Melanie was really surprised when she realized Russ was taking her to his lot. As they rounded the curve in the newly-widened and graveled driveway, and the house came into view, she exclaimed, "Russ, it's beautiful! When did you do all this?" The grounds had been landscaped with late-blooming flowers in new flowerbeds and the house looked like it had been standing there for years instead of weeks.
"I've been working really hard to get it finished this week, and I've had a lot of help from good people for the stuff I couldn't do myself, like landscaping and flowerbeds. You like?"
"Oh, I definitely like! Can't wait to see what you've done inside."
"Come along and I'll give you the grand tour." The inside was just as he had described to her when she was preparing his quote, except now the furniture and fixtures were in place. His choice of oak cabinets and furniture was a good one, the bedrooms and basement were carpeted, the living room had hardwood flooring, and he had had ceramic tiles installed in the kitchen area.
"Now for your wish-fulfillment. Sit yourself down. Here's a present for you to open while I go and get the best part." He hurried off to the laundry room.
Melanie started to unwrap what appeared to be a small book. When the first layer of brightly-colored paper was removed, she discovered another layer, this time a page of cartoons from the newspaper, and was followed by more layers of the same wrapping. Suddenly she heard a sound and looked up to see a little brown kitten peering around the door frame at her. Russ was standing behind it.
"Meet Mr. Coffee. He's all yours. But there's a catch. Since he can't live with you, we'll share custody and you can have visitation rights whenever you please. Now comes the payback for airport delivery and pickup. When I have to go out of town for one or two overnights, you will need to baby-sit here until I get back. Does that work for you?" He had come into the room and was standing near her chair, the kitten still peering at her from the door frame.
Jumping out of her chair, Melanie grabbed him and gave him a big hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! Of course I'll baby-sit. But first I have to make friends with him."
Just at that moment, Russ's phone rang. "Excuse me, please. I'd better take this. Here are some treats - makes getting acquainted very easy." He handed her several small treats and went to answer the phone. When he came back, he said, "Babysitting is starting sooner than I expected. I have to go to the office and deal with a problem. I have no idea how long it will take, but I'll call you when I'm leaving to come home."