The Cleaner
When 4:00pm rolls around, the day is almost over for students at the university, but the day is just beginning for Stanley Stankowski.
He awakes late afternoon to the tinny sound of Sonny & Cher's "I Got You, Babe" coming from his clock-radio. Time to get up. After showering and putting on his team-issued coveralls and workboots, he is in his Chevy pickup and trucking towards campus.
Arriving on campus, Stan reports to headquarters in Skibo. Waiting in his locker are standard-issue bucket, sponges, and squeegee. He gathers up his tools and tucks his towel into his back pocket.
His work begins in room 1010, the first room on the right as he enters Doherty Hall. Eagerly, he dips his sponge into the soapy water and begins washing vertical stripes into the dusty chalkboard. Horizontal stripes finish the first part of the task. Next comes the squeegee. Then he repeats the steps to ensure the removal of every last pesky white speck of chalk. After the second squeegeeing, he dries the board in a circular motion with his towel. Stan steps back and admires his work with pride. With a sigh, he picks up his tools and heads down the corridor to the waiting chalkboards.
Six hours later, every chalkboard in Doherty Hall has undergone his treatment. As Stan crosses the Cut to check out at Headquarters, he turns and looks back. Out of Baker Hall, Porter Hall, and the College of Fine Arts, Stan can see the others streaming back towards Headquarters as well. They look tired and worn. Their sponges are dirty and ragged; their towels are wet and stained. Another night of chalkboard cleaning is over, but tomorrow night the boards will be awaiting Stan's arrival, having been returned to their dusty, dirty state.