Green Thumbs

An antique clock sat on the mantle of a brick fireplace. It looked out of place among the modern look of the home; the hardwood floor and leather L-shaped sofa added to the contrast. The blinds of the home were down and covered the three windows that were around the room. A man, dressed in a bathrobe and slippers had his legs crossed and thumbed through his phone.

A small stand sat by his recliner and had a steaming cup of coffee. It was as black as the beans that it had come from, a dark roast imported from Columbia or so the eight dollar bag said on the front. The coffee cup had an inscription written on the front along with a picture of a ram holding a baseball bat midswing, "Son's Favorite Slugger." The mug itself was ceramic, handmade by his son, and given to him the last time his son had visited from college. Reaching towards the small stand, the large male grabbed the handle and brought it to his lips to take a sip. A pleased smile crossed his lips and a sense of pride. Maybe he could get back out to the field again. It had been a while since he joined the co-ed baseball team since he pulled a muscle in his throwing arm but the muscle was returning. His forties haven't done him in yet.

It was another bright, summer day and birds were chirping outside yet he was lounging indoors. It was no wonder why his neighbors thought his house was vacant. Although the inside was well-maintained, the outside needed some serious tender, loving care. Luckily, one of the neighbors ended up giving him a card for a landscaper. The card sat on the end table as well with a small, adorable cartoon ram with a bright grassy green background. The gardener wore overalls with one of the buttons undone and a hoe over his shoulder. He was adjusting the bill of his cap and his mouth was open in happy elation.

Below, in white font it said, "Mow and Hoe" followed by a phone number which the mountain lion had dialed earlier. It was only a matter of time before he received a knock on the door. He hoped that whoever would be sent to his door would be ready to work because he wanted to swim and lounge by the poolside. There was nothing like a cool dip on a hot day.

As if on cue, there was a rapping at the door and the homeowner's ears perked up as if trying to turn in the direction the sound came from. Peeking into his cup, he noticed there was hardly any coffee left. He could finish it in time if we went fast enough. He sucked in a breath, the lip of the coffee cup up to his mouth and he tipped the cup back. Inhaling too quickly, rogue droplets made their back far too fast and he started to cough. The violent nature of the fit was heard through the door and in his flustered state, he did not realize that one of the strings to his bathrobe was starting to shimmy its way out of the loop.

"Mr. Dowel, it's Josh! Are you okay?" A voice said out from outside. The timbre was clear and rich.

"C-coming!" Mr. Dowel said in between another spasm of coughs. He cleared his throat and the little droplets that were lodged in obnoxious places began to wiggle their way out. His voice had an unpredictable rattle to it. He gave his throat one last "ahem" before reaching towards the bronze knob of the door and giving it a twist. He opened it to see a very broad worker standing at the doorway with a concerned but still polite smile.

He had a nice smile and his sun kissed was on full display. He was dressed in overalls about a size too small for his thick physique. It looked as if the small snaps holding the shoulder loops on could snap any moment and fly across the environment. Two bright, enthusiastic blue eyes glittered as they scanned over Mr. Dowel's form with concern. His beard was trimmed and well-kept. His short brown hair matched the full beard around his jaw. It mismatched Richard's grey that peppered his beard along with the streaks of gray in his hair.

"I was afraid you might have been choking, Mr. Dowel," Josh said. The older gentlemen shook his head and gave a reassuring smile.

"Oh no, no...just coffee down the wrong pipe," Mr. Dowel chuckled, slightly embarrassed. "Also, please just call me Richard." There was an unintended growl to Richard's voice and he forced a cough.

Josh seemed pleased with the answer and his body relaxed. This time, the smile brightened and Richard thought he saw his son somewhere in the young man right at that moment.

'Such a youthful spirit. Looks to be about mid twenties, too,' Richard thought to himself. He would be a perfect candidate to go through the ivy on the fence and his arms looked like they lifted plenty of landscaping blocks.

"I'm glad that I won't have to perform CPR because of coffee. My lifeguarding days are long past, Mr. Dowel...errr, sir," Josh corrected and added an emphasis to the honorific at the end. Josh gave an adorably awkward shuffle before he continued.

"Anyway, you mentioned that there is some ivy trimmed along with some landscaping done? Just so I know what I need out of the van."

Josh hiked his thumb over his shoulder and it pointed to a simple white van with the same cute ram emblem and "Mow and Hoe" underneath.

"Yes, yes. That would be perfect, but I would like some unruly brambles to be taken care of. I know you mentioned that the landscaping is going to take a while, but it's my fault that I let things get out of hand," Richard replied with a handwave and gave another small cough.

"It's not a problem, sir!" Josh exclaimed. "I got it all under control. Just point me in the right direction."

"Oh, if that's the case then I was about to go take a dip in the pool. Why don't you take the time to gather your tools and we can meet in the backyard?" Richard offered. His voice was clear and concise but his luck was starting to turn. He began to fiddle with his bathrobe, particularly the strings, as pressure slowly started to build in his chest.

A tickling started to work its way up along his throat and the gentlemen's pride started to fight with his own physiology. Although the air threatened to come up he kept it stifled so he would not cough right into his new landscaper's face.

"I'll get right on that, sir," Josh chirped. "It will be nice to have a regular customer for once. Honestly, I've seen worse houses."

Right before Josh turned around to get to the van, Richard's hand jerked slightly on the tassel and he said, "Oh, and Josh, if you need anything at all...please make sure you let me know."

The cough worked its way up into his voice but instead of coming out as a quick burst of air, it instead made his voice sound husky and low. Right at the same time, the bathrobe that hung off his shoulders slumped down before a hand of fate brushed it off and it fell to the floor. Josh's eyes did not follow the bathrobe but instead lingered on what it revealed. A nice smattering of dark black hair was between two muscular pecs with a sprinkle of grey.There was a ghost of washboard abs which were smothered in a belly that looked all too nice to lay one's head down on. The hair that formed on Mr. Dowel's pec continued into his hips before disappearing inside of the very tight swimwear around Richard's waist.

It was a brightly colored speedo. The orange stood out like it was begging to be looked at and a black racing stripe zipped across the top and bottom. Like Josh's overalls, it looked to also be a size too small which only worked to highlight the developed muscle of the older man's thighs and brought out his legs. The muscle along the inside of Richard's thighs and back towards his backside which was squeezed due to tightness. The back of the speedo allowed the ends of the stud's cheeks to stick out from the sides just a bit and if Josh was not focused on the packed in front side, he might have snuck a curious peek of the back.

Richard knew what had occurred and his eyes flicked nervously. He still kept a relaxed smile but he was counting down the seconds until he could retreat back inside and give him a moment to collect himself.

"Whoops, sorry about that, son," Richard played off with a chuckle, ironically clearing his coughing fully in the process, and he leaned over to grab his bathrobe. Josh stared for a moment too long before he blinked and thought about how he would justify gawking at his customer for so long. He decided that the best course of action would be to play off the awkward moment as well.

He cleared his throat, his face red and he managed to stammer out, "N-not a problem...sir. I'm going to go grab my tool!" He gasped and covered his mouth, his cheeks red in embarassment. "I mean, I'm going to grab my tools!"

As Josh stormed off to his van, Richard closed the door trying not to imagine the younger man's tool and made his way through the living room. He tossed the bathrobe onto the recliner he was sitting in just before the awkward encounter with Josh before he continued into the dining room. It was modern like the rest of the house and he grabbed a cup out of a rectangular cabinet near the refrigerator and brought the cup towards the dispenser for the fridge. He brought a claw up to the digital display and tapped it on the ice function. When the cup was filled with the appropriate amount of ice, then filled the glass up to the brim with water.

Bringing the lip of the glass up to his mouth, he took a long gulp and made sure to completely kill whatever nefarious tickles were left in his throat. He cleared his throat and made his way to the back door that led to the covered pool. Sliding open the door with his free hand, Richard's mind was still racing. Clearly, the young man had been checking him out and it mistakenly sounded like he was flirting with the poor gardener. Out of everything Richard wanted, being a common porn cliche where the young worker is wooed by a strapping gentlemen is not what he had in mind. After all, what would a young stud want to do with a fairly older man? Maybe it was the heat or perhaps just first time working nerves.

No matter, Richard knew of a way to clear his mind. He walked outside, the heat already wrapping around him like a thick blanket. The pergola that covered the patio covered a table that had four chairs set up around it. The pergola itself was in a lattice pattern and allowed some sunlight to come through and a small fan was connected to the roof.

Two sofas were set off outside of the pergola and surrounded a fire pit. Throw pillows sat on the sofa as if begging to be moved and the material of the couch was well-maintained. Behind the pergola was the pool which was surrounded by a black metal fence that separated the backyard from his neighbors. Although the concrete of the pool was clean and the water itself was a crisp blue, the fence itself had an overgrowth. Vines tore through the fences and Richard knew that just underneath the vines was something far more sinister; brambles with sharp thorns ready to poke and prod at a moment's notice.

Well, Josh seemed like he could handle it. At least he was enthusiastic. He would have to make sure to give him a large tip. Richard walked over to an inconspicuous landscape rock and lifted it to show a small key. He grabbed it and brought the key up to the keyhole on the gate and unlocked it before pushing it open and stepping inside. The concrete was hot on his foot pads, but it wasn't unbearable and it was nothing a little water could not fix.

He looked over to the fence, the ivy overgrowing and snaking its way towards the concrete. If he had waited any longer to have someone take care of the growing foliage, the ivy would ruin his decorative fence. The bachelor even had to move his lounge chairs out of the way of the ivy and move them around the saltwater pool. If they got on the white fabric, there would be no stopping the vines. Richard silently thanked his neighbor who gave him the card and placed his foot paws into the water. The water was a decent temperature due to the heat outside and was not unpleasant on his skin.

Coming from around the back, Josh walked in through the unlocked gate. He had a pair of shears in one of his hands along with a smaller pair of clippers stuffed into the front of his overall pockets. Walking by Richard, the young man had his air of professionalism back again and seemed comfortable with where he was. It was a better reaction than being embarrassed and clamming up.

Richard found his eyes wandering and they jumped straight to the gardener. The manual labor did Josh wonders; his back and shoulders had a broad and full look to them. He stood tall and proud which made his back pop up and out. The overalls around the rump left little to the imagination and each curve and valley was a treat for Richard's gaze. Josh's overalls had a little hole, probably due to overuse, which Richard realized he could see the color of his underwear through.

"How long has this been growing?" Josh asked, beckoning over to the ivy with his shears, which brought Richard out of his stupor.

"About a year now," Richard replied as he slowly began to lower himself into the pool. He started himself at the three foot end so his chest still stuck up above the water.

Josh whistled and shook his head. He placed the shears in his right armpit and flexed to keep it there. He put on his gloves. "Thank God you called then. This would be horrible to deal with if you waited just a few more weeks. I've seen ivy tear up concrete, too."

Richard gave a grunt in response. "Outside work isn't really a specialty of mine. I feel like a spoiled brat sometimes."

Brandishing his shears, Josh walked towards the mass of ivy and kneeled. Trimming the greenery, the gardener was glad he wore gloves. Small, little thorns stuck up closer to the ground. The little sticklers would require more planning.

"Well, I'm glad I was called here, sir. I've done many houses like yours and this won't be bad...just needs a bit of elbow grease," Josh assured. "The wife must have been twisting your arm about it, huh?"

Wiggling a bit, Richard blushed. "I actually live alone..."

"O-oh, uhhh...."

There was a pause between them. "I'll make sure this looks like a sweet bachelor pad, then!"

Richard chuckled. Josh sure knew how to make things not seem as awkward. "Sure, Josh. Just make sure to mind the thorns. I'm going to swim. Again, if you need anything..."

Josh chortled and there was a trill to his voice. "Mmm hmm."

Richard did as he said and swam as Josh began to trim. It was about off and on for Richard, his body needing short rests. Although Josh was concentrating, he would take an occasional break as well. The heat of the day was at full blast as the time got closer to noon and Josh was still hard at work. Richard was convinced that Josh's overalls would slide off his body with how much he was sweating but it seemed the gardener did not mind.

Pulling himself out of the pool, Richard's body was wet and dripping. Beads of water rolled off of him and down onto the concrete below and Josh would give a glance over whenever he had a moment. His eyes would linger over the older gentleman's chest and abs and the way his speedo rode up into Richard's rump. It was like a little dance that he was doing; when Richard would talk or look back towards him, Josh would make sure he was hard at work and not staring.

The fence was already looking tidier and most of the ivy was already trimmed back. The longest part of the whole project would be the thorns and Josh was saving those for the next day.

Walking over to one of the lounge chairs, Richard practically purred as the warm sun beamed down onto his wet hair and skin. His favorite part of swimming was not the way his muscles felt full and brimming with energy but how well the rest felt afterwards. There was nothing wrong with being lazy if he worked his body before. Placing his hands behind his head, he closed his eyes and his mind started to wonder. The sun felt so warm on his body and the rhythmic moving and cutting that Josh was doing began to blend together.

Richard basked in the sun for what felt like five minutes. The warmth was so nice on his wet fur that it was like he was enveloped by it. He did not even realize that he fell asleep until he jumped awake and Josh was standing over him. Josh's eyes were looking at his chest and they darted away as Richard stirred. Reflexively, Richard moved his hands up to his chest and covered his pecs. He breathed a sigh of relief that he was not pitching a tent.

"You were fast asleep there for about thirty minutes, sir. I am almost done for today and there's a storm moving in."

Giving a small groan as he brought his hand up to his eyes and rubbed them, Richard looked around at the sky. On one end of the sky, there was a bright and sunny afternoon sky and on the other there were dark, black clouds coming towards them. Looking back towards the fence, Richard noted that the fence was trimmed back and there were several trash bags full of cuttings.

"Thanks for waking me up, Josh. How about we go inside and I can make you lemonade for your drive and get you your check..." Richard groggily replied.

Josh smiled and nodded. "That sounds lovely. I'm going to move these cuttings into my van and then I'll come in."

"Let me help. We can work faster together," Richard requested and got up off of his lounge chair and made his way towards the bags of ivy.

"Oh, don't touch the bags, sir! It's not you but it's my polic-"

It was too late and Richard had already grabbed two out of the four bags and was shuffling them towards the front of the house.

"Don't say I didn't warn you. There could be poison ivy..." Josh frowned but he did not put up too much of a fight as Richard started to pull the bags away.

"I'll be okay. I'm not allergic. You can grab the other two."

Thunder boomed in the distance as the two worked. Eventually, the bags were taken care of and inside the van and the two were walking back into the safety of the indoors. Richard was thrilled that his fence was now trimmed back and Josh could now focus on the more intensive project and start putting up more proper landscaping.

When Richard got inside, he led Josh towards his kitchen. Josh was starstruck by the modern appliances and he walked to the table to sit patiently and watched Richard make lemonade in his skimpy speedo. It was like he was being waited on at a gay bar but instead of a shaved twink, Josh had a silver daddy preparing his drink for him. Richard made small talk as he added the appropriate amount of powder to a small pitcher and stirred. The way Richard's cute hips worked as he stirred the pitcher was distracting him more than the growing wind outside and the lightning that flashed occasionally. It was hard to remember the subjects of conversations they talked about but a few subjects stood out.

Richard was a data analyst. Josh sprinkled some things here or there about his studies. The young gardener wanted to be a horticulturist and work with plants while Richard had just gotten a promotion at his job. They avoided the topic of divorce but Richard was more than happy to talk about his son and how he was going through art school to do work with ceramics. Overall, it was a chipper conversation and the two weren't forcing any topics. It flowed as easy as water down a hill, the two seemed to click even though there was an age difference.

Josh clicked his overalls, pulling his arms out of the straps and letting his chest breath. The hair was matted with sweat and his thick muscles expanded with each pant of air he took. Richard took small glances over and when Josh lifted his arms up to place them behind his head, the smell of sweat with just a pinch of whatever body wash Josh used reached his nose. Richard's speedo tented, the material snug between his legs and he tried to change the subject.

"You like your lemonade with a bit of sugar?"