Window Washer

In today's story, Window Washer, Daisy's new office has a window that could be a benefit or a distraction

Today's prompt was inspired by an afternoon of cleaning my windows (less fun than writing!).  If you have a prompt suggestion, please let me know!

More about Susan Quilty

Susan Quilty mainly writes novels, including two standalone novels and her YA series: The Psychic Traveler Society.  Susan's short stories for Freely Written are created during quick writing breaks and shared as a way to let go of perfection and encourage writing for fun.

Website:  SusanQuilty.com
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Transcript

Below is the transcript for Season 1, Episode 151 of Freely Written, a podcast by author Susan Quilty:

Welcome to Freely Written, where a simple prompt leads to a little unplanned fiction. 

[Light piano music]

Hi, friends! I’m Susan Quilty, and today’s prompt is Window Washer

Today’s prompt was inspired by my afternoon, which went a bit off the rails. When we built our house, many years ago, each of the windows had a little safety sticker in one corner. Those stickers eventually dried out and fell off, leaving little rectangles of residue. I’ve been meaning to scrape them off for ages, but they’re mostly hidden by the curtains, so that hasn’t happened. 

This afternoon, I was motivated to grab my scraper. Which led to noticing how dingy the windows have gotten. Which led to getting out a stepladder and cleaning all of the windows. Inside only, but it took much longer than planned, and now I want to hire a window washer to clean the outside panes, too. So much for a quick scrape of some stickers. 

My housework often goes like that. I start cleaning one thing only to notice something else, then keep going that way until I run out of time or energy. Or both. Free writing is like that, too. The prompt might give me an initial idea, but as the words come out, the story could take a very different path.  

Today’s story was written with my usual Freely Written process, where I sit down with the prompt and write whatever comes to mind, with no planning and very little editing. Let’s see where that went today.

Window Washer 

Daisy sat behind her desk, looking at her closed office door. I have an office door, she thought wonderingly. After more than a decade of hard work, she had her first private office. Not a cubicle, but an actual office with walls and a door. And a window, she reminded herself. 

The window in Daisy’s office didn’t have a particularly interesting view. It looked out over the back parking lot and a distant office building. But it was a window, in her own office, and Daisy was very excited to feel the sun on her back as she continued to look at her closed office door. 

There was another slim window beside the door. One that looked into the maze of cubicles outside her office. Daisy snapped to attention when two people walked by it, suddenly self-conscious about how long she’d been lost in thought while staring at her closed door. 

With a slight shake of her head, Daisy turned to her computer screen and began reading her email. There was always so much email. Even more with this new position. She skimmed the subject lines, flagging the messages that seemed most important before diving in. She had a meeting in 30 minutes and had to prioritize her time.  

Daisy startled at a thump from behind her back. Spinning from her computer, she saw a pair of legs on a platform. The legs wore dark blue coveralls, which she could see more of as the platform lowered into position. A window washer, Daisy quickly realized. Just a window washer, she told herself, trying to slow her racing heart. 

She was still facing the glass when the window washer’s upper body came into view. He smiled at her with a little wave before dipping a large squeegee into a bucket of sudsy water. Daisy quickly waved back, then spun her chair around to stare at her computer screen. Her face was flushed, and her hand shook as she went back to scrolling through her email. 

How long does it take to wash a window? Daisy wondered frantically. She wondered if there was a window-washer protocol she didn’t know. Was her little returned wave appropriate? She wanted to leave her office until he was done. Maybe get a cup of coffee from the break room. But there wasn’t much time before her meeting, and she did need to answer a few emails before it began. 

As she scrolled, Daisy could hear the gliding scrape of the squeegee across the glass. Had it been rude to turn her back so quickly? But what else was she supposed to do? Sit and watch him work? She flashed back to a sitcom she’d once watched where a woman had flirted with a window washer outside her office. Didn’t that man fall off the platform? That was funny in a sitcom, but definitely not in real life. 

Shaking away the thought, Daisy realized the sound of the squeegee was gone. Was he done already? She wanted to turn and look, but she was afraid of catching his eye again. She peered more closely at her computer screen, searching for a reflection of what was happening behind her. Nothing. 

There was another sound, but it was more distant. The platform had likely moved down to the next floor. Still, Daisy sat rigid, unsure if she was being watched. What if the window washer had finished but not moved on? What if he was still there, watching her, waiting to see if she’d turn around? 

That’s ridiculous, she silently laughed at herself. Or was it? She read through an email, barely processing the words, before deciding she had to find out if he was still there. Daisy opened a desk drawer, pretending to look for something, and casually turned her head toward the window.

There was no one there. She could see one of the cables that held the platform. It shook lightly, and she presumed the window washer had descended to lower floors. The sun hit a faint streak from the edge of his squeegee, but otherwise, the glass was clear. 

She turned back to her screen and read another email. Then a thought crept in, He’ll have to pass again on his way back up. At least, she thought he would. She had never paid attention to window washers before, but if the platform started at the roof and moved down, it was reasonable to imagine it would have to travel back up when finished. 

Would it move quickly? Or would he stop again to swipe that small streak he’d missed? Wouldn’t it make sense to give the glass a double-check on the way back up?

A glance at the clock told Daisy she did not have time to search the web for info on how window washer platforms typically worked. Also, it would look rather strange if the window washer passed by again and saw her screen with an open search about window washers. 

I am being insane, Daisy told herself. She forced the thought of window washers out of her mind, replied to four emails, and gathered what she’d need for her meeting. It was a short walk to the elevators and a shorter ride up three floors to a conference room near the executive suites. 

This was an important meeting. The first important meeting since Daisy’s promotion. She expected to be more of an observer while her VP did the speaking for both of them. Yet, twenty minutes into the meeting, she was asked a direct question. 

“Daisy, you’re closer to the situation. Is it time to make our move?”

Sitting up straighter, Daisy glanced at her VP, then began confidently. “Timing is important here. We don’t want to miss our window…” Her thoughts stumbled, catching on the feeling of being watched. She felt the room’s impatience with her pause, but her mind had gone blank, her next words washed away. 

“So, you do think we should make a bid? Even if we’re the first to throw our hat in the ring?”

Daisy’s VP looked at her with a raised eyebrow. She’d cautioned Daisy about being too eager with their potential clients, and this was a big job they wouldn’t want to lose by bidding too soon. But she’d worked with these clients before. 

Gathering her confidence, Daisy pulled a report from her folder. “Being among the first could be an advantage. True, they’ll have more proposals to consider after ours, but these are smart people. They’ll pass back over all of their options before making a decision. I think it’s time to jump in.”

After the meeting, Daisy’s VP praised her poise and said she’d made a good recommendation. Daisy still felt a little shaky from the rush of speaking up, but when she entered her office, she felt justified in her decision. Both the cable from the platform and the missed streak on the glass were gone. 

She smiled to the empty room and thought, Thanks, window washer.  

The End 

Thanks for listening. I know I say this a lot, but I had no idea where this story was going. While writing about an awkward social moment is fine, I wanted it to land in some way. I was up to her being asked a question in the meeting before realizing that could be a place to pull in something about the window washer. So… was that a stretch? I don’t know. It’s been ages since I worked in a corporate job, but I think it works well enough for an unplanned story. 

If you enjoyed this bit of free writing, please share it with your friends. Or sit down with the same prompt and see what story comes up for you. If you want to read the stories I actually plan, outline, edit, polish, etc., please check out my novels and other books. To learn more, visit my website, SusanQuilty.com, or search for “Susan Quilty” wherever you buy books. There are also links in the show notes. 

Until next time, try a little free writing of your own. Let go of any planning and see where your imagination takes you. 

[Light piano music]