So Which One is the Cute One?

Yes. That's the question. Bruce is all excited about the two young gentlemen from the nearby technicum that he's hired this week to work at the house. At supper Monday night, after singing their praises, he turned to me and said, "They're kinda cute, Cassie. There's one especially I think you'll like. I'm not going to tell you which one...you figure it out and let me know."

The gall of that man! So much for encouraging me in my single minded young womanly devotion to the Lord, haha. I was apalled and blushed badly :) And laughed. I thought, "Gee thanks. Now I'm ruined. If either of them comes in here, I'll either freeze like a scared rabbit or bust out laughing uncontrollably." Neither of which courses would be much help in my development in calm, gracious sociableness.

So the next day, Deb and I were in the kitchen and she looked out the window to where the Two Cute Guys (in Bruce's estimation, at least-- I hadn't even summoned the guts to take a good look at them) were working, and said, "So which one is the cute one?" I honestly couldn't say, and I wasn't too desperate to find out :)

"I'm not going to call them by their names," I told her. "They'll just be "TheTwoCuteGuys" from here on out." Mainly just to spite Bruce, if it is possible to spite him :)

Every half hour, he came in to get something, seemingly for work, but I think it was really to give a report on the TwoCuteGuys, supposedly for my benefit.

Bruce: "Are there some cookies or something we can give the workers?"
Deb: "We're all out of cookies. There's that rollup thing there." (pointing to one packaged cookie.)
Bruce: "Just one? We'll let Cassie pick which of them gets it."

And later:

Bruce, carrying up the tray of tea things: "Just so you know, one of them doesn't take sugar in his tea. I'm not going to tell Cassie which one."

Yes, I always base my impression of guys off of they level of cuteness and whether or not they take sugar in their tea...

In the evening, I had changed out of my ratty haven't-showered-in-a-year-clothes and was sitting on the stairs downing a quick supper before a ladies' Bible study I went to. Bruce came down the stairs wanting to know if everyone was eating already.

Deb: No, but it's ready now.
Bruce: Well, Cassie's eating.
Deb: Yeah, because she's leaving.
Bruce: What, you're going on a date?
Me: I'm going to a ladies' Bible study.
Bruce: Yeah, that's just what you want us to think...

So today came the test. I still had not had courage or necessity to look directly at the TwoCuteGuys, who have been diligently working away and trying their best to impress Bruce with their knowledge of sheetrocking in the basement. They're studying that in school, I think.

But Bruce and Deb went to Kiev and as Next in Command, it was my lot to answer the door at 1 o'clock when the TwoCuteGuys showed up for work. I always surprise myself with how I can rise to the occasion when no one else is around. It's too bad no one ever gets to see my most brilliant exploits.

I marched to the door, which the kids had already unlocked, and stood face to face with the one I assumed to be "The Cute One." I didn't go paralyzed. I didn't laugh. I don't think I ever blushed. I was the perfect housemaid. "No Mr. Igor, Mr. Crowe is out. He will be in after tea..."

No, no. Just kidding. I did the usual stumbling around in Russian thing, which was a bother, since he was probably talking in Ukrainian anyway. No clue what he wanted. I just heard the word car several times. Happily there was an easy solution. I called Bruce, who told me to call Daniel, who speaks Russian, who straightened it all out. They just wanted permission to go down to the Dungeon (ahem, the basement) to work like they were supposed to.

We heard nothing out of them all day except the occasional bangs and whirrings of tools. In the afternoon my heart of stone melted and I decided to truly overcome my Cute-Guy Paranoia and fulfill my true duties as maiden of the house. It was time for tea. Or, in the words of Winnie the Pooh, "time for a small smackerel." We've been providing drinks and food for workers when they're here, and it's kind of fun getting the stuff for tea. It wasn't cold today, and we were out of juice, so I made a pitcher of strawberry Koolaid (is it really hospitable to offer Koolaid to guests? That's debatable. But Bruce and Deb had suggested that "if I felt like it"). And I delivered it with two cups to the Dungeon where the TwoCuteGuys were toiling away like two moles in a hole.

Then I darted back up the stairs like a mouse, delighting in my semi-bravery and laughing at my ridiculousness.

So, I think I figured out which one Bruce considers The Cute One...haha! But don't worry. Cuteness is definitely a matter of opinion.