My mother always said, “It pays to be friendly.”  I’m not sure why she said that.  Sure, she was always friendly, but she never made much money in life, so how could it pay? Even so, I figgered it didn’t cost me nothing to be friendly, so I usually was.  Today weren’t no different.  I got up early like I always did to catch the bus to get to work on time.  Like always, I helped Jimmy load his mama onto the bus with us so he could drop her off at adult day care while he went to work.  Jimmy had it much rougher than me.  My mama had left us quietly in her sleep four years before.  Plum tuckered out we figgered, ’cause she’d worked hard all her life to make sure we had the necessities.  With those, we could make our own fun cheaply enough, and we did.

After I got to work, I got my supplies and began my routine.  First, took my rolling cart outside and picked up trash people had thrown on our property since yesterday.  Food wrappers, cans, bottles, you name it.  People just dropped their wrappers when they were done with them.  Leastways, it seemed that way. Of course, I emptied the trash cans, tool.  Lots more trash in them than on the ground.  Once I finished making our company look good on the outside, I headed inside to begin making my rounds.

I slipped into the first office and waved to Ms. Jenkins, who was talking on the phone. She waved back.  I emptied her trash and pulled my cart to the next room.

“Good morning, Pete!”

“Hi!  Mrs. Phillips.  How’s that boy of yours?”

“He’s trying to decide which college he wants to go to, Pete.  I’m so glad he has so many choices, but he’s having a tough time.”

“Don’t you worry none.  He’ll make the right choice.  You raised him up right.”  I put her trash can next to her desk and made my way to the next office.  I’m so blessed to be able to work with the people in this office.

When I reached the restrooms, I checked to make sure  nobody was in the ladies’.  I blocked the door open and began to clean. If I say so myself, my restrooms are the cleanest in the building.  “Be done in a minute, Ms Black.  Don’t you fret none.”

“Thank you, Pete!”

I finished my mopping and twirled the mop, “Now you be right careful, Ms. Black.  I don’t want you to slip and hurt yourself.”  I closed the door behind her and pulled my cart down the hall to do the mens’. This floor didn’t have very many men, so nobody came in while I was working.  I finished the offices at the other end of the hall while people were gone to a luncheon.  That went fast.  Then I did the next floor, talking to four or five people up there.  By the end of the day, I pulled my cart out to the dumpster, emptied it, and pulled it back to the maintenance room and got it ready for tomorrow.  I caught the bus back to my apartment.  I like this job.  People are so friendly.

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