All About Traditions

After a while, the door opened and Annabelle greeted me with a wide smile, evidently looking more relaxed, since I was fully dressed. But I wanted to believe that she didn't really mind my little show-off earlier. Anyway, her ogling eyes couldn't lie.

"Wow, I see now that you didn't exaggerate with that drilling for a hobby." She chuckled, pointing at all the stuff I brought with me.

"Everything can be of use one way or another, you never know." I joked back, and then she led me to the living room. I had never visited the Robertsons, but now I noticed that this apartment was a mirror reflection of mine. A short hall, kitchen in the middle, living room on the left, smaller room and bathroom on the right.

I tried not to look around too much, and Annabelle's sexy butt in front of me was very helpful in that aspect. Her living room was designed in a cozy way, but it seemed that not everything was finished and polished yet. Well, the lamps for sure. She showed me a couple of boxes.

"Okay, just tell me which one goes to which room," I told Annabelle, and she came closer to me. My nostrils smelled a very pleasant scent of some cosmetics and probably just her warm skin.

Her tits, now so close to me, were so huge, that they were almost invading my space. And I was welcoming that invasion with open arms, willing to be conquered by them, to be occupied by them, ready for full, shameless collaboration with the invaders... Oh, shit, someone turned up the air conditioning here?

"This one I would like to have here," Annabelle opened the biggest box, in which was a triple-bulb decorative lamp. "That one goes to the kitchen, this one to the bedroom and this I would like to have in the bathroom." She pointed at the rest of the boxes, then looked at me, slightly wincing with an apologetic expression. "I know, it will be a lot of work for you, and I feel so stupid..."

"Oh, don't worry about it. It's really not that big of a deal," I answered, setting up my ladder. It wasn't exactly the truth, as there was a lot of drilling in concrete, but I didn't say that out loud. I had nothing against working like this and - of course - wanted to impress Annabelle, so I would have eagerly drilled to the Earth's core for her.

Together, we opened all the boxes, and then I took a pencil and meticulously marked spots where I needed to drill, in each room. When I prepared everything, I warned Annabelle.

"Okay, I'm starting. It will be really noisy. Just saying." With that said, I began to drill. I noticed with the corner of my eye that Annabelle left the room. I couldn't blame her, percussion drilling in the concrete isn't the most pleasant sound, especially in closed spaces. But I was used to such noise.

Fortunately, in the living room it went pretty smoothly, and I moved to the kitchen. There I found Annabelle standing by the kitchen counter. I smiled to her:

"Sorry, now I'm gonna unleash hell here. I know that noise is terrible, but so far it has gone very well. I think in twenty minutes the drilling will be over. The living room is safe now." I winked at her.

"I don't know how you're enduring it. It's so loud!" She shook her head with a commiserating smile.

"It's a matter of habit." I shrugged quite nonchalantly and set up a ladder. Annabelle looked a bit crestfallen and said, "Okay, I'm going to take cover in the living room then. Sorry... "

I just smiled at her and turned on the drill. She is so delicate, I thought with awe. That was a feature that a lot of modern women were lacking, wanting to appear more 'badass' in a way, at least a big part of those whom I've encountered. Showing vulnerability or dread in such a situation would be like a slap in a face for them. But Annabelle didn't mind showing how she felt. How very surprising... But nice, in an unexpected way.

In the kitchen, it went even easier than with the living room, as I had to drill only two holes. Things got a bit complicated in the bedroom because I hit one of the reinforcing rods with the drill and had to make another hole next to it. Good that I took a bag of plaster after all. Damn, my dad would be proud of me. Luckily, with the bathroom it went without any problems. Finally, the drilling was done.

I came back to the living room and found Annabelle sitting in front of her computer. She turned, facing me and again I saw this remorseful expression in her eyes. It was really disarming to see that she felt a bit guilty with me doing her a favor, but honestly, I didn't want her to feel that way.

"You'd better save on the hard drive whatever you're working on because I'll need to switch off electricity for a moment," I said, putting my toolbox on the floor.

"Oh, sure, I'll turn it off." Annabelle clicked a few times with her mouse saving some file and soon after the screen turned black. She stood up and I swallowed, seeing how her breasts swayed. That sight ignited my imagination instantly. Uff, jerking off now proved to be the most reasonable precautions I've done before coming to her apartment.

In the corridor, there was an electrical box and I switched off circuit breakers to her apartment. Then I came back to the living room, picked up the lamp, some tools and climbed the ladder. Annabelle was standing there and observing me attentively. While I was cutting the cable's insulation, she snorted quietly and said "Now, I can see how silly it was for me to think that I would be able to do it alone. Not only because of drilling in concrete ceilings, which as I could observe can be challenging even for a strong guy like you..." Mhm, she called me a strong guy? Continue, Annabelle, continue, please. "...but the rest of the stuff? I would probably electrocute myself." She chuckled and shook her head with a charming smile.

"Yeah, drilling in concrete is not an easy job itself and to do it overhead requires some shoulder strength and also height, as you need to press the drill to the ceiling," I replied matter-of-factly, wanting to sound professional and at the same time trying to tame my frisky ego.

"Very diplomatic way to say that I would make a fool of myself, right?" Annabelle tilted her head with a jocular smile, but I felt that she was joking only partially. I stopped installing the lamp for a moment, to glance at her.

"I absolutely didn't think of it that way. You know, the competence of drilling or installing lamps isn't an obligatory or particularly sophisticated skill."

"But it's still impressive, and I know that I don't have that in me to do it. So I'm grateful for your help"

"Don't beat yourself up. The majority of people don't have it in them, so don't worry. Obviously, I'm not even talking about women, but also most modern guys, let's say, between twenty and forty, don't have such skills, and they probably should... " I winked.

"And you're like a pro, everything taken care of. That's rather unusual." Annabelle said with a soft smile but added a bit of a different tone at the end.

Whoa, whoa! Was that an appreciation from her? It must have been! But hold your horses, remain humble, I said to myself. Count to five, exhale, inhale, and don't let your ego inflate. One, two, three... and shit, I didn't manage.

"Well, I'm not gonna pretend. I am pro, haha, although my field of expertise is different."

"Solar panels are what your company installs, right?" Annabelle asked, and she surprised me that she knew that. When I made a questioning expression, she explained further. "I saw the ad on your van. It's very popular nowadays, isn't it?"

"Yes, indeed. Thanks to Elon Musk and other proponents of that technology." I chuckled, while planting rawl plugs into holes. "But photovoltaics became our main focus in the last two years. Earlier I was doing renovations and servicing of heating systems. I mean, I'm still doing that too, but less frequently."

"I see." Annabelle nodded and went back to our previous topic. "But you're right, that's a different field of expertise, as you called it." She pointed at lamps. "This may seem trivial, but still most people don't have a clue how to do it. Those men I had been meeting with would have trouble telling the difference between a screwdriver and hammer." She laughed in an adorable way.

Annabelle used past tense, that was very useful info. All signs seemed to show that currently there were no other adorers around her. Only me. And I already scored some points, yeah!

"I can do much more than this. Tiles, plumbing, electrical, drywall, woodworking..." I stopped mid-sentence, realizing that I was shamelessly bragging. Hastily I added: "But yeah, that's rather unusual nowadays, apparently I'm from a previous era."

Besides, what a crazy topic to brag about, right? Hey, babe, wanna see me plastering? Hurr durr, I'm so freaking good at it, look at this wrist movement. Have you ever seen a wall so smooth? Or maybe you wanna see me plunging the pipes? No? Maybe more hard drilling then? Still no?

But Annabelle didn't seem to be put off by my boasting, she even looked more interested. Her well trimmed eyebrows raised a bit.

"Wow, so you're a true handyman! That's awesome!" She exclaimed with authentic enthusiasm. "Where did you learn all of that?"

"Some skills came along with working throughout all these years, but I guess the most credit must go to my father. He taught me a lot," I said and shook my head with a smile, again seeing all those memories right in front of my eyes. "He was exactly like this. His original background was carpeting, but it was never enough for him. A natural-born fixer-upper. He knew how to do everything and if there was something he didn't know, eventually he would learn it, stubbornly trying, and trying, and trying."

"Such determination is a great feature if it's used for a good purpose." Annabelle said seriously. Then she looked at me and added, "And your father had channeled his energy correctly, as I can judge seeing you at work."

"Thanks, you're probably right." I answered and for a moment was processing what she said. "Honestly, I don't really know how he managed to do all of this in one life. I'm the youngest child of six, with two brothers and three sisters. And my parents had time for all of us. My dad taught both of my brothers the same skills as me. Oh, okay, I must say that he failed a little with Lucas, my middle brother, but with him my mother had more success and Luca is now the chef of quite a nice restaurant." I laughed.

"So, you're not only a handyman, but also a family man? Interesting combination." Annabelle smiled softly and tilted her head to the side, as she had done several times already. I found this gesture incredibly sexy, but I doubted that she was doing it deliberately with that intention. Or maybe she did...? Who knows?

"Yes, whether I want that or not," I answered jokingly, but Annabelle didn't laugh this time.

She nodded thoughtfully and then said "I think that it's great to have such a big and supportive family. I don't have as many siblings as you, only a younger brother, but my parents had a similar approach, not only in the matter of raising the children, but about life in general. They really wanted to build a bond with my brother Frank and me. And they succeeded, we're all pretty close. This modern style of parenting is so much different, it's sad to see that people are more impatient, more selfish and self-absorbed, so less empathic. Life is getting faster and faster, more and more dependent on technology, but we're missing a lot during this chase..." She went silent, as if she suddenly got self-conscious about being too nostalgic? Or she felt that she showed her vulnerability somehow?

However, I felt a huge emotional ambivalence, on the one hand I shared her observations one hundred percent, on the other hand my mind filled with joy! I was thrilled that Annabelle had such similar views! She looked at me with a timid smile and said "Eh, I know that I sound like a typical boomer, but maybe I was also born in the wrong era?" She shrugged quite mirthlessly.

"Well, that makes two of us, haha!" I smiled at her, at the same time finishing attaching the lamp to the ceiling. "But you're right with everything, people like our parents, their generation in general, just aren't around anymore. A dying species."

"But that only makes more valuable what your father has taught you. He gave you knowledge which allows you to not only make money, but also be resourceful and self-contained," Annabelle said, watching me climb down the ladder. It didn't escape my notice that she glanced at the lamp, which was perfectly installed, obviously, and her face was enlightened with a smile. Boom! Another score!

"I'm grateful for what he did. Funny, but he repeatedly told me..." I lifted both my hands and did the impression of my father's thick Italian accent. He didn't get rid of it for his whole life, taking pride in it. "Antonio, no one would ever take away what you can do with these hands, these hands are your best tools!" I chuckled throatily, shaking my head. "I agree with that at least partially because I believe that intellectual work can be equally valuable, if not more. But what my dad had in mind was that knowing such stuff would save me from dishonest 'experts', who would try to rip me off. And that's true, as the business is full of them, unfortunately."

Annabelle nodded, seemingly agreeing with me. Then she looked at me with a hard to read expression and completely caught me off guard by asking "You miss him, don't you?" Her voice was... soothing? At least that's how I would have interpreted it.

I must have been looking odd, as Annabelle hastily explained herself.

"Oh, I'm sorry, that's prying. I just thought that you had such a close relationship with your father and..."

"No, no, it's fine, I don't mind talking about it. Your question just made me realize that yes, I do miss him." My voice was more hoarse than I would like. It was weird to speak with her about such topics, as I knew her for only a couple of days, yet at the same time... it didn't feel weird at all! Annabelle's energy was making this conversation perfectly normal, I guess.

"What happened?" She asked quietly.

"Ah, lung cancer. Severe, but very fast. Three months from diagnosis he was gone." I said blankly. "You see, my father's stubbornness had good and bad sides. The latter was that he had been smoking like a steam locomotive his whole life, refusing to quit."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Annabelle said, and I felt that she really meant it. She didn't say that just because it should have been said. Her honesty was something new for me, there are not many people like that nowadays.

"Well, it was what it was. At least he left his legacy, right?" I vaguely waved my hand toward the lamp, as if this gesture could explain everything. "Okay, let's see if that jewel is gonna work." I muttered more to myself and went outside to switch on the electricity.

I went back and pressed the switch. The lamp was working perfectly, obviously. I was the pro for real. Annabelle grinned widely and clapped her hands.

"Oh, wonderful! Thank you, Tony!" She exclaimed with joy, but then quickly looked at me carefully and asked. "Can I call you that?"

"Sure!" I smiled. "Okay, one done, three to go."

With that said, I turned off the electricity again and came back to the living room for my ladder and tools. Then I moved to the bedroom. Annabelle disappeared in the kitchen.

With the bedroom lamp, it went much faster than with the living room one. This was much simpler, with only one bulb, so I installed it and then prepared a small amount of plaster to fill that one unnecessary hole. I didn't need to check if the lamp was working because earlier I did that only as a show for Annabelle. I was confident of my skills.

Once again I picked up the ladder and the rest of the stuff, then went to the kitchen. I found Annabelle next to the counter top, preparing... a plate full of sandwiches!

"A break?" She asked cheerfully. "I thought that you might have gotten hungry. Please, have a seat." She moved to the small table and placed the plate on it. I blinked, and sat in the chair, pretty surprised that she made that for me. And even more surprised that I actually was hungry!

There were five sandwiches on the plate, some with ham, some with cheese, but all had little pieces of veggies on top of them, cucumber, tomato, a bit of red onion or radish. I smiled with amusement.

"Thank you. Wow, these are so cute that it's almost a pity to eat them," I said, but picked one up and took a bite.

"Haha! You see, that's my habit from work. Everything I do needs to be colorful and interesting." Annabelle giggled, putting two glasses and a bottle of orange juice on the table. She sat down in front of me.

"Why? Where do you work?" I asked, intrigued, at the same time trying not to choke on a piece of bread, when I noticed Annabelle's huge breasts softly landed on top of the table. I wish my face would be this table, a crazy thought crossing my mind.

"I'm a primary school teacher," she answered with a bit of a shy smile, for a brief moment looking straight into my eyes. Then she dropped her gaze and poured the juice into the glasses.

"Oh, really? That's amazing!" I blurted out.

Oh damn, she was so perfect, even her job fitted her personality, I thought with awe. I was delighted that she wasn't employed in some soulless corporation, surrounded by depressed and empty human shells, working mindlessly more and more, until inevitably she became one of them.

An elementary school teacher! So, she was not only beautiful and sexy, but smart, educated, and had a good approach to children. Shit, I need to buy a suit. And a ring.

"You seriously think that?" She asked, once again tilting her head slightly. Oh, my god, don't do that to me, girl. Don't do that, or I will propose to you right on the spot!

"Of course! It's a great job, very responsible. Hah, you see, everybody has their own set of skills. You may be scared of drilling sounds, I would be terrified in front of a class full of kids!" I laughed, but Annabelle frowned.

"Why? You don't like children?" She asked.

"No, I love them! Trust me, I have five nephews and six nieces, from age of three to twelve, and I try to be the best uncle for all of them. But there is a difference between, you know, just playing, every now and then, with kids who are related to me and to teach twenty kids. Not only teach them, but also entertain them, and cheer them up when they cry or control and discipline them when they go crazy and start running on the walls... In my eyes it would be a huge challenge. You need to be a teacher, and at the same time a clown or a magician, a sarge, and a mother..." I finished my spontaneous speech, to which Annabelle was listening cautiously. Another of her admirable features - ability to truly listen.

She flashed me with beautiful, wide smile and said "Hah, you put that in an interesting way, but also very insightful. Thank you for appreciation for my job," she made a small bow. "It's rather uncommon to hear that."

"You're welcome. And thank you for the snack, these cute sandwiches were delicious." I winked at her, finished my juice and stood up. "Okay, now the kitchen lamp."

This one was the easiest - it was an elegant circular flush mounted light. It took me maybe a few minutes, using a cordless screwdriver. Easy-peasy.

"I'd need your help in the bathroom. Do you have a flashlight?" I asked.

"Oh, no, I don't... Wait, I have one on the phone," Annabelle answered.

"Okay, it'll do."

We went to the bathroom, which was pretty tight - when I set up the ladder, there was not much space left. I instructed Annabelle that I would need light mostly while connecting the wires. She went back to the kitchen, got a chair and climbed on it.