Our Pot-Pourri of Short Stories Excerpt

Our Pot-Pourri of Short Stories Excerpt

 

Spiffy

by Charlene Elder

“Guaranteed to cut your housework in half!” Sheila read the newspaper advertisement. Yeah, right. The only way to cut my housework in half is not to do half of it. She chuckled.

She read it again. “Why spend all that time doing mundane household chores when Spiffy can do it for you. No more rough, chapped hands from being in water all day. No more backaches from pushing the vacuum cleaner. Never have to clean your shower or tub again. Spiffy can change your life. You can’t live without Spiffy. Don’t wait. Call now for your free trial offer.”

Sheila shook her head and laughed. People will fall for anything.

Tossing the ad on the kitchen counter, she grabbed her purse and car keys and left for work. Throughout the day she couldn’t get the advertisement out of her mind.

In the lunchroom Sheila talked to Sandy who shared the cubicle next to her.

“Do you ever wish you had more time to do things, Sandy?”

Sandy laughed. “You know it girl. With three kids, a husband, and this full-time job, I barely have enough time to wake up each morning and get here without being late. More time, what’s that? Hey, if you know how to get more of it, let me in on the secret, would ya?”

Sheila dumped her empty soda can into the trash. “Well, it’s just me at home, but I get tired of the everyday chores.”

“I hear ya.”

“Have you ever thought perhaps robots could help?” Sheila asked as they headed back to their cubicles.

“You mean something like the Jetsons and that robot maid they had—Rosie?”

“Yeah, I guess so.”