Sunrise, Sunset

There’s a solar energy company that’s been canvassing my neighborhood quite heavily and I’ve quickly become skeptical of the quality of people they hire. Here are some of the most recent interactions I’ve had.

A middle-aged woman comes to the door, all smiles and full of energy, seemingly well prepared and carrying a satchel and clipboard. Another person stands on the sidewalk a few feet away, watching her. She identifies herself and her company but I only catch part of what she says as I have hearing loss and my dogs are barking. I tell her I’m hard of hearing and can’t understand her, point out the no-soliciting sign that’s at eye level just above my doorbell, and close the storm door and start to shut the interior door. She keeps talking excitedly, perhaps expecting me to hear better through the storm door? I tell her I’m not interested, but she’s still talking as the door latch clicks.

Then, I’m visited by her polar opposite. I see a young man, slouching, looking at the ground and with his hands in the pockets of his baggy khakis as if trying to hold them up, sauntering slowly up the street. He approaches and rings the bell. I open the door and he begins to tiredly introduce himself — he reminds me of Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh — I notice he’s wearing a shirt with the logo of the same company as the woman who I’d turned away just a couple of days before. I point to the sign and tell him, “I have a ‘No Soliciting’ sign and would appreciate it if you’d respect it.” Never once removing his hands from his pockets or looking up from his shoes, he nodded slightly and silently walked off up the street to intimidate his next victim with his lack of enthusiasm.