his workday found Adam in front of Logan's Garden Nursery, a store along the main street of town. Since the job was in front of the store, orange cones were needed to cordon off the area so vehicles wouldn't hit the plumber while he worked. With shovel in hand, Adam labored to uncover the damaged pipe in question. It was no easy task; the rocky ground was stubborn, and would not yield easily. Since Mr. Logan didn't want to keep away potential customers with loud jackhammer sounds, heavy equipment could not be called in, as Adam had desired. For this reason, he added an extra cost for the additional manual labor, to which Mr. Logan readily agreed.

It was a warm day, with hardly a breeze in the air. With all the physical exertion the job required, Adam was soon damp with sweat. His damp shirt served only to make him perspire all the more. Needing relief, Adam pulled off his shirt and wiped his face with it. His sensitive skin sunburned easily, but in the heat of work, Adam had quite forgotten.

So engrossed in his work was he, that Adam did not even notice when a pretty woman approached the cordoned off area.

"Excuse me," she interrupted. Adam did not hear the first time, so the woman repeated herself, "Excuse me?"

"Yes?" said Adam, looking up from his hole in the ground.

"My girlfriend wants to know if you're married," said the woman, pointing to an attractive woman standing beside a motorcycle. The woman's girlfriend waved to him.

"No, I'm not married," replied the Master Plumber, embarrassed that such a thing was happening to him-- again.

"Here's her number if you're interested," said the woman handing him a slip of paper. Adam politely accepted it, and resumed his work. He hoped no one had been watching.


Just as soon as Charlie had managed to forget Mrs. Jacobs' promise of the second hand clothing, she arrived with a box in her arms from her sister in Topeka, "Courtesy of the Topeka Charity Relief Organization." Not yet ready to leave, Mrs. Jacobs hinted to Vera that she would like to see if the clothes fit all right. Sensible of her indebtedness, Vera instructed Charlie to try on the clothing and model each item before their next door neighbor in the living room.

Maggie stayed quietly out of Mrs. Jacobs' way, preferring the sanctuary of Charlie's bedroom, instead.

"I couldn't help but notice," whispered Mrs. Jacobs, as she and Vera waited for Charlie in the living room, "but that Downen woman seems to be here a lot."

"Yes, well," replied Vera trying to think of a suitable answer, "Charlie has taken a liking to her."

Just then Charlie entered.

"Turn around," said Mrs. Jacobs.

"Isn't that nice!" Vera politely exclaimed.

"It'll be good for these windy November days-- you see the fabric?" observed Mrs. Jacobs, expertly. "Yes, that will do nicely."