In a city where dust storms and heavy summer rains can leave your windows covered in filth, Alex Anduaga wants to make sure you see things clearly.
Anduaga is the owner of Alex's Window Cleaning in Oro Valley. In his line of work, he's not happy until your panes are spotless and your views are perfect.
Today, I audition to join his window washing crew.
I arrive at the job site to find a stack of window screens waiting.
My first task was to slide them into a machine called the Screen Cleaner. Easy enough!
"Just slide it from the top and then scrub it side to side," Alex said.
The machine was doing most of the work. But it got more challenging as the they got bigger.
I was getting soaked. I kept my eyes closed to avoid the water.
"It's kind of refreshing, right?" I asked my future boss, half-joking.
Have to stay positive during the hiring process, right?
Next up was the main event. I put my tool belt on and got right to scrubbing the windows.
For each window, I started at the top, wiped it dry and then squeegeed my way down in a satisfying, repetitive motion.
After I cleared away any excess water, out came my magic polishing tool.
I was pretty happy with my work, throwing Alex a "Wow, that looks nice," in support of my own efforts.
Next, came the sliding door. I performed most of the same steps, except this time I went side-to-side because it was so tall.
The heat was getting to me.
"This is a lot of work," I mentioned.
But I had to finish the job.
"That looks pretty good," Alex said upon completion.
"Good, because I'm going to faint," I responded.
Despite wilting like a desert flower, when the time came for Alex to hire or fire, "I think you did a good job," he said. "A lot of elbow grease. You'd be hired."
Catch me and my squeegee at your next window-cleaning job.
——-
Heidi Alagha is an anchor and reporter for KGUN 9. Heidi spent 5 years as the morning anchor in Waco where she was named the best anchor team by the Texas Associated Press. Share your story ideas and important issues with Heidi by emailing heidi.alagha@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.