Chapter 2: Paul’s Solution

“But what am I going to do?”

Paul had parked at a busy supermarket where they could sit and talk.

“All right, I need to tell you about myself, and that’s going to make a lot of things easier. To start with, I have a lot of cash on me. At the very least, I can easily buy you a nice hotel room for tonight.

“Please, Talia, don’t worry about it. Like I said, you aren’t going to be in danger, if I have anything to say about it. Leaving you back in that dangerous area would be unconscionable.

“Now, I need to explain. In her will, my great-aunt didn’t just leave me this giant car. She also left a six-bedroom Victorian house, and a lot of money.

“Until a few months ago, I lived there with my mother. I was taking care of her, but she’s got early-onset Alzheimer’s and now needs 100% care. In fact, she no longer recognizes me, and doesn’t even speak any more.”

Paul was choking up, and had to gather himself for a moment.

“I’m going to take a giant leap here, but now I’m alone in that giant old house, and I was going to start looking for roommates. Would you be willing to consider living in my house, at least temporarily?

“I promise, nothing improper will happen. I want to bring all of you there tonight, and ask you two, Ric and Kerri, to be supporting Talia to make sure she feels safe and comfortable. I’m sorry for putting you on the spot, Talia, but what do you think?”

“You’re being very generous, Paul. And, obviously, I’m in a very tough situation. Ric, Kerri, will you come with me to see the place?”

“I will,” agreed Kerri, and Ric nodded. Paul restarted the Oldsmobile and they drove off.

1905

“Well, here she is, in all her ornate and elaborate glory. It’s a Victorian, built in 1905—just before the Great Earthquake and Fire devastated San Francisco in the following year.

“The guy who built it had made his fortune in hydraulic gold mining.

“Anyway, how about I just let you explore all three stories. My bedroom has blue painted walls and a green cover on the bed. The other bedrooms are lightly furnished, but they do have beds with fresh linens. So, pick whichever one of them appeals if you decide to stay.

“I hope you do.”

Paul went to the kitchen and made himself a pot of tea, decaffeinated—so he would be able to sleep later in the evening.

Fifteen minutes later, all three of them were back.

“So, Talia, will you stay in my house? And if so, which bedroom?”

“I have decided on the one on the second floor that has the pale pink wallpaper. But Kerri has an objection.”

“Kerri? What is your issue?”

“It’s not about Talia in your pink bedroom. My problem is, I want to live in the yellow-painted bedroom across the hall on that same floor. Can I stay here, too, please?”

Kerri struck an exaggerated, coquettish pose, and batted her eyelashes.

Paul looked over at Talia, who shrugged with a “what can you do?” expression on her face.

Rolling his eyes, he looked over to Ric. “Can you believe this?”

“It’s crazy, Paul. Kerri really surprised me. I wanted the yellow bedroom too, but I guess I’ll take the third floor room with the window seat.”

“What have I done?” Paul whined. Yet, secretly, he was happy. If nothing else, his roommate issues were now solved.

Two Weeks Later

Talia, Kerri, and Ric were all moved into Paul’s place within a week of their first visit. He decided to charge Kerri and Ric a very small rent to cover groceries and utilities. Surprisingly, all four of them were competent in the kitchen, so arranging meals was going to be easy.

Kerri did still notice, however, that Talia was continuing to eat only very sparingly. She estimated that her less than five foot tall roommate weighed less than 80 pounds (36 kg).