Patricia's Payments

Patricia was a professional in her mid 30s. She had gone to graduate school in mental health and had a job at one of the city's major hospitals. She drove an expensive car, wore well-made clothes, and lived in a vintage Bungalow in a hip part of town. Living alone, though, she often had more house maintenance than she could do, or wanted to do, herself. There was always something--raking leaves, cleaning gutters, fixing the sidewalk where a tree root had cracked the cement. She'd hire someone to do the job for her, usually some younger guy in his 20s, though not always. Sometimes it was whoever she could get for the skill she needed. Usually she could get young studs for the hard labor, but plumbing and electric, those tended to be middle-aged men, usually married with kids. Those were the easiest.

She'd let them do the work, then when it was time to pay them, she'd pour a glass of wine, and tell them she didn't have the money and maybe there was something she could do in lieu of payment.

She often wore tight skirts, or nice low cut dresses that revealed her cleavage. She saw the men check out her chest, and once they did, she knew she had them. She was trained in psychology, so she felt like it was a game, a little practical challenge to get them to agree. Of course, with the married guys it was a snap. The younger guys would hesitate a second if they had girlfriends and if they were already getting it every day. That was part of the thrill and challenge for Patricia.

She had the money to pay them, but it was a nice victory to have a $600 plumbing bill voided. She could  treat herself to new shoes or a weekend at the coast. She would always think of it as a challenge of her mind over their weak will. It made her feel powerful and smart. She would never admit that it also made her feel, just for a moment, younger, as if she could stop time. That was power.