In honor of the 40th anniversary of the premiere, here is a "moment" that follows the events of the first episode.
Three days after The Pilot
Tony looked over the document in front of him and thought it all sounded very reasonable.
Housekeeper Responsibilities
The housekeeper's hours are 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, with up to two hours of personal time each day, and 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday. Additional weekend hours may be necessary on occasion and can be swapped for time off during the week.
Pay is based on a weekly salary. Benefits include two weeks of paid vacation (one additional week after three and six years), five paid national holidays, and seven sick/personal days.
Job duties include general housecleaning such as vacuuming, dusting, dishes, laundry, cleaning the bathrooms, and making beds; Larger chores may be done on a weekly or monthly basis as needed, i.e., washing windows, changing bed linens, etc.
The housekeeper needs to be home during after-school hours due to childcare duties.
The housekeeper prepares up to 15 meals per week as needed; combinations of breakfast, lunch, and dinner may change based on work and activity schedules. Any necessary Saturday and/or Sunday meals may be prepared in advance.
Grocery shopping and other errands can be completed as needed.
That was all it said.
After three days on the job, he and Angela finally found some time to review the details of his responsibilities – hence the pseudo-contract that outlined what a housekeeper in the Bower home was expected to do. The first few days had been so hectic they didn't really have time to do more than get Tony and Sam moved in, let alone go over where the vacuum cleaner was stored (some discreet searching revealed a utility closet down the hall from the foyer). But that still left a lot about his new job that Tony didn't know – like what was the scope of his duties? What were Angela Bower's standards? How often did she want the windows washed or the carpet scrubbed? So, on his first Saturday morning in Connecticut, while the kids watched cartoons in the living room, he and Angela sat at the kitchen table, sipping coffee and going over the nuts and bolts of his job.
Angela began the conversation by clarifying the flexible nature of being a housekeeper. "I'm quite aware this is a job that varies by the day and week. I am not a micromanager at home or the office, and I prefer to trust the people I hire to take care of their responsibilities without me looking over their shoulder," she explained.
"Makes sense," he agreed. "You can't be in two places at once," he said, referring to the house and her office in Manhattan. "I know I'll probably learn a lot on the fly, but there are a few questions I have that aren't mentioned on here," he said, looking over the short list of queries he'd jotted down over his first two days on the job.
"I'll do my best to answer them."
"Okay, for starters, what about the outdoor chores like cutting the grass and shoveling snow?"
Angela nodded, seeing how such a question would occur to a man more readily than a woman. "I have a service that comes to do both, as well as seasonal landscaping."
"Okay, good to know. What about food allergies or aversions? I already know Jonathan isn't a big fan of eggs, but he'll choke them down," he added with a sly grin, "but are there any foods I should avoid?"
Good question, Angela thought to herself – and one that no other housekeeper had ever bothered to ask.
"Neither one of us has any allergies, so you don't have to worry about that. Off the top of my head, I can tell you I don't particularly like eggplant or liver. I'll make a list of anything else that comes to mind."
He made a note to avoid those foods before smiling wistfully as a memory came to mind. "I remember my mom making liver and onions for my dad when I was a kid. I hated the smell of it."
"I think we all hate that smell as kids," she agreed with a soft laugh. "I guess I never got past it."
"Me neither, but it still reminds me of those days before my mom died," he said with nostalgic impulsivity.
Angela's face fell in sadness at his admission. "I'm so sorry. How old were you?"
"Seven. But that was a long time ago," he said, not sure it was a subject they should dive into on his third day on the job.
But then she said something he didn't expect. "It's not something you ever forget, though, is it?"
When he looked up and met her eyes, she smiled sadly and explained, "I lost my father when I was fourteen."
"I'm sorry, that must have been tough on you and Mona," he said.
She nodded, "It was, but we got through it." The silence stretched between them until she brought them back to the matter at hand. "So, any other questions?"
"Just one," he replied, regrouping. "Do you have a schedule you want me to follow, or specific days you want certain things done?"
She looked at him quizzically, "What do you mean?"
He didn't think it was a confusing question, but he tried to elaborate. "Well, like, do you want Mondays to be laundry days, or Tuesday to be meatloaf night? Do you want me to change the sheets more than once a week? Is there a certain grocery store I should go to?" His voice trailed off in hopes she understood his meaning.
"Um, well," she began before faltering. Then she took a deep breath, dropped her head into her hands, and admitted, "Tony, to be perfectly honest, I barely have a clue what my housekeepers have done during their days. I copied this job description from an article in Ladies Home Journal at my dentist's office."
"No kidding," he chuckled. "They have great recipes in there."
"You read Ladies Home Journal?" she sounded incredulous.
"My neighbor, Mrs. Rossini, gave me her old issues for the cooking and parenting advice."
He truly was full of surprises, and for an ex-baseball player, he certainly didn't let stereotypical notions of gender roles get in the way of being a good parent to his daughter. With that in mind, she took a leap of faith, "Tony, the fact is, I don't have time for pretense. I need someone here I can trust, someone who can figure out this job so that I can do the one I'm actually pretty good at."
Tony absorbed her confession with admiration and compassion. "It seems we're in the same situation. I need someone I can trust with my daughter – a good role model, and a stable environment. I might not have professional experience as a housekeeper, but I've been a single parent for a few years, and I know how to take care of a home and kids."
Angela met his eyes, and the impact was immediate and intense. An unexpected jolt of attraction was followed by a profound sense of belonging, and she wasn't sure which took her more by surprise. With her gaze locked on his, Angela could only manage to nod absently as she wondered if Tony felt the same palpable energy coursing between them.
He did.
Breaking their gaze took herculean effort and left him uncertain whether he was worried that it would happen again, or that it wouldn't.
He glanced at his notes and new job description to gather his thoughts.
Finally, he found his words. "Then I believe we have an accord," he said formally.
"I believe we do."
Picking up his coffee cup, he gestured in her direction. "To clean houses," he said with a grin.
"And new beginnings," she added spontaneously, clinking their cups and daring to meet his gaze once again, suddenly quite mindful of how long — and intently — she allowed hers to linger.