Housekeeping

Pauline had recently weaned her son, so she had no pressure to order her fourth margarita. "My mother hasn't touched any alcohol in 25 months," she said. "Nine months of pregnancy, eighteen months of breastfeeding."

Ivan patted her on the shoulder, "Honey, that adds up to 27 months."

"Okay, that's worse. I've also had ten hours of back pain and side surgery, and now I have to do Kegels because I spit out every time I sneeze. And the nipples hurt like hell. Granny I'm sorry for not drinking a few more glasses today."

Note ①: Kegel exercise, also known as pelvic exercise, was announced by Dr. Arnold Kegel in the United States in 1948. It relieves urinary incontinence, postpartum urinary incontinence and reduces Premature ejaculation problem in men.

Nicky, Powell and Ivan exchanged glances.Nicky decides to quickly change the subject before Pauline starts another round of hilarious postpartum hemorrhage, mastitis battle replays. "Since you are free now, can we watch a movie together?"

She swung the wine glass in his direction. "Okay. Ryan Gosling, or Channing Tatum."

"How about Chris Hemsworth?"

"That's him!" Pauline drank her drink and began to look around for the waiter for another drink.

Even though it's still early, the bar is still buzzing tonight.The seats were full, the place was noisy, and the rhythmic music was vibrating loudly, forcing people to talk to each other with roars.Pauline and Powell have cleared more than half of the buffalo wings on their plate, and Ivan rejects the dish—he's trying a strange diet this week.Nicky had only eaten a wing or two and hadn't finished a glass of wine.

Ivan was the first to notice that Nicky was seriously out of shape.He patted Nicky's hand and leaned in so he could speak in a normal volume, "What's the matter with you, sweetheart?"

"Someone wants to hire me."

"Then shouldn't we celebrate?"

"That's right! Celebrate!" Pauline echoed.

Nicky smiled listlessly. "But...but this job is kind of weird, I don't know if I should take it."

Powell tilts his head. "Dubious job? Do you need legal advice?"

"No, just keep your law degree in your bag, Ball. Some guy wants to hire me as his full-time housekeeper, or something."

The waiter brought Pauline a new margarita and gave Powell another bottle of Heineken.Ivan drank his mineral water unhurriedly without refilling.

As soon as the waiter was gone, Pauline gulped down her drink and licked some salt from the rim of her glass. "I'd like a butler, too," she sighed. "Me and Robbie are too busy, and Derek is like a miniature natural disaster, making a mess wherever he goes."

Nicky was convinced of it.He'd seen Derek eat, and it wasn't exactly pleasing to the eye.That kid can throw food out of a baseball league pitcher. "Spencer has no children, but he can make a family miserable by himself."

"Where does he live?" Ivan asked.

"Livermore. And the house is nice and big. I can continue to look for other formal jobs, but I don't have to squeeze into your house as often."

"Sounds pretty good," Ivan said. "Why haven't you agreed? Is there any conspiracy here?"

"It's just that I'm going to live with my boss again. You all know what happened to me when I lived with Tom." Nicky tore off a small piece of label from the beer bottle and rubbed it with his fingertips.

"But that's a different story. You're not going to mess with a new boss, are you?"

"Do not……"

"This denial is not very firm." Powell said sharply.

"He's really charming. He likes men too. But he's not interested in me." Nicky frowned. "I guess I'm not his type."

"What's the problem then?"

"What kind of man would be a housekeeper?"

Pauline snapped down her glass and pointed to Nicky's face. "What's the matter? Don't you think a man like you can condescend to clean the house and eat, Nicholas Hauser? What's the threat to your precious manliness?"

"Uh……"

"Jesus! It's not enough to hear all the straight guys I know push gender norms, you're gay!" Pauline is a woman with a master's degree in sociology.

"Uh, that's not what I meant," Nikki tried to explain, a little eagerly. "I'm just saying, it doesn't sound like a serious job. It doesn't have a future."

Pauline narrowed her eyes. "How many people make a living by cleaning behind others every day to support their families. Are you so snobbish now? You start to believe in cultural hegemony, and look down on the working class like an old-school elite?"

Pauline started to go crazy with college entrance examination vocabulary after drinking half a bottle of tequila, and Nicky had already had a psychological shadow about it.Besides, he couldn't find an answer that would satisfy her, because in a way, he didn't know why he resisted Spencer's invitation so much.Nicky groaned, bent down and pressed his forehead to the table, only to find that the table was sticky.He probably got buffalo sauce in his hair.

Ivan patted his back soothingly. "Don't bother with that Marxism, baby. We all know you're a good little proletarian. You gotta stop worrying about 'should be.' You like to clean, and you're good at it. So that big guy offers you I got a good job. Just say yes to him."

After being told by Ivan, Nicky suddenly realized that things seemed to be that simple.

***

During Nicky's absence for two weeks, Spencer's house had accumulated another pile of newspapers, direct mail ads, and takeout boxes.Spencer smiled apologetically at Nicky and led him upstairs. "I try hard to keep it clean, really. But I hope you decide to move in."

Nicky tried not to get too caught up in Spencer's beautiful ass. "I don't want my efforts to be in vain."

"It will not be in vain. I am grateful for a tidy home."

Spencer stopped in the middle of the corridor. "You choose. You can live in the spare room you want, with the furniture you want. Or you can live in the one at the end. Either way, this bathroom is yours."

"If I live in the innermost room, where will your sister live?"

Spencer shrugged. "She could have another room. I'll have to buy another bed anyway."

Nicky scratched his head.The now vacant room was a little bigger...but also closer to the master bedroom, which meant closer to his new boss.Maybe they'd better give each other a little more personal space. "Then, I shall live in the innermost room."

"Okay. If you want, I can help you move things."

Nicky picked up his large suitcase easily with one hand and shrugged the messenger bag on the other shoulder. "That's all."

Spencer raised his eyebrows. "Wow. You are quite pure-hearted, believe in Buddhism?"

"Poor." Material deprivation has nothing to do with his spiritual beliefs.However, Nicky has never been materialistic.He never had much.

"If I have less rags, maybe I will be more tidy."

"My gut tells me that no matter how much stuff you have, you're capable of making a mess."

"Well, that's right," Spencer replied with a grin.

Nicky put the suitcase on the bed and started unpacking.But Spencer didn't walk away.He leaned against the door, staring at the ceiling, biting his lower lip lightly.

Packing didn't take much time.Nicky put the empty suitcase in the closet.Straightening the knick-knacks on the chest of drawers, he turned to Spencer. "So. What about the house rules?"

"I don't have... well. Basically, it's up to you. Watch TV, eat whatever you want. Just leave me alone when I'm in the office. Keep quiet"

"clear."

Still not looking Nicky in the eye—what on earth is so interesting on the ceiling—Spenser cleared his throat. "I don't mind if you, uh, bring people home. Just don't let them into my office. And, I don't want any surprises like little naked boys in the kitchen for breakfast coffee."

Nicky snickered. "Are you sure? I think it's the best way to start the day, although it's a bit unhygienic to be naked in the kitchen."

Spencer wrinkled his nose. "Well, disgusting."

"Anyway, I've been living a pretty ascetic life recently. But if you have a partner coming and you need me to avoid it, just let me know."

"You don't have to worry about that," Spencer replied.Then before Nicky could ask why, his new boss staggered away.