When Dora and Fred entered the insurance office, they looked around. There was a big outer office and on the sides were smaller offices with closed doors that had glass windows. The windows had names on them: "President," "Manager" then a couple with just names, J.Smithson, L.Sunderson. that were probably salesmen, Dora surmised.
"Where do we start?" Fred asked.
"Why don't we start with this outer office." Dora suggested. " What we learn here will help when we get to the bigwigs' offices. The girls that work out here probably won't be as fussy as the men in those offices. Let's start with the wastebaskets. You better go back and get the empty container in the equipment closet. I wondered what it was for."
"There's going to be a lot to learn," Fred told her as he went out the door. Dora knew that cleaning offices would be different but it was a job they both needed.
Together, Dora and Fred had a plan worked out by time they had finished the outer office and started on the smaller ones. She was pleased that Fred was a quick learner.
Dora did have to remind Fred to be sure to put things back when he had moved them to dust. "It may not make sense to us to put things in the place we find them, but I'm sure the girls that use the equipment have a reason. I know that, at home, I like the salt and pepper in the same place so that when I'm cooking, I don't have to stop and read the name on the ceramic container."
Fred grunted as he moved a small computer. "I don't think that other couple ever dusted under things," he told her as he swiped his finger across the area and came up with its tip covered with dust. Remembering Dora's house, he knew that when they left, everything in the office would have the same glow that her house had.
When they had finished the outer office to Dora's satisfaction, Dora told Fred that she would take the President's office and he could start with the ones that had just names on the doors. Fred had caught on more quickly than she had thought he would but she would look the rooms over before they left, just to be sure. Executives were probably more fussy than salesmen. She thought that she had better clean their offices. Looking around, she told Fred, "I'll take the President's and the Manager's offices. That will give us two each."
Before she started cleaning the President's office, Dora tried out the big chair behind his desk. She issued a few non verbal commands to her non-existent staff before she told herself she was here to clean, not pretend.
The office was no harder to clean than her own living room. She picked up the name plate on the desk. "Richard R. Stethman," she read. There had been a Stethman in their class but his name was Daniel. Dora wondered if they were related.
When she had finished the President's office and started on the Manager's office, she picked up the name plate on the desk there.
"Fred," she called so loud that Fred was there in a hurry.
"What's wrong? Are you all right? You scared me "
Her call to him had been magnified by the silence in the building. "I'm fine. Just surprised when I saw this." She handed him the name plate.
"Not scary," she told him as she punched his arm. "Daniel C. Stethman! You remember. He was in our graduating class." She saw the lack of recognition in Fred's expression.. "He was that tall good looking one who always got the lead in the school's plays."
"Oh, him. Yeah. I got up the nerve to try out one time for the same part as he did. I never had a chance. But I could never see why he got all the good parts."
"Yeah. I know what you mean. I tried out a couple of times but I guess I was too tall. I always lost out, too. Now I remember,… it was to Susan Whatsername, 'Mrs. Brown'. " Remembering that Fred had sounded a little jealous, she patted him on the shoulder. "The drama teacher that directed the play probably had a crush on Dan, like all the silly girls in our class. I do have to admit that Susan and Dan made a handsome couple." She told him as she picked up the name plate. "I think President of this company is Dan's brother. That's probably how he got to be manager," she told him. "Maybe Dan's the one who sold Mr. Brown that policy that his wife seems to be having trouble collecting on. Come to think of it, Dan and Susan were an item in high school. Maybe, now the Mr. B. is dead…"
Fred turned away. "Better get back to cleaning. We've got more offices to clean after this."
Dora watched as he left. He wasn't one to spend time gossiping. She was learning more about Fred all the time.
When they had finished cleaning all the offices in the building, Dora was satisfied with the job they had done in all six. As they put everything away in the first floor equipment closet, Ben came over to them. "You finished?" he queried.
When both Dora and Fred said, "Yes."
Fred looked his watch and saw that they had been there more than eight hours. "Maybe we were a little slower than the other couple but it was our first time."
Ben wrote something in a small book he had taken from his pocket and wrote in it. "Nope, you're faster. They never got out of here in less than nine hours. I think they used to take a nap in one of those big chairs in the execs offices. I never said anything to Mrs. Brown 'cause I didn't actually see them."
Dora exclaimed, "Nine hours!! We could have cleaned another whole office in that amount of time and we did a good job of the ones we cleaned."
Ben smiled, "I know. I checked the big insurance office. It looked better than it ever did before. I intend to tell Mrs. Brown so."
Fred reached out and took Ben's hand. "Thanks, Ben." He looked at Dora and grinned, "Guess we better be going."
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