Asher doesn’t know any other men back home who clean the house, but he always has. He likes for things to be very, very neat. In fact, the tumult of this office is making him nervous. Back home if Asher had said he cleaned his own house, women would have laughed at him and patted his back as if he didn’t really understand what cleaning meant. Especially the women at church.

“You keep a good clean house, then?” She looks at Asher over her replaced glasses like she’s making sure he’s not lying.

“I believe I do,” Asher says.

“Now who’s this little feller here?”

“This here is Justin—” Asher says, and cuts the end of Justin’s name off quick, realizing he probably should have used a fake name. “He’s nine.”

“Oh, he’s real little for his age,” she says, eyeing Justin. She doesn’t seem as big when she stands. She takes a dainty step forward and puts her hand out to be shaken by Justin, who takes it without hesitation. “I’m Bell,” she says, “B-E-L-L, like what you ring.” Then she shakes Asher’s hand. “I’m real pleased to meet you both.”

“And this’n here?” She nods her chin at Shady.

“We couldn’t leave him on the side of the road,” Justin says.

“Where you from, baby?” Bell asks Asher.

“Tennessee,” Asher blurts out.

“I could tell it, from your accent. I’m from Notasulga, Lower Alabama.”

Asher nods. “Don’t know it, but I’ve been all over northern Alabama.” He doesn’t tell her that he had been to Holy Roller church meetings there, plenty of times, especially up on Sand Mountain. Lydia hates it when he says Holy Roller but that’s what they are (or at least used to be), so why not just own it? What she still is.

“You don’t mind cleaning up after strangers, then?” Bell asks.

“I’d rather clean up after strangers than people I know.”

“Why’s that, now?” Bell’s head is cocked to the side as if she sizing him up.

“I guess because it’s more interesting.”

“That’s one way of looking at it, I reckon.”

“And because when I know somebody I would tell them to clean up after their own self.”

Bell laughs at that. “Amen,” she says and she laughs some more and her large breasts shake. “I agree with you on both counts.” She sinks down to sit on the step up into the shed. Shady strolls over to her, settling himself against her hip and closing his eyes as soon as she starts rubbing his belly. “Human beings can be wonderful and terrible but most of them are disgusting creatures, I’ll just tell you. I reckon you know that already.”

“I’ve been knowing that my whole life,” Asher says.

“So you like this old boy?” Bell looks to Justin, still petting on Shady.