bother the others yard.
He sat his coffee down and decided to act. He got dressed and stormed out his door.
He walked around town all morning while asking different gardening shops if they knew how to deal with the problem. Most of them just replied with "Oh, you can just pull those straight up." but that was besides the point. He needed a permanent fix, without having to do it himself and without having to bang on his neighbors door and bribe them into cutting the tree down.
After walking halfway around town, he stopped and decided to rest his legs on a bench out in the park. He looked across the glistening pond and seen a billboard with papers posted on it just across the way so he decided to stroll over.
To his surprise there were tons of papers stapled to the board, piles, and piles unneatly placed. It went to show you how the park staff didn't clean the thing up and take old papers down. There were park announcements, park rules, park wildlife, missing animals, and the like all crowded together on the square board. He peeled back flyers after flyers seeing if there was something of note, when he came to a slightly faded green flyer that piqued his interest. It read "Zakarius Landscaping & Gardening" and also gave the phone number at the bottom of the page. It looked rather old and he could only hope that they were still taking job offers, but at this point it was the only lead Erwin had on getting those dastardly helicopters before they could populate his yard with mini-maples.
He plucked the paper from its spot on the billboard and started on his walk back. Stopping at a little cafe he liked on his way so he could enjoy himself a new fresh cup of coffee since he didn't get to thoroughly enjoy his cup from earlier this morning. He flipped through pages of the town newspaper before deciding to head home so he could call the number on the flyer.
Once he got back to his neighborhood he had all his neighbors waving and greeting him as he walked by with "Good day Mr. Smith," and "Hello, nice weather today isn't it?" and he greeted them with "Hello" and "Why, yes". He passed by Pixis' house and noticed him out on his porch fiddling with one of his model cars and the old man glanced his way and threw his hand up.
"Whatcha got there?" Erwin asked as he noticed the car was new and walked up to Pixis.
"Oh, I'm glad you asked" He lifted up the cherry red model car to show Erwin. "Its a 1954 Packard Pacific." He said beaming with pride.
Erwin inspected the not complete model. "Its a beaut.." He handed it back to the man who was eager to finish it.
"You betcha! Back in my day these were all you would see on the streets!" Pixis blurted out before picking up his silver flask and taking a swig of whatever whiskey he had poured into it for the day.
Erwin laughed. Watching the man as he used his little screw driver to put the tiny screws into the car's hood and trunk hinges.
"Hah! Finished" He lifted the car into the light to inspect it and make sure every detail was perfect.
Erwin helped clean up some of the plastic baggies scattered around the patio floor boards that had once held the little car's parts before glancing at his watch and realizing he still hadn't called the number on the flyer. "Well I better be heading back to my house Pixis. It was nice speaking with you this evening."
"Whhaatt? Why are ya' in such a hurry? Stay n' drink with me." His cheeks started turning a rose pink color and he was shaking his flask at Erwin inviting him to it.
"Ha ha no thanks, I need to get home and call this number before it gets to late." he motioned at the paper in his hand.
"Oh I see, well per'haps another time then?" Pixis hiccuped.
"Of course, Pixis." He started off the man's porch and gave one final wave once he got on the side walk.
He walked the rest of the short distance to his house, glaring at the little saplings before unlocking his door, and took his shoes off on the rug with a long sigh. He had been out most of the day but at least he could have possibly found a lead, he thought as he made his way to the kitchen table sitting down with the phone and calling the number on the bottom of the flyer. After sitting through about 8-9 rings he was about to give up and started to hang up the phone, when he heard a man's voice answer finally.
"Thank you for calling, You have reached Zakarius Landscape & Gardening" played on the other line.
"Ah hel-" He was cut off by a beep and then realized it was the voicemail.
He continued to leave a message. "Ah Hello, This is Erwin Smith, I was wondering if you were still in business. Please give me a call if you get this message" he said his number and hung the phone up leaning back into his chair feeling a little defeated.
He ran his hand through his slicked over hair and felt the sweat from walking all day cling to it and decided it was time to take a shower. He made his way to the master bedroom and went through his dresser to find a fresh pair of underwear and pajama pants, grabbing his towel as he
closed the bathroom door. He washed his golden hair and scrubbed his body down with Old Spice before rinsing off and getting out to dry. He combed his hair back out of his face and got dressed.
He put his dirty laundry in the hamper within the bathroom closet and made his way back out and into the kitchen to fix him some dinner. He made it quick since it was getting late and just decided to make himself a hot ham and cheese sandwich. He put it on a small plate once done and made it to his TV room so he could catch the ending of a football game.
After watching his team win, it lightened up his mood and so he decided to click the TV off and head on to bed. He didn't know what he was going to do tomorrow considering he was off of work and he didn't usually get off for Mondays. He wandered back into his bedroom and sat aside some of the decorative pillows on his bed before peeling back the comforter and sheets and settling into the warmth of his bed.
He sat for a while thinking. He had hoped he'd hear a call back soon from Zakarius Landscape & Gardening. If he didn't hear back he didn't know quite what to do, he thought about his garden being ruined and rolled over with a huff of breath. He would have to find another way if things didn't work out but he decided to stop worrying over it right now and allowed himself to close his eyes and drift off into sleep.
He woke up the next morning from an awful dream, it consisted of him walking outside to find his yard covered in huge Maples. Some of the tree's branches went straight through the side of his house and it made him flinch and put his hands on his head in disbelief. It had looked like a scene straight out of Jumanji. He couldn't believe his eyes it was horrible. That was when he jumped awake, quickly getting up to glance out of his bedroom window down to his yard hoping what he just saw wasn't truly there. He was relieved, it was nothing there except for his beautiful flower bed.
He let out a sigh and scratched his head. He went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror, rubbing his face inspecting the 5 o'clock shadow before grabbing his shaving cream and razor. He turned on the silver faucet and pressed some of the cream into his hand and slightly wetted the other before rubbing it onto his face and half of his neck. He gently glided the razor over his cheekbones and curled his upper lip over his teeth so he could gently get the tiny mustache making itself known on his face, rinsing the razor off and then continuing until he finished. He grabbed the hand towel and dabbed it over his face and then felt around with his hand making sure he had no left over stubble. He took the after shave out from under the sink's cabinet and shook out a bit onto his hand and rubbed them together and placed it on his face, feeling the burn subside. He put all of his items back under his sink and wiped the counter before standing up straight and looking at himself in the mirror. He flashed himself a smile before stretching and walking out.
He made his way back into the kitchen where he decided to put on a pot of coffee and fix himself some breakfast. It was one of those mornings where he felt he wanted something sweet like french toast, and decided to balance that sweetness off with bacon and fried eggs. He was satisfied with his creation as he placed the food onto his plate and smelt the delicious smell permeate through his kitchen. He had just gotten around to making his cup of coffee when the phone rang.
He went over to the phone and answered. "Hello, Smith residence."
"Oh, Good morning Mr. Smith." an unfamiliar male voice answered back.
"Is there something I may help you with?" Erwin said gentlemanly.
"This is Zakarius Landscape & Gardening, Sorry for missing your call yesterday. I wasn't expecting any business calls."
"I understand, thank you for replying." Erwin paused "Um, May I ask who I'm speaking with?"
"Oh of course excuse my rudeness, My name is Mike Zakarius I am the owner of this business. What can I help you with?"
"Its a pleasure to meet you Mr. Zakarius, I was calling to ask if you minded to send someone over to help me with my garden."
"Of course although It will have to be myself since all my workers left." the man replied.
Erwin wondered what he meant by "left" but he didn't want to pry a man he had just talked to. "Sounds good to me."
"When would you like me to see your garden?" Mike questioned.
"Anytime this week really, if its all the same to you." Erwin said cheerfully.
"Ah, would this evening be alright? We're not a busy business. At least not as much as we used to be."
"Sure sounds great to me! Say around 2-3 p.m?" Erwin was excited for how soon it'd be, he could get rid of those things making a mess of his garden sooner than he had expected.
"Alright, I'll be there later to inspect and see what I can do. Have a good day." The man said his goodbyes before they hung up.
Erwin let out a sigh and shook his fist into the air feeling victorious. He remembered his breakfast back on the counter and picked the plate up and grabbed his coffee to sit and enjoy at his kitchen table. He felt that the day would go by rather smoothly.
He finished his plate and rinsed it off in the sink before going to get dressed in his bedroom. He decided to put on a white t-shirt with jeans, something comfortable but also presentable. He parted his hair and brushed most of it to one side, putting a small amount of gel in it so it'd stay sleak. He sprayed a tad bit of cologne along his chest and went to await his guest in the reading room.
He enjoyed reading historical novels mostly during old wars and the Great Depression. Many of his friends told him that he needed to try reading less boring books and try reading fantasy genres or something that was funnier and less serious but he just couldn't get into them. He liked learning new things as he read. He was halfway through his book on World War 2 when he heard his door bell ring. He closed his book and sat it aside, quickly making his way to the door.
When he opened the door he was taken by surprise. The man before him was so tall, he blinked in disbelief. He had to be 4-5 inches taller than himself. He had an olive green V-neck t-shirt on, with dark jeans and brown boots. His jaw was lined with stubble and gave way to a small beard and he sported a moustache. He had a dirty blonde type of hair color, that was short and he had bangs that was parted down the middle and slightly passed his eyes.
"G-Good evening, Mike?" He held his hand out to greet the man.
The other man nodded and gave Erwin's hand a firm shake. "Hello, Mr. Smith its a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"No, the pleasure is all mine. Thank you for coming here." He said stepping out of his house and showing the man to his garden.
"Its no problem, What can I help you with today?"
"Oh, well you see." Erwin gestured of to the Maple trees in his neighbors yard. "My neighbor's Maple tree's always drop their helicopters into my yard and before I can pick them all up they end up sprouting. They're starting to take over my garden and ruin all of my flowers." He frowned.
"Ahh I see, That is a problem considering how much these plants must cost to keep up with." Mike said while he bent down on one knee to pluck one of the small sprouts from the ground.
"I can definitely help you out with these, but I might have to come back tomorrow so I can have time to gather the correct tools." He threw the mini-tree back onto the ground and stood up dusting his hands off.
Erwin felt a burst of happiness. "Thank you so much, I was worried that I couldn't find a way to get these things out. Since my work doesn't give me much time to pluck weeds."
"You're welcome, Its good that you caught them before their roots could get too big." Mike smiled.
"Yes although they're already starting to take a toll on my poor hydrangeas." He shook his head looking at one of his hydrangea bushes that had already started to wilt.
"Well that won't be a problem before long," Mike reassured.
"Ha ha thanks again, I don't know what I would've done without your help." He took the man's hand and shook it with gratitude. "Would you like to come inside? I would gladly make you a cup of coffee, or give you a beer."
"No thank you, I better get back."
"Oh I see, It was nice meeting you. Have a good night"
"Same to you." Mike nodded and made his way to the street where he parked his car.
Erwin gave a final wave and watched the man drive off.
"What a nice guy." Erwin thought before heading back into his house.