How Green Becomes Wood

Lex set down what looked like a curved piece of sheet metal that was as tall as her shoulder and checked her watch. "You're early," she remarked approvingly. "Good traffic?" She moved the metal piece out of the way and indicated for Cooger to follow her through the maze of boxes and random items to the door leading into the house.

The bathroom on the main floor wasn't far from the kitchen, and she'd already stripped it down to bare studs and pipes. Sad little wires decorated the space, and she'd hung a construction light in the middle so they could actually see what they were doing. As expected, there was mold, but she'd already treated it or removed most of the pieces that were too far gone. Some were part of the structural integrity, and she wasn't touching those without the help of an actual handyman.
 
"I know a shortcut." Cooger told her laconically as he followed her inside of the house. The boxes and general clutter didn't bother him--he was familiar with this sort of chaos, and even if he wasn't, a few times he had been called in to help clean out a hoarder's home, so it didn't bother him in the slightest. Once inside the actual bathroom, he sat his toolbox down on the back of the toilet, put his hands on his hips, and let out a low whistle, "Well. You do work fast, don't you? Alright. It's good you got down most of the mold already, that'll make it easier on us."
 
"That's what I was hoping for." She pointed out the pieces she hadn't been able to remove and discussed options for how to remove them before moving onto things like replacing the bathtub - which she'd already removed - and the possibility of either fixing or replacing the toilet. After that, it was the easier things like basic design and tile work for the floor and possibly the shower. She could do a surround for the shower, which would be cheaper, but she wanted tiles if possible. First, she had to run the budget by Cooger.
 
Cooger answered and discussed the most pressing issues first: The mold, the walls, getting it back to being a completed room again. Then he talked about the bathtub, if she wanted a new one or was looking to repair the old one, and if it was the former, if she had already started looking. When it came to the toilet, he asked about what was wrong with it, and promised he would take a look at it after they finished the consultation.

"As far as bathroom tiles--I know a guy who can get you them for cheap, unless you've got a real specific idea in mind or want something fancier than ceramic or linoleum. But if you know where to look, you can get pretty good tile at discounted rates, just know I ain't promising you a mosaic. But I wouldn't recommend it if it weren't quality and pretty looking." He squinted around the bathroom, "I know there's a lot that needs doing, and I'm sure it's probably real stressful for ya, because it's not going to be the cheapest thing in the world, but I don't think any of this is bank breaking."
 
Lex leaned against the doorframe with her arms crossed and blew a strand of dark hair out of her eyes. "I'm thinking something... neutral but nice, you know? It's a public space, it's gotta make a good impression, and while I want it to have my personal touch, they don't need to know I'm really into teacup dragons, right? How about... Yeah, grey and white with dots of red." She glanced at him and smirked. "And I have no idea why I'm asking you when it's just your job to get me in touch with the tile guy. Ceramic is perfect."
 
"Teacup dragons?" Cooger asked, raising an eyebrow, and then smirked and looked back around the space, "I mean, shoot, if you want teacup dragons, I can probably get that sorted for in here, too. Not in the tile, but I know a guy who does excellent wood workings, and he can make you a little three tiered shelf we can hang in the corner there, by the sink," he pointed, "and you could display nice little dragons right there. Why not go all out? I mean, shoot, how many times in your life do you gotta chance to redo a whole room. Multiple, I guess."
 
Lex reddened slightly and mumbled, "Little tiny Asian-inspired dragons small enough to fit in teacups, usually painted posed in cups and stuff... Anyway! I figure at least the base level I should keep pretty standard since I'm not sure I'm staying for good, but... a shelf might be a good idea. All the decor and junk can be my style while not offending the sensibilities of every single person who walks in here. I got a chance to really put my mark on all the other rooms."
 
"Aw, I'm just messin' with ya, everybody's got their own interests, there ain't no shame in it. Me personally? My house is absolutely full of cats. Real ones, mind you, I foster, but you should see the decor next door," He couldn't help but grin almost boyishly at the simple joy of the rhyme, "Shelves and decorating I'll leave up to you. I don't even think my wood worker sells his pieces, but if you really want an original, I can probably convince him its a housewarming present. I really wouldn't worry much about offending sensabilities, though. I've been told my house has too much flannel, but shit, if I like it, I like it, and I'm the one whose gotta live there. right?"
 
"Damn straight!" she agreed with a grin. "I like flannel, myself, so I see nothing wrong with it, but apparently, I have a boyish sense of style that's stuck in my teenage years." She turned and headed into the kitchen. "I'd love a one-of-a-kind wooden shelf if it's possible. I think it'd be perfect. Want something to drink? Oh, and you got a card for that tile fellow?"
 
"I can't make any promises, but I'll talk to him about it. He can be a bit prickly and he and one of his neighbors are on practically non-speaking terms because when he first moved in--Aw hell, I can't be sharing his business, that's my mistake." He rubbed his neck, and then opened up his wallet and fished around for a little while, "Yeah, yeah, here's his card. He actually, uh, in addition to his wholesale tile business, he buys and a few of his buddies buy up houses set for demolition to see if there's any material they can salvage before the property is destroyed, so some of his inventory is pricy, some of it is pretty normal, some of it is discounted, and some of it--shoot. And some water would be great."
 
She took the card and glanced at it before slipping it into the back pocket of her jeans. "That sounds like a good business." She got him a clean glass of water and handed it over. "So, you foster cats?" She said it almost carefully. "How many do you have now?"
 
"Seven," Cooger replied, taking a sip, "Thank you. Yeah, I'm at seven, but only six of them are fosters. I've got this grumpy dumpster cat named Hank, and he's mine. I've said it before and I'll say it again, everyone needs to own at least one dumpster cat in their lives."
 
Lex laughed at that and got herself a glass. "To be honest, I've felt like a dumpster cat for most of my life. It's nice to know that somebody advocates for us." She raised her glass in salute before taking a drink. "Owning a cat has been a dream of mine for some time now, but it never really seemed to work out. Either I wasn't able to commit to even owning a cat or the rental didn't allow pets. The one time I did try to get a cat, the traitor chose the neighbors over me and basically disappeared from my life less than a month after I brought it home. Still one of my longest-lasting relationships."
 
"If you're ever interested in adopting one now, I know a guy, and I think you already have his business card," He joked, leaning back, unbothered by taking some time to just relax on the job, "I hear one of the perks of home ownership is nobody can tell you what you can keep in your home. I mean. Except state and federal legislation and the HOA. But HOAs don't typically forbid cats, and I know yours doesn't, and all my cats are domesticated, so no broader legislation there, unless you're planning on hoarding them, but I wouldn't adopt that many out anyway."
 
"Hmm, that sounds like a pretty good deal. I'll have to contact this fellow once I don't have open walls for a cat to try to investigate. I doubt that would be good for the cat," she chuckled. "How long have you been a foster?"
 
"Oh, years. I haven't always been able to foster as many as I do now, but pretty much as soon as I lived somewhere that let me have cats, I started fostering. And a lotta people like to act like it's somehow unmanly to own a cat, which I've always thought was dumb. It's just a pet, you know? Why are we gendering that? And, if I can be on my soap box over something that don't matter for a moment, it bugs me to hell that in that show, Parks and Rec, they have the stereotypical manly character express that if you have a dog under a certain size, that's stupid, because it's basically a cat, and cats are pointless, and it's supposed to be a joke, but, you know, people formed a cult 'a' personality around that guy, and is the joke worth shaming people for what animals they feel bonded to?" He chuckled down at his water and shook his head before taking another sip, "Nah, I'm sorry, I get a little heated about that sorta thing."
 
Lex waited patiently for him to finish his rant, unbothered by it. Of all the things she'd heard people treat as their soapbox moment, this ranked nowhere near the stupidest thing she'd ever heard. "I don't watch much television, myself," she admitted, "so I have no idea what guy you're talking about specifically, but I totally get the idea. It's like how owning a big dog is a guy thing, or a truck, or doing certain jobs. I mean, yeah, most guys are built to handle some things better than most girls, like physical construction labor, but that doesn't mean we can't do it or won't dirty our pretty little hands to get done what needs to be done. So, guys own cats, and girls, I dunno, go hunting or something. I think most guys just don't have the patience to bond with a cat. They want a pack animal that respects them, not a lone hunter that'll do what it pleases with or without you."
 
At the end of her sentence, he snorted, and looked up at her brightly, "You may be right about that. And they don't understand how nice it can be to spend time with that lone hunter..." He drummed his fingers on his glass, amused at some private joke, "My grandma Lucy owned a farm, so I never really had the idea in my head that women couldn't be strong or messy. My other grandma was more prissy, but if you have both, you know anything's possible. I just think life is more enjoyable when we just all do what we like."
 
"Damn straight," she agreed. She drained her glass and put it in the sink. "So, you like helping to put things together? Plumbing, bathrooms, cars... Anything else you like to do?"
 
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