Chapter 10

With Suzie safely on her way home, I turned to completing cleaning up my home. As I cleaned, I let Phase Four percolate in the back of my mind.

Marie, always thinking, snuggled up to me in bed that night, and asked, "What's next for Annie?"

Percolation complete, I was pleased with the details. I shared them with Marie. "You remember that rental I bought near the high school? The one we're putting the new roof on?"

She did. "What's that got to do with Annie?"

"Well, it is in the St. Helen's school district, the boys can walk to school from there, when they are with their mother, and I won't have to advertise for a tenant."

"Do you trust her to be one of your renters?"

"With a big enough security deposit, I do. I'll show you my notes in the morning. I think this might work out for the boys, and for you and me."

I drew her closely, and we fell asleep, breathing each other's scent.

Once we had completed cleaning up from breakfast the next morning, I sat Marie down at the dining room table and showed her my notes.

"I figure that house can realistically get $500/month in rent. If Annie pays me $1,000/month, she puts $6,000 into the cushion account each year. If she pays the first month and last month in advance, that puts the first year at $8,000. If deposit is one and a half times rent, add $1,500. Once we add cleaning deposit, key deposit, and credit report, I think I can push those fees to $500, and then the first year makes her $10,000 to the good."

"If we keep things at that level, after 5 years, she has paid 34,000 dollars. Around that time, with our youngest out of high school, I expect she will bail out, and that money stops. Doesn't matter, she will have paid off that house, and from that point, until I retire, I figure we will net $120,000 in rentals, conservatively."

Marie rolled her eyes as she considered the numbers. "Isn't that about what you figure she cost you for the divorce?"

"Yep. Nice how things sometimes work out, isn't it?"

I met Annie at that coffee shop, again. I had sent her a draft lease, and a summary of the fees and rent I proposed. She arrived, uncharacteristically, a bit early, so I held her chair for her, and settled my own papers on the table, and sat.

She seemed lost in thought for a while. I don't know what had produced the change, but she seemed to have mellowed since we began this odyssey. Moments passed, and she shook herself, looked me in the eye, and began.

"You know, Bob, this rent is way higher than the market, right?"

"Yep."

"And your deposit demands? They are right at the edge of what state law allows. You're really putting the screws to me, aren't you?"

"Well, kind of, yes. On the other hand, with your credit, I suspect that you will have problems finding anyone you aren't screwing to rent to you at all. And, since you never have screwed your way to success, you likely won't start now. I don't think you have any alternatives that don't involve your moving in with your mother in Pennsylvania. Since the court will never let you have custody in another state, that presents another set of problems. I cannot believe that you would willingly sever your contact with the boys, so I think that, on some levels, this is a good deal for you."

Surprisingly, she remained quiet for this analysis. Even more surprising, she appeared thoughtful for several more moments. "You do realize that this will take more than half of one of my paychecks each month, simply to pay rent? And will eat up all my pay for that first month."

"Probably. On the other hand, you haven't had rent costs for the past several weeks, so you have had the opportunity to put some money away for contingencies. That cushion ought to help you get started. And, food and utilities ought to finish off one of your checks, leaving you with an entire paycheck for savings, school loan payments, and expenses for the kids. It may be tough, but it is doable."