The Housekeeper, Chapter 43
Chapter 43
Jess
By the time I was given my glasses back, it was too late.
The list of chores expected of me was all the way back upstairs, and I was being ushered outside to get to work. I was assuming I’d need to take care of everything that I did the last time I was shoved into the back yard. Watering the plants and the garden, cleaning the area around the pool, etc. Then, I at least had the dignity of the skimpy maid uniform. Now, I was fully naked in the back yard. Hardly a new experience, yet not one I’d ever get used to.
I decided to start with the garden, if only to get out of sight of the girls as quickly as possible. Partly because they had a view of my bare backside through the sliding glass doors, partly because I’d probably be yelled at for just standing around. Also, I’d start burning in an hour or two when the sun was higher in the sky; the sooner I got started, the sooner I could come back inside. Or so I was hoping.
Theoretically, watering plants wasn’t that bad of a chore compared to some of the more exhausting tasks I had been given over the last few days. It just took forever. Hannah’s family preferred using a watering can, for the gentleness and consistency and all that. With such a large garden, that meant I had to constantly go back to the hose to fill it up. Lots of steps, on an empty stomach, not to mention the various positions I took in my nude state. I was constantly looking over my shoulder, and tried not to think about how there were probably cameras around even if Hannah and her friends weren’t personally checking on me.
I was only about halfway done with the plants before Hannah’s voice made me jump slightly. “We’re heading out. Machines are in the garage. House doors are locked, obviously. I don’t trust you inside without supervision; you’d probably just piss all over the floor.”
There was no point trying to explain that I’d easily be able to use the bathroom properly if I was actually given access to a toilet. I was mostly focused on the part about the machines, as I hadn’t used anything like that since my arrival to Hannah’s place. Maybe she wanted me to mow the lawn? That was daunting; her property was enormous. They probably had a riding lawnmower, which I knew nothing about operating.
Hannah didn’t linger, or bother clarifying anything. After letting me know that I’d be the only one there for a while, as well as the implication that I’d be stuck outside for the foreseeable future, she simply walked away and left me to the task at hand.
At least the watering I was working on was on the list after all, or she would have berated me instead of casually telling me I wouldn’t be getting any AC for a while. Not that it changed that much, when I was going to be outside for quite some time anyway.
Curious as I was about what was in store for me, going to the garage before finishing with the garden would only make everything take longer. I resigned myself to committing to the monotonous watering, already losing track of time without anything but the position of the sun to make an educated guess about how long I had been out there.
Hannah had said machines, plural. What else was there to do? Even if I was out until noon or so, I’d start burning all over again.
After working my way through the rest of the garden, forcing myself not to rush as I was nearing the end, I put everything away and circled the house towards the driveway. The hot pavement was a bit rough on my barefoot, but the garage itself was a much needed reprieve from the sun. Were there cameras in there? I had no idea. Not that it mattered, when I knew for a fact the exterior of the near-mansion had such security that doubled as a form of ‘streaming’ for Hannah and her friends. If I dawdled in the garage, I’d be caught one way or another.
The good news was, there was nothing surprising or unfamiliar waiting for me. Just a lawnmower and a leafblower. The bad news was, Hannah had left a note on the riding machine in the corner, telling me to not touch it. Instead, I was to use the smaller one closer to the door. If I had to guess, their usual person would just use the regular mower for the parts of the property that didn’t work as well for the other one. Meanwhile, I was going to be stuck taking care of everything, front and back, with the little push mower.
There was nothing to do but get started. I had taken care of the lawn at my parents’ place a few times throughout my teenage years, which really only prepared me in terms of starting the machine and knowing the general technique of cutting the grass in straight lines. Beyond that, I was on my own.
Though Hannah and her friends liked to hang out by the pool, and would have a view of the back yard later, I still felt compelled to start out front. That’s the first thing they’d see upon returning. And, if families like mine were a bit concerned with image and making sure to maintain the standards set by the neighborhood, I could only imagine how that worked for more affluent households. Even the teenagers of such households.
Sure enough, the task was just as bad as I thought it was going to be. By the time I had circled the grass on one side of the driveway and cut maybe a tenth of it, I was already sweating. Working in the garden had only involved so much movement. By contrast, the constant walking and pushing required more exertion, not to mention how the sun was a bit higher in the sky.
Halfway through, I was starting to seriously doubt whether I’d be able to finish everything. There was still the lawn on the other side of the driveway, everything in the back, and whatever other pockets of grass existed on the property. It was only going to get more hot, and I had barely eaten over the last couple days. Also, I was going to have to go to the bathroom eventually. I hadn’t gone all day; the urge was more passive at the moment, but I wouldn’t be able to ignore it forever.
It took somewhere between thirty minutes and an hour to finish mowing the section I had been working through. All that, and I was only halfway done with the front of their property. I had to relieve myself a lot more badly, too. It was getting to the point where I was considering going in the nearby woods; there was no way I’d be able to hold it forever, plus I could really use a few minutes of shade. My sunburn was definitely going to be worse by the time I finished the entirety of the outdoor work. The least I could do was give myself the smallest of breaks before pressing on.
I didn’t go very far past the treeline. The woods were a lot more manageable in the middle of the day; though I was just as naked as I had been the previous evening, at least I wasn’t trying to stumble my way forward in the dark.
‘Outdoorsy’ is hardly a word that describes me. While I had used nature as my toilet on the rare occasion growing up, that was typically something I avoided. Doing so in my current state of undress was doubly awkward, even if I was alone. On the other hand, the shade of the trees felt good. I was thoroughly soaked from sweating, and really could have used something to wipe my brow and whatever else.
Tempted as I was to sit down in the shade and take an extended break, it wasn’t worth the risk. There was a good chance the security cameras extended to the yard; whether they’d get a good image of me or not, Hannah would still see me leaving the mower and would know exactly how long I had been gone. Also, I had no idea what she would do if I wasn’t on schedule by the time she and/or her friends returned.
Pushing onward, both literally and figuratively, I left the comfort of the slightly private area and got to work on the other half of the expansive front yard. Though I no longer needed to relieve myself, there was still plenty to worry about. I was slightly more nervous about Hannah’s wrath than I was towards the heat. Even if I knew the time, she hadn’t told me how long she’d be gone.
It wasn’t too much later that I ran into another problem–the lawnmower ran out of gas. With how far I was from the house, it made more sense to leave it and trudge back to the garage myself for the gas can. Another small break from the sun, yet more time spent walking around naked on Hannah’s property. Despite how the only guests over the last few days had been the young blonde’s friends, I still found myself a bit paranoid about someone unexpectedly driving up to the house for whatever reason and seeing me baring my body to the world.
Maybe Hannah would end up getting in trouble for that? No, she’d somehow spin it like I was the freak who was streaking in the middle of the day. Why else would I do something like that when she wasn’t home?
Just as I was finishing the last few lengths of the second half, I heard the sound of a vehicle approaching. That’s exactly what I had been worried about! I was seconds away from covering myself up and/or running for the trees when I saw that it was Hannah’s car. No covering, then. Not unless I wanted to get in trouble.
She didn’t stop to check in with me, or slow down at all for that matter. All I could do was finish the section I was on, then push the mower back towards the garage. Would she want me to keep working, or see if she wanted anything first? With Hannah, there was rarely a good option; I was mostly looking for what would cause me the least amount of criticism and humiliation.
By the time I made it to the house, the girls were nowhere in sight. I started by circling around to the back yard with the lawnmower, so I’d be ready to continue the multi-hour chore in case that’s what Hannah wanted. That, and I could envision her and the others immediately changing into bikinis and heading out to the pool.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t going to be that easy. The pool and surrounding area were just as empty as when I had been shoved outside earlier. In a way, it was a relief, yet I couldn’t convince myself that it was a good idea to carry on without at least trying to check in with Hannah first.
Tentatively approaching the sliding glass doors, resisting the urge to raise my arms and cover my private areas, I could easily see the three girls in the kitchen. Each of them had a can of alcoholic seltzer in their hand, which absolutely would not be allowed if I was in charge like I was supposed to be. As usual, partying with each other regardless of the hour.
When Hannah spotted me, she rolled her eyes and said something to Willow and Lillian. Then she strutted over to me and opened the door.
“You’re a total mess, aren’t you?” she asked, after barely a glance, “What do you want, Virgin?”