Housekeeping

The Burnetts' house, high up in the Oakland Hills, is small but stylish.They also had two gentle Siamese cats that made Nicky sneeze and runny nose.But overall, looking at houses here is still a good job.It's quiet and comfortable, and the location is good. The owner and his wife even lent Mrs. Burnett's Volvo to drive for Nicky, and his dilapidated classic Ford can finally take a vacation.

But the best thing about this house is its backyard.The house is not side-by-side with neighbors, so it has great privacy and still enjoys the beautiful view of night lights and twinkling lights.The house is located on the high side, so little noise comes through, but Nikki sometimes hears the howl of coyotes.Coupled with a large hot tub as a bonus, the backyard has successfully become Nicky's go-to place for outdoor relaxation.

As of today, he has lived here for three weeks.As he had done every night before, Nicky ate dinner, cleaned the kitchen spotlessly, then stripped off his clothes and neatly stacked them on the bed in the temporary guest room.He grabbed a fluffy towel from the bathroom and tiptoed across the room, the cats getting used to his nakedness.After closing the glass door behind him, Nicky walked quickly to the other side of the backyard in the cool of the night, happily soaked in the hot tub, and found himself the best viewing angle.The bubbling hot water immediately began to soothe his aching muscles—he insisted on running every day and spending hours in the Burnett family gym.

"I can live like this," he cried out. "As long as I get into law school, get good grades, and work my ass off until I become a partner. No problem." That's right.

For the past three weeks, he’s been working out, cleaning, sneezing and spending his evenings in the tub thinking about the future — usually with a toast.But he didn't realize the true meaning of life at all.He had forgotten his beer that night, but it might have been a good thing not to.Perhaps a clear head could help him think.

"What do you want to be when you grow up?" Nicky always shrugged his shoulders and changed the subject when he heard this question when he was a child. "Growing up" seems so far away.But time passed, and with nowhere to run, he eventually left home to go to college.But rather than saying that he wants to get a diploma, it is better to say that he is avoiding making choices.Halfway through his second semester, he had changed majors three times—and was failing all the time.Compared with studying algebra and history, he is more interested in exploring life.

Then an acquaintance invited him to share a house in Berkeley, and Nikki immediately took the opportunity to flee Bakersfield.He did a series of low-income jobs without threshold: fast food restaurant, canteen, office handyman.None of them paid decently, but he didn't care.Then a friend of a friend got him a job delivering Pepsi, and he thought it was awesome.He was partying every night and every weekend, and his salary was only enough to share a dilapidated apartment and eat and drink.

Nicky met Tom at a restaurant on his delivery route.Nicky was genuinely moved.Nicky had been driving deliveries until Tom bought Phoenix Court; after that, Nicky couldn't wait to drop everything and move into Tom's house and start working as a waiter in Phoenix Court.He's still been happy.

Hold.

Nicky has many hobbies, but none of them are paid for.He loves working out and playing baseball, but doesn't have the patience or insight to be a coach or a personal trainer.He likes to take pictures, but the aesthetics are only amateurish.He can be regarded as a capable singer in KTV, but if others pay to listen to it, there is probably no one there.

He was not good at anything that required mechanical skill or manual dexterity.Nor was he, like his accountant father, completely insensitive to numbers.His mother was a schoolteacher, but Nicky always felt kind of scary about kids and all that.Nicky also worked as a gardener for a while, but for a very short time, as he discovered that he was more allergic to grass than to cats.He also used to make some money by relying on a good skin, but now he is too old to rely on his face.His mind is always distracted, and the work on the assembly line is not safe for him.He studied criminal justice for 10 minutes, and then found that his heart was too soft.The medical field can't do it either, because it's hard for him to keep himself from vomiting.

So...how many options are left?He's still stuck with the same odd jobs he did when he was 19.But even if you don't talk about dignity, you really can't make much money.He can only live in a crappy apartment with a bunch of roommates.He didn't care much ten years ago, but not now.His friends have all settled down, with careers and stable long-term partners.Some even have children.

Nicky groaned and closed his eyes.He should think about the future tomorrow.Tonight, just enjoy a hot bath.

***

Nicky was back at Becca's apartment when the phone rang and was watching TV with her.

"Nicky? I'm Janice Burnett."

Nicky smiled at Becca apologetically, walked from the living room to the kitchen with the phone in hand. "Hi, Mrs. Burnett. How is everything at home?" The couple had just returned from a trip the night before, and they were a little tanned and tired.Nicky returned the keys, thanked them for the settlement, and left.He felt that they should be eager to go back to their beds.

"Oh, everything's fine, Nicky. Great actually. Did you fix the scratches on the dining room floor?"

"Oh yes. I hope you don't mind."

Mrs. Burnett smiled. "Mind? That's awesome! Those scratches have been bugging me for 1 years."

He sighed in relief and leaned against the stove. "It's not a big deal. I erased most of it with an eraser, and then used a bit of toothpaste on the rest."

"You don't have to. But the house is perfect now! I've never seen it so clean. You even removed the cobwebs from the front porch chandelier!"

In fact, clearing the spider webs requires climbing a ladder, and he carefully assessed the risk of falling to death and disability.But seeing the mess made him really upset. "I like cleaning," he said to Mrs. Burnett.

"Well, you're a gem. My husband and I have to thank Powell for recommending you to our home. I'm ready to go on another vacation so I can come back and see an immaculate home."

"I'm happy to be there whenever I'm called." The cat is not in the range of willingness.

"Nicky, my friend Marcia and her husband are going to Palm Desert for two months in January and February. They were asking the neighbor to look after the house, but I'll ask her to contact you if it's convenient for you."

Two months without having to move around and sleep on the couch - sounds like a great idea. "That was fantastic. Thank you."

Four days later, he lived comfortably in that big house, which was in a gated community not far from Walnut Creek.No hot tub or night view, and too cold to use the pool, but this place has the biggest TV he's ever seen in his life, and a fucking stereo.And no cats.Not shabby at all.

However, until March came, Nicky's future thinking still hadn't made any progress.Luckily, he'd only been flooring at Powell and Ivan's for less than a week before starting tending a nice apartment in San Francisco (with tropical fish, no cats).After that came a bungalow in Palo Alto, a suite in San Jose, and a houseboat on the water in Sausalito.The housekeeping-like errand wasn't really work, but it did give him a place to hang out, not overtax the generosity of his friends, and save him a little cash.And with the added bonus that he doesn't have to make any major life-long decisions.

Nicky can go to various clubs and bars as he likes without clocking in to and from get off work.You can also stay up late.At the beginning, he thought this kind of life was very interesting, and he could browse the fresh scenery of each city he settled in.He sometimes hooks up with people at those venues, and the occasional date from Grindr or Manhunt.They'd usually have a speed session in the back of a bar or at the guy's house, but Nicky never spent the night elsewhere, nor did he go on a second date with a one-night stand.None of these people are serious.And this incognito relationship is starting to leave Nicky longing for something more permanent.

Note ①: Grindr, Manhunt, two same-sex dating apps.

God, he misses hugs.I miss the lazy morning when I was paralyzed on the bed, and I missed the night when I curled up on the sofa and played mobile games with the TV on.He misses bickering over music taste, making love in the shower, and being amused by silly Internet news headlines.He misses Tom.Or, instead of the person, he's missing the reassurance and comfort of a real home, the satisfaction of being able to call someone "mine."

Although he never really owned it.