One More Time, Takes Two

THE HOUSE

  Sam had followed Elsie’s lead with having an after breakfast decaf. Gracie would have approved. It was far too easy to get hooked on caffeine when your energy levels weren’t what they used to be.

  There was a chirp on Sam’s cell phone. He checked the ‘messages’ and found a text from Henrietta, and noticed that he had missed one from an past customer wondering if he was going to be around that afternoon for a quick auto conference. Sam texted the latter back, saying he was away from home and unsure of his time availability, but would get back to him in an hour or two. Henrietta’s note said to call her. Elsie watched and, once again, eavesdropped half a conversation.

  “Whatcha got?

  “Never mind who it’s for. I’m sworn to secrecy for the moment.

  “OK, I can tell you it’s a nice couple, quiet, good health, financially capable if it isn’t a MacMansion, and no criminal records.” Sam held the phone away for a sec, looked at Elsie with an inquiring look, and mouthed the word, “Right?” Her crossed arms, narrowed eyes, and leaning back while pulling her mouth to one side of her face was answer enough. That was going to cost him a cookie.

  “Where? No, never mind. We’ll meet you at your home and pick you up.

  “A dear friend of mine, that’s who. My neighbor, Elsie Partlow. She knows the couple, too, and will add a woman’s eye to our investigation team.

  “Yes I KNOW you are of that gender as well, and I am not going to let you make me dig another hole I have to climb out of. You’re way too good at that. See you in twenty.”

  Elsie had pulled out enough to cover her half of the bill plus tip and was tucking her billfold back into her mother ship purse. “I think I like this Henrietta.”

  Sam quick-eyed the bill and made up his share. “Don’t tell her about our snack competition. If she started it with me as well, I would never see another cookie or muffin again.”

  Henrietta Quintz was thirty eight in bust size, hip size, and years. Her loving husband, Frank, ran a landscaping business, and his wife’s professional reputation and type of business had done more than a little on advancing his company’s bottom line. He’d hear her semi-flirtations on the phone without an ounce of jealousy or mistrust. That was just his Henni and her armory (or amour-y?) way of client management.

  The phone conversation done, he heard her call out to him, “Frank? I’m leaving you for Sam Carney. We’re going out house shopping and he needed a second woman.”

  “Fine, dear. Make sure you find out what brand of vitamins he’s taking. I could use more stamina.”

  Wife poked her head into the husband’s work-den. “No way. I need SOME sleep.”

  Frank chuckled happily as Henni started back down the hall. “Sam? He hooking up with Elsie finally?”

  Wife’s head made a re-entry, followed by the rest of her. “You think so? He said the two of them were eyeballing for another couple.”

  Frank had learned long ago that how a car salesman worded things warranted the listener to be careful how they interpreted things. “Henni, if they got together, wouldn’t they be ‘another couple’?”

  “Ohhhhhh.”

  “Elsie? Head on out McKee Road west. It’ll be a few miles out of the city limits. It’s a cul de sac, so no one’s zipping through the street. No cross streets, either. Nice wooded area, hilly, house sits on top of one enough where there are good views of sunrises and sunsets. Close enough to Madison for cultural events.”

  Elsie liked driving and enjoyed the new company. “Henrietta, how’d you meet Sam? I was sort of forced to by being a neighbor, and figured I had to introduce myself to the guy who kept looking in my window.”

  “Elsie, you too?”

  Sam clearly understood that this would be a long ride. “Elsie, please keep your mind on the road. Besides, it was your front window, Gracie and I were on the sidewalk, and all I did was wave a couple of times.”

  Both ladies toned it down. It would have been fun to needle Sam some more, but the memory of Gracie was a holy subject. Henrietta changed the channel. “When Frank and I were first getting together, we were looking for a family car. He had his ideas, I had mine, and they didn’t match. Frank wanted a starship, I wanted a little puddle jumper. Sam got Frank to be happy with his pick-up for size, but got me to compromise on a larger vehicle that would accommodate baby seats in the back, eventually.”

  Elsie laughed at that. “Ohhh, Sam. You pulled the ‘baby option’ on poor Henrietta?”

  The agent turned and caught Sam’s eye. “It worked, too. That completely reset my vision from the now to the future. It wasn’t dirty pool, though. He was playing transport and marriage counselor at the same time. If my dear Sam asked me for an emergency house showing on Christmas Eve, I’d do it. He’s sent me more than a few clients, too. We’re sort of a network that’s a family, too. Oh, there’s Timber Lane. Two thirds of a mile, then take the next right onto Trail View Drive. Then straight (no choice) for a quarter mile, bends to the left, and it’ll be the last house.”

  Sam said, “Elsie had her network as well, which included Gracie’s managing the Green Acres Garden Center. Small operation, and that meant they had to compete with the big chain stores. The little guys have to work together to have a chance. Wait, is that it up ahead?”

  Henrietta confirmed it. “Yes, turn right here.”

  The houses along the lane were of small to moderate size, and trees were in abundance. Properties ranged in size, according to Henrietta, from a quarter to half an acre. Outside of that were State-protected lands from hunting or further developing. Though the lane dipped and rose, it still went straight by the compass until they came to a gentle bend to the left. The house was on the right of the road’s end, facing mostly east.

  Henrietta said, “It has a nice view of the Sugar River, which is about three hundred feet from the back porch. I hear there’s good fishing around here, but definitely get a permit. It’s State managed around here.”

  That sounded nice, but Sam and Elsie’s attention was on the house. The twin-sized driveway led up to a double-bay garage, also facing the street. There was a blue-stone pathway that let its way to an A-frame center with two single-story additions to either side visible. Henrietta mentioned another addition in the back they couldn’t see from there.

  “I know you said one-story. The second story of the center part of the house is just big enough for that second bedroom you wanted, so only visitors would have to use the stairs, if that’s an issue. There’s a nice storage closet up there you might use for rotating seasonal clothing. The main bedroom and a couple of smaller rooms you could make into a den and sewing rooms are on the wings. The center area has your fireplace, though not built into a wall…it’s dead center, but puts out a good amount of heat for the living room/dining area. Kitchen’s to the far back, and it’s big enough to put a dinette next to a bumped out window with shelves for plants or knick knacks. Far wing has a half bath, and there’s a laundry area and very full bath on the near wing. Ready to see it?

  Elsie gulped before stepping up the three stairs to the front porch. “It’s…bigger than I thought it would be.”

  Henrietta kept her radar up on hints that might confirm her husband Frank’s suspicion. “Well, the list you guys gave me was pretty extensive. Now, I know this darling teepee, one owner, and it has a central firepit.”

  Sam was also feeling overwhelmed at the moment, but not from the house’s size. “Now, Henrietta, be patient with us. We’re…just trying to do this thing right, you know, being observant, getting impressions.”

  The agent had gotten the lockbox unfastened. She opened the screen door and slipped the catch to keep it open. She then opened the large oak door and let it swing open. “So, go get impressions.” She stepped to the side and watched. Sam and Elsie first looked at each other, obviously feeling awkward, and both swallowed at the same time. Sam was the first to step in. Was that a
lack of chivalry, or was it a man being brave for his lady? Elsie didn’t look around first, but kept her eye on Sam as she followed his lead. “Well, what do you know?”

  The hardwood floors were re-finished, looking factory fresh. The windows were everywhere, letting in natural light that left few areas in shadow. There was a central rock and mortar circular base where a wood stove sat unlit, waiting for a new master to feed it alive once more. There was recessed lighting in the ceiling, and strategically-placed fixtures near corners of the main room to insure illumination wherever it was needed. Walking straight forward, avoiding the central stove, they came to the end of the original A-frame and witnessed the first bump-out. There was the kitchen with a central cooking island. The bumped-out window in the back addition Henrietta spoke of was larger than they had originally pictured, easily five by five, starting two feet off the floor, with a breath-taking view of the Sugar River Valley. Through the window, they saw a quarter-acre back yard area with trees and a fence. To the far back was a dog house, which got both to wondering now about the former owner.

  To the right was the stairwell that led upstairs, which had been relocated to allow for the better kitchen arrangement. Both went upstairs to see the second bedroom, giving Henrietta second thoughts about who the place was actually for. Why did they ask for a single story if they could easily navigate stairs? Future planning against the effects of aging?

  Coming back down, apparently satisfied and with both having odd smiles on their faces, the far add-on wing was next. The master bedroom also had a wonderful view of the valley, and a sizeable walk-in closet. Across the hall were a half bath, a linen closet, the furnace room, and laundry room with a stacked washer/dryer. To the right was a door to a small side porch entrance…more of a landing than a porch.

  Back to the other add-on, two reasonably sized rooms were there, suggesting the possible den and sewing rooms.

  “Where’s the main bathroom?” Sam figured it wouldn’t be that large of an ordeal, but the opposite wall in the hallway only had one door.

  “Right through there, Sam.” Henrietta was waiting for the reaction.

  “Oh, my God. Sam, it’s HUGE.”

  “This is bigger than my college dorm room. There’s the shower behind the glass door, but what’s behind the curtain?”

  Henrietta smirked. “Well, it’s not a little man named Oz. Open it and see.”

  Sam pulled the sliding curtain from right to left revealing, “Good Lord. Look at the size of that. We’ll need a life guard.”

  That confirmed it for Henrietta. The surprise factor allowed for the ‘we’ word. So be it. Her lips were sealed, even from Frank. Those were the rules.

  “Where’s the diving board? Sam, did you ever?”

  “No, Elsie, never.”

  It was a king sized, step down, Aqua Jet tub, with ledges for snacks and beverages.

  Sam asked, “Who was the former owner, Hugh Hefner? That’s not a tub. It’s a grotto!”

  Sam and Elsie’s heads both snapped to Henrietta, leaning against the bathroom’s door way, when she sighed and said, “Make a nice honeymoon home, wouldn’t it?” She winked, and went back to the central area to exit out the back into the yard. She wanted to make sure the fencing wasn’t rotted and see if the dog house was still habitable.

  “Sam…she knows.”

  “Yeah…figured that. Who gave it away? Me?”

  “I think we both did, but you clinched it when you said WE’LL need a lifeguard.”

  “Oh. Sorry. Wanna see the back yard?”

  “I’m afraid to.”

  Sam looked at Elsie. “Why?”

  She turned her head and met his eyes. “Because I already love it.”

  The way back to Henrietta’s house had a side track to a small coffee shop for a cup and a nibble.

  Sam started in. “Dear lady, that place has to be beyond what we had in mind to spend.”

  The agent looked down, “Well, the place has been on the market since it got out of probate. No one wants to even look at it, and the sellers are very motivated. I can get this place for you for a hundred and fifty thousand.”

  The couple looked at each other, then back to the teller of impossible tales. Elsie said, “No way! That place is a half mill out here. With that view? In that shape? End of a cul de sac? Protected woods around? What, someone get murdered in there?”

  Henrietta was going to ease into this, but that wasn’t going to happen. “Yes. Two people, actually. About six years ago. I’ve been wanting to put some love back into that house for three years, now. The owner is the couple’s son who’s about to graduate college. He can’t think of moving in, though he loved the place. He also can’t keep spending his inheritance on keeping the place maintained forever. It went on the market for three hundred fifty, and we’ve been dropping the figure every six months or so. Getting some nibbles now at one seventy five, but so far I haven’t liked the looks of the people inquiring. The son wants someone here who will love the place, not trash it. The house was wounded when a drug addict broke in and murdered the kid’s parents. It’ll take a lot of love to heal that hurt. Seems to me that you two might be just the right couple, being both experienced in overcoming loss.”

  Sam shook his head. “I guess if you had told us ahead of time, we’d of nixed even going out there.”

  Elsie agreed. “How can a place overcome that kind of reputation? It’s like, I don’t know, maybe ghosts are there.”

  Henrietta offered a different take. “Think it over, but don’t lose perspective. Maybe look at the place differently. If you were looking to adopt a child, and a new house is kind of like that, would you turn away from that child if both his parents were murdered?”

  Elsie looked at Sam. “She’s getting you back for the back-seat baby carrier ploy you used on her. Trouble is, I’m collateral damage because that one got to me, too. Henrietta, that’s a good way of looking at it. But we’re just house hunting to see how it feels to be house hunting. We haven’t agreed to even GET married, though I think it’s going that direction. I really do love the house, though. It’s, well, like something out of a fantasy.”

  Henrietta added a thought. “Might consider it an investment, then. You know what the place is actually worth, but the reputation is sinking its market appeal, which gets worse the longer it stays unoccupied. Eventually, the place might have to be razed. Now, suppose a nice older couple comes along and lives there for a while. That provides a buffer that lessens the fear factor on the place, and erases the abandoned-house problems. Pick it up for one-fifty, live there a while, separate bedrooms if that’s what it takes, sell it after the three-year period for up to three times what you bought it for. The three years will lower the capital gains, by the way. Where else can you get an investment return like that?”

  Sam and Elsie were both business people. Henrietta just hit that button as well as the romantic potential circuits. Had the couple been more committed to their conjoined futures, that last item would likely have done it. Henrietta could see the crop was not yet ripe for harvesting.

  “Give it some thought. Either or both of you can call me any time. Now, time to take me home or Frank will send out the flying monkeys for me.”

  Elsie shivered at that. The monkey scene in Wizard of Oz had given her the creeps since she was young. As if she needed more now to have the creeps about.

  Elsie and Sam dropped Henrietta home, went round the corner, pulled over and turned off the car. “Sam? I have no idea where to go to. Honestly, I really don’t feel like going out for funsies.”

  The drive home was very quiet, with both driver and passenger lost in their own cascading thoughts that were, had they spoken of them, were almost identical in content, and in discontent.

  It was mid-afternoon, with a day still young. Elsie stopped the car in her driveway, turned off the motor, gave Sam’s hand a squeeze, and said, “I
’m going for some personal time. I’ve got a lot to think about.”

  “Me, too, Elsie. See you tonight?”

  “Maybe. I’ll call you.” She almost got out of the car, but stopped, turned kissed Sam on the cheek, and closed the date with, “You mean a lot to me, Sam. You helped me through the worst of it when Raul died.” With that, she got out and went into her house. Sam exited and locked up her car, called up the customer he had texted this morning, and decided he’d meet the person at the car lot in question. He needed the distraction, for Sam was beginning to wonder if this marriage thing was all that good of an idea. He reached and touched his cheek where Elsie kissed him. When you got down to it, though, it wasn’t too bad for a second date.