For eight years Carly cleaned Mrs Whitakers house every Thursday She knew every drawer towel and picture frame but despite having a key she always kept a careful professional distance Mrs Whitaker was kind and reliable but Carly never considered them close friends When Mrs Whitaker announced she was moving closer to her daughter Carly expected their relationship to end with the job Then after the final cleaning Mrs Whitaker asked her to return without her supplies I am asking you to visit Carly

On Saturday Carly arrived in her good blouse and even brought cookies She assumed Mrs Whitaker wanted to give her old dishes or clothes so she had cleared her car Instead Mrs Whitaker showed her a box filled with family cards and letters Carly was shocked to discover that her name appeared repeatedly in them Mrs Whitakers daughter knew about Willa Carlys daughter and even knew which day Carly came to clean After George Mrs Whitakers husband died Carly had unknowingly become an important part of her lonely Thursdays

Mrs Whitaker explained why she had never asked Carly to stay for coffee I was lonely Carly But that didnt give me the right to make my loneliness part of what I was paying you to manage Carly admitted she had also avoided becoming too comfortable because she needed to protect her job and respect the boundaries between them They realized they had both been protecting the same boundary from opposite sides For eight years wed been protecting the same boundary from opposite sides

Now Carly no longer worked for her so Mrs Whitaker finally asked When I move would you call me sometimes Carly laughed admitting she had emptied her entire backseat because she thought she was receiving leftovers But the real gift was something much more meaningful a friendship they could choose freely Because I want to Carly told her

Before leaving Carly returned the house key and wrote her personal number on a note She told Mrs Whitaker Thats the number you call when you dont need your house cleaned For eight years Carly had known exactly where she stood as an employee Now for the first time they could discover where they stood as friends