Uh-oh

Time: 12:30pm

Ken tried to sweeten the option of doing the decluttering demo in the kitchen for Rachel by offering a mimosa.

-With any juice you want, he added with a laugh. Can you imagine a watermelon mimosa?

He was already pulling a bottle of champagne out of one of the kitchen cabinets.

Raquelle laughed nervously. She grabbed her phone from the couch but decided to leave the attaché case on the coffee table. DH had just sent another heart emoji as she was looking at the phone so she had five minutes. She could have a mimosa in that time. She didn’t need to start anything yet.

The attaché case with the gun in it would be right there on the coffee table. There was no need to spook Ken and ruin all this early. After all, like DH said, she wouldn’t have to do anything if Ken’s wife cooperated. They were having a nice time.

Even though Ken didn’t sound very enamored of his wife, Raquelle didn’t see why the plan wouldn’t work. And if things went really wrong, it would be even worse if she’d already pulled the un out.

Raquelle was having a much better time than DH, even though things weren’t going according to plan at the house either.

She found herself looking around the living room area when Ken called over from the kitchen. They had one of those really big screen TVs, hidden in the wall, and these shelves high up by the ceiling. Were they for books? She noticed for the first time the cat there, looking at her.

The wall had items hanging on it. She never liked that. There were a couple of diplomas, some exotic tapestry, a guitar, even an ugly stuffed moose head. Yuck. This was clutter, she thought, in character and out of it.

-Did you get lost? Ken called over, peaking out from the kitchen.

-I’m so sorry, I was just looking around, Raquelle said defensively, as if he could hear her judging him or as if she were somewhere she ought not have been and he knew it but she didn’t, not the other way around.

-I should be sorry, Ken said, trying to be smooth but instead having the unavoidable feeling that he was once again in the habit of apologizing to apologize. He pressed on, coming into the living room. Having you follow me out to the trash is not much of a tour of the house, and it is a very big one.

-It is, Raquelle said dumbly.

-Does that make this a particularly juicy sale? Ken asked.

-What’s that?

-Oh well, Ken began, looking around the living room, decluttering services, you know, I imagine a lot of the price is based on how much space there is to, you know, declutter.

Raquelle laughed. She and DH had done some roleplaying in preparation but not so far as to get into pricing.

-I have to tell the story and build value before we talk about prices, Raquelle said mock didactically. Sales 101, she said, like DH would’ve, and chuckled again.

-I’m ready for a story, Ken said, I’ve even got the drinks in the kitchen, he added, pointing back to the kitchen.

-Watermelon? Raquelle asked.

Ken was surprised she’d heard the quip, she hadn’t reacted to it. He hadn’t been so bold, of course.

-No, orange juice, he said. But if you’d like---

-Maybe after the story, Raquelle said. We don’t have to talk prices at all today. Your wife set this up, she said, improvising a little bit, we can discuss pricing with her once I know exactly what it is you want.

She liked the way that sounded, and the sound of a watermelon mimosa. She should’ve said something.

She took a seat back at the kitchen island and Ken passed her a cute little champagne flute.

On that he could tell she was judging.

-Barbara thinks it’s a clever way to drink less, Ken said. It had actually been his idea but he felt self-conscious about it at the moment.

-It is pretty clever, she said, raising the glass after Ken.

-What’s the toast to? Raquelle asked.

-Hmm, Ken said. To a good story, I suppose. Or to the sale, he added with a chuckle.

Raquelle slipped her cellphone under the pillbox hat she left under the counter and took a big swig.

-You keep looking at your phone, are you on a schedule?

-No, haven’t I told you, I don’t have any other sales calls today. I don’t want to be wasting your time.

-Believe me, you’re not. We’re all glued to our phones nowadays aren’t we, he said as he reached for his own to fiddle it. Is there an app for decluttering?

-Oh I’m sure there is, Raquelle said, but we find a more old-fashioned approach works better. Good organizational methodology, she said, enjoying how sophisticated the jargon rolled off her tongue. Sound design philosophy, she laughed.

-Man, Barbara really fell for this huh, Ken asked with a laugh before taking a swig of his own mimosa, noticing Raquelle’s glass was almost empty. No offense.

-None taken, Raquelle. It sounds fancy but silly, I know what you mean.

Just then her phone started vibrating, shaking as it peaked from underneath her hat on the counter. DH was calling.

The screen wasn’t visible but Raquelle knew it wasn’t going to be anyone else.

-The lover you’ve been waiting for, Ken asked meekly, surprising himself at the question as it came out. He didn’t think he’d been jealous but he felt his heart drop when the phone started vibrating the way ringing phones do.

So did Raquelle’s, but she didn’t hear him. Her heart had dropped for a totally different reason. There was no postponing it now.

-Uh oh, she mumbled.