SLOWING THINGS DOWN... time to regroup (Part 112i)
Friday morning got a little hectic for me in trying to get all the kids stuff together. I was running late when I pulled up to deliver the kids. Kaye didn’t cry like on Monday but she didn’t want to let go of me. When I finally got her on the floor Birgitta haltingly asked if I could look at the back door. She said she couldn’t get it to latch. What could I do but say ”yes” what with her watching our kids. I walked down the hall and could see daylight around the door frame. When I pushed the door open I was greeted with one of my favorite sights... a clothesline with clothes hanging from it. I was a bit surprised that I hadn’t noticed when walking up the path. But from where I was standing I was actually looking down on it. The fold up type like this one was usually didn’t put forth good viewing but from my vantage point I could see three sides of it... and one side held a batch of panties.
I picked up on the problem with the door right away. The woman had tripped the locking mechanism. But I stepped outside to “fiddle” with it even though I didn’t need to. What I needed was to get a closer look at the panties. My concern wasn’t Birgitta as she was involved with the kids. It was the next door neighbors. I knew them and certainly didn’t want them witnessing me playing with the panties. If there was one good thing about the fold up type was that you could spin it around. While fiddling with the open door I reached back and slowly turned it so the side with the panties was now facing me. There were three full brief panties and I think a couple of bikinis, all nylon. Here I was less than a foot away from them but I couldn’t bring myself to touch and inspect them. The temptation was there but the nerve wasn’t.
Elle’s birthday was the following Wednesday. It was agreed that we’d hold off on her party until the following weekend so her Father could be a part of it. My mother, a traditionalist, believed that birthday presents she be given on the actual day of birth. She’d asked me for suggestions for a present for Elle and I referred to our “want/need” list and found a three piece suit from the Fall Sears catalog. I don’t think my mother had ever bought anything from Sears in her whole life but it was something I couldn’t afford. So, without telling her the source, suggested it. I charged it on my Sears card with the promise that she’d pay me back.
My parents arrived after supper. Elle had made cupcakes with candles so the kids could celebrate her birthday and they were in the process of finishing them up. I’d been working on the house plans and had put them on the sofa so we could eat supper. To make room for my parents I had to move them again and when I did it was my mother who asked how I was coming on them. When I told her that I’d just started back working on them she proceed to say that one of her friends had just told her of a house with four bedrooms that would be going on the market as the owner had died. It was just down the road from their house but neither Elle nor I recognized the name of the owner. In thinking about the situation as I write this I’m a bit amazed how quickly the subject changed from birthday (and present) to house(s).
Before the present was given and opened we managed to get down all the information about the house. Elle was surprised to get her wanted suit but, truth be known, she was more excited about seeing the house. After my parents left I tried to calm her down a bit saying that we had no idea of the price. Also on my mind was the house I’d looked at without Elle back at the end of the Summer. Knowing the price of that house and the shape it was in made me a bit leery of this one.
I asked for an extended lunch on Friday and as soon as the bus piked Anne up for school we were off to see the house. The keys for it were held by the attorney handling the estate. Ironically he was located right next door to the real estate firm where Elle’s old teacher worked. We got the keys and, to be truthful, when we got there neither of us could remember ever seeing the front of the house even though we’d gone past it hundreds of times. The reason was because the trees and shrubbery were so overgrown. We couldn’t go in the front door because of it. Once inside I started shaking my head. The house, built in the late 20’s or early 30’s hadn’t been cared for in a long, long time. The kitchen was a walk back in time. Everything was original... sink, stove, refrigerator, cabinets... everything.
Elle just loved the floor plan, especially the four large bedrooms. All I could see was a ton of work and a lot of time and money to make it livable. When I got to the basement I knew there was no way that we’d ever own the house. There was a coal furnace complete with a coal bin. I grabbed Elle by the hand and pulled her out of the house telling her that if she liked that house I had one she’d absolutely love.
I returned the keys to the attorney and ran next door to the realtors office. I could see Vic’s car wasn’t there but I stuck my head in the door and yelled to the office manager. I asked if the key to the Smith house was still in the same place and she said “yes” before she even knew who I was. Without a doubt, Elle fell in love with the house even before she stepped inside. Once inside I knew it was over. My problem was going to be coming up with the money. My grandfather had died but I knew that both my brother and I were not in his will. The trust fund he’d established for us was in lieu of that feeling that we should not have to wait until he died to get our share of his estate. The problem with the trust fund was that we had to attain a certain age to have access to the principal.
The whole way back home I had to fend Elle off. She was ready to move right in. I had a very hard time sleeping that night trying to come up with some plan to obtain the necessary money to be able to buy the house. Saturday, while working on the race car with Ferd, was a welcome relief. Elle kept the pressure on though and it continued on Sunday. We’d just gotten home from church when there was a knock on the door. I still had my tie on when I opened the door to see Vic, the real estate agent.
To be continued...
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