Halfway through the job, I stopped and looked at my customer—sitting on his sofa, locked in on his laptop, working with a level of focus I’ve never seen before.
“Hey, do you work from home?” I asked.
Without hesitation, he snapped his head up and said, “No. Absolutely not. I hate working from home. I’d much rather be in the office.”
I had to pause. Did I hear that right? In a world where people fight to escape office life, this man was voluntarily choosing it.
RESPECT. (In my best Jamaican accent.)
Then his wife walked in, noticed I was filming my work, and said,
“Oh! I love watching videos like that!”
I grinned and said, “Just wait. I’m working on something a little different.”
Her face lit up with curiosity. She didn’t even know she was about to be part of it.
The Unexpected Guest
I got back to work, focused on getting those carpets fresh, when suddenly—BAM!
A man walked in.
My whole system glitched. My brain tried to process it.
“Is that the customer?”
“No, that’s incorrect.”
“Who is this?”
For a split second, I thought I had been cleaning in some kind of alternate dimension. Turns out, it was the customer’s father.
Now, I don’t know which European country they were from, but this guy? Cool as a cucumber. Silent. Observing. Studying me.
I kept working, but I could feel his eyes on me. The man was watching.
Not in a rude way, not in a suspicious way—just in that old-school, “Let me see if this young man knows what he’s doing” kind of way.
So, I kept cleaning. He kept watching.
No words. No nods. Just silent respect.
The 5-Minute Handshake (That Lasted 3 Seconds)
I wrapped up the job, shook the customer’s hand, and packed up my gear.
As I stepped outside—there he was. The dad.
Waiting.
He extended his hand. I shook it.
And then—BAM!
He squeezed.
Not a regular handshake—this was a test. A firm grip that said, “Yeah, I still got it.”
Now, I know it probably lasted two to three seconds, but in that moment? Felt like five minutes.
It was like a scene from an old Western movie. Just two men. Locked in a silent battle of respect, strength, and subtle dominance.
I nodded. He nodded back.
And just like that, my work here was done.
Another job finished. Another story made.