The Wrong Yard

The address said 4812. I pulled up, checked the route sheet, walked to the gate on the south side of the house. Gate was unlocked. Yard was a mess. A week's worth easy, maybe more.

I did the full sweep. Corners, shade lines, patio edge, the strip behind the AC unit. Raked the gravel in two zones. Forty-five minutes, which is long for a standard yard, but this one needed it.

I was latching the gate behind me when the homeowner at the next house stepped onto her porch.

That is my yard, she said. She was pointing at 4812. The one I had not cleaned. The one I was supposed to clean.

I was standing in front of 4814.

The math

The gates are on the same side. Same style, same color, same latch. Both block-wall yards with DG. Both had a palo verde in the back corner. 4814 just happened to have a dirtier yard and an unlocked gate.

In hindsight, the lack of a customer note on the gate should have been the clue. But in the moment, I was already through and working before the thought even formed.

What happened next

I cleaned 4812. The actual customer's yard. That took another thirty minutes. So the stop that was scheduled for forty minutes took an hour and fifteen, and I was one yard behind for the rest of the day.

The owner of 4814 came outside while I was finishing next door. She looked at her freshly cleaned yard, looked at me, and said, does this happen often?

No. First time.

She asked how much we charge.

The update

4814 is a paying customer now. Has been for three months. She tells the story to everyone, including us, every single visit. We have heard it nine times. It gets longer each time.

The gate at 4812 now has a small sticker on the latch. It says SDL. 4814 asked for one too.