Chapter 01

New Home

Eight hours driving is a long time on the road, and much more so when you get in the car at six in the morning with a total stopping time of about half an hour due to eating on the move, so Henry Cable is very glad it’s over. Pulling into the driveway he stops just a metre short of the garage door and pulls the hand-brake on while he turns off the ignition. With a heavy sigh he says, “Well, kids, this is it, your new home.” Like his wife, Lucy, he tenses for the complaints to start again. Their three kids aren’t happy, to say the least, about moving house and leaving their friends to go interstate with him for his promotion. The complaints have been many and frequent since the promotion and move were announced.

Lucky for them the first to speak up is Ernie, their middle child and eldest boy, “OK, guys, we all know it’s been a long trip, but let’s get out to stretch our legs and look it over before making more complaints.” This is a good sign for Henry and Lucy because Ernie often looks on the bright side of things, plus he can often get his siblings to go along with him. All three of the children are very independent, but Ernie can get the other two to agree with him on the important things when he really wants them to. They’re slow to move when they get out of the car and stretch.

First out is Henry, forty-three years old, a bit above average height, medium build and very fit because he runs a few kilometres most days, blue / grey eyes, with hair that’s somewhere between dark blond and light brown. He places his hands in the middle of his back and stretches while he looks over at his wife, Lucy, who’s just standing up on the other side of the car. He smiles when he looks at her: honey blonde hair, startling blue eyes, average height and build, well proportioned; and thinks, Damn, she still looks good, forty-one years old and still looks like a teenager. I’m a lucky bugger. Next out is Lee, their eldest child; just turned nineteen and almost a copy of Lucy - the same height, build, hair and eyes, the only noticeable difference being the breasts; where Lucy’s are about the size of a nice grapefruit Lee’s are just a bit smaller and about the size of a large orange. Both are very pretty and their bone structures are the same, many people mistake them for sisters. The door behind Henry opens and their youngest son gets out. Tom is twelve and a half, tall for his age and a bit better than average build because he’s very fit - he’s into athletics and wants to be a competitive runner when older, grey eyes and light brown hair. Last out is Ernie as he was sitting in the middle of the back seat and he had to slide across after Lee got out. Just under average height and average build - but a bit thin, hair like his father’s and he has his mother’s eyes; while he doesn’t look like he’s fit Ernie is very fit as he does martial arts twice a week and he’s already a second level black belt. All of the Cables are into various sports and are fit, not muscle bound, just well toned muscles and look very fit, except Ernie who looks the least fit of them all, yet he’s involved in the most physically demanding sport.

After taking a moment to stretch they close the car doors and walk to the house. Lucy pulls the keys out of her handbag and opens the front door when they reach it. It smells a bit musty so it’s all hands on deck to open windows and air the place out. After opening all of the ground floor windows they go up the stairs. On the next level is the master bedroom with en suite at the front, then two bedrooms across the back, with the bathroom between the en suite and the right hand bedroom. The top level is an open attic area that’s floored and stretches across the length of the house, but the usable floor area is only about half the width of the house due to the slope of the roof. They open up all of the windows while going through the house. Lucy points out which rooms will belong to who: the largest bedroom is the master bedroom and is five metres by six metres, next is Ernie’s room at four and a half metres by five metres as he has a small lab in his room and he needs the space, Lee’s room is four metres by five metres, while Tom gets half the attic because the front half is going be walled off as a spare bedroom. Lee and Tom aren’t too happy with their rooms, and they say so. Ernie just glances at them before he starts to have a much closer look at the house and the large yard.

Henry and Lucy go down to start unpacking the car and the trailer, Lee and Tom follow so they can continue telling their parents about how unhappy they are. While they go down the stairs Lucy gets out her mobile phone and calls her sister who lives a few streets away in the same suburb. One of the reasons Henry accepted the promotion was it’ll reunite his family with the family of his wife’s sister. They were very close at home, and then Mary got offered a good job in this city soon after her husband died in a car accident nearly four years ago.

Ernie wanders off on his detailed inspection of the house and yards. A little later he’s upstairs and he notices the attic has a verandah area along the rear wall. The verandah is about one metre deep across the whole level and it looks out over the backyard. The rear neighbours’ backyards are offset so he looks directly down into the backyards of two other houses which have their dividing fence coming to the middle of the backyard of the new Cable house. Looking into one house he can see right along its driveway and the car parked there looks familiar. He smiles when he sees his aunt, Mary Constable, walk out of the house and get into the car. He also notices most of the backyards are much smaller than theirs and they have six neighbours whose backyards share fences with them: two at the back, the next door neighbours, and the backyards of two other houses butt on to the end of the sides as the neighbours’ yards aren’t as deep as the Cable house backyard is. The other backyards all have built in swimming pools and deck areas while the Cable yard is just a large grassed lawn. Examining his own backyard he sees they have two sheds and one is very large for a yard shed. He also notices theirs is the tallest house in the area. Leaving the attic verandah Ernie heads downstairs. The yard is very large and spacious, so he steps it out; it’s about thirty metres wide and sixty metres deep, which is huge for a modern yard. He has a close look at the sheds, and he sees one must have been used as a workshop of some sort while the other is a typical backyard shed for tools and mowers etc. The double width garage is also over long with two large rooms at the back of it, one is accessed from in the garage and the other one from outside. He walks around the house looking for the telephone connection because Aunt Mary had told him the suburb had recently been upgraded. He soon finds it on the same side of the house as his bedroom, it’s a fibre optic connection to the house - sweet. While walking around the front of the house he looks up at the afternoon sun, and sees it’s shining into Lee’s room. Smiling, he gets a load of gear from the trailer to take into the house. After putting it down on the kitchen bench he goes over to where his father is looking at the inside circuit breaker panel because Henry wants to turn the power on.

All of the circuit breakers are on and so is the main switch, but there’s still no power and the power company assured him the power was on when he called them a few minutes ago. A grinning Ernie asks, “Did you flick on the master cut out in the external box yet, Dad?” Henry turns to his son, and closes his eyes while he shakes his head no. They both laugh when they head out the front door and around the side of the house. While they walk around the house Ernie asks, “You know how you’re always complaining about my lab making stinks in the house?” Henry nods yes, “Well, if you let me have one of the rooms at the back of the garage, or the larger yard shed, I can set up my lab in there and not stink up the house. I think the large yard shed is best, because it means any major mistakes won’t damage anything else.”

After opening the main power box Henry reaches in and flicks the master cut out switch while he says, in a different voice, “Good idea, Son, make it so.” Ernie groans because he’s heard his father do his Captain Picard impersonation so often it’s no longer funny. However, he’s happy to have the large shed for his lab. They go back into the house and check the lights in every room work while they replace the old incandescent globes with energy efficient fluorescent and Light Emitting Diode ones. By the time that’s finished the car and trailer are unloaded by Lucy, Mary, Lee, and Tom. Lee and Tom are now looking at the yard while Mary and Lucy are chatting in the kitchen. Henry goes to put the trailer in the garage and Ernie heads for the kitchen.

Negotiations

In the kitchen Ernie finds his mother and aunt talking over a cup of hot chocolate each. Smiling, he checks the just unpacked kettle then makes himself a cup of hot chocolate before sitting down with them and asking, “Aunt Mary, why didn’t you walk over instead of driving?”

She gives him an odd look and says, “It’s a convoluted five minute drive through several streets and around half the suburb, thanks to its many cul-de-sacs. Do you know how long that would take to walk?”

Ernie replies, “Not if you climb over the back fence or have Dad put a gate in. I saw you get in your car from the attic, and your yard backs on to ours.” Mary’s eyes go wide, so Lucy and Ernie start to laugh. Turning to his mother he asks, in a pleasant but soft, voice, “How much is it worth to have three happy smiling children?”

Lucy looks at him and responds, “We’re in trouble now, Mary, he’s gone into Snake Oil Salesman mode, and that’s always something to be careful of. OK, Mister, what are you after?” Mary laughs, very loud.

“For only the cost a few thousand dollars of home improvements and the rental for a second telephone line you can have three extra happy children, ones who stop being so concerned about the shift.”

“Keep talking,” and in an aside to Mary, “See what I mean.”

Mary butts in, “Snake Oil Salesmen have nothing on this kid!”

He responds, “You only talk to the occasional retail seller, I have to deal with all the local retail sellers a lot more than you do because I’m a wholesale distributor.” Both women laugh, very hard and long.

Lucy interjects, “Give it up, Mary, he’s got you and you can’t win. His IQ is higher than both of ours together.” Mary turns to stare at her sister while Lucy smiles and nods, “Yep, he’s a certified genius. Often more of an arse than a genie, but he’s got the brains. Hell, he even beats his father in witty repartee, most of the time. Henry’s given up trying to outdo him, so have I, so you may as well admit defeat too.” She turns back to Ernie, asking, “What’s on your mind?”

“If I can broker an agreement from Lee and Tom will you agree to Lee getting my room, Tom gets her room, and I get the attic. But you have to put in another toilet and sink in the attic - near the stairs and above the bathroom, build in a little kitchenette in the attic beside that, wall off my attic room, put a phone line up to the attic with an extension down into Lee’s room, and glass in the verandah in the attic. You pay the monthly line rental on the phone line.”

“OK, I’ve no problems with the house improvements, I can even see an overall advantage of having the extra toilet and the kitchenette. The phone isn’t an issue, either, but drop the other shoe while I’m still smiling, and tell my why they’ll agree. Also, what’s in it for you?”

“The other shoe is the new beds you’re buying for us. Get Lee and Tom queen sized beds with a single bed bunk above them, that way they have beds on hand for any friends sleeping over. You need another queen bed for the guest room upstairs and I get a queen bed as well. That means we all have bed space for friends to stay the night.” Lucy thinks a moment then nods yes as it makes sense, it isn’t much more of an expense and is a very good idea. “Lee likes the morning sun and is much happier if her room has it. This deal gives her the largest kid’s room that’s a real room and the one with the morning sun. Throw in her own telephone in her room, but she pays for the extra call charges, and she’s on our side. Give Tom the next biggest room with the afternoon sun he prefers and is closest to the bathroom, then he’s happy. I get the attic and the glassed in verandah to sit and read in. I don’t need a lot of space in my room now because Dad agreed to let me have the large yard shed for my lab. That stops me from stinking up the house and if anything goes wrong we don’t lose much, other than the lab. What I get is my own Internet link on the phone-line Lee uses and a nice place to sit and read with a great view of six swimming pools in houses in which teenage girls are living, at least, the washing on the line indicates they do.” Lucy starts to laugh while Mary’s eyes go very wide in surprise.

With a big smile Lucy replies, “OK, if you can sell it to Lee and Tom it’s a deal. I didn’t know you were interested in girls yet.”

“Not really, yet; but I figure I will be soon. There were none worth taking an interest in at the old school, but who knows; this is a city and not a small country town. There’s sure to be someone worthy of interest around here.” A smiling Ernie leaves to talk to his siblings.

Lucy says to Mary, “See what I mean. He’s always thinking things through and planning ahead. I’d forgotten about Lee and the morning sun, and she’s been after her own extension for ages, her own line will send her over the moon. The bed idea is brilliant, we promised new beds to save moving the old ones, this means no new ones for years.”

While shaking her head Mary says, “I love the idea of the queen beds with overhead bunks, I’ve seen them in the shops. All three of my girls are after new beds too, and they’re due for them. Let me know when you go shopping so we can get five and see if we can get a good discount.”

Finalising the Deal

Walking out into the yard Ernie finds Lee and Tom near the far end, bitching to each other about the change of residence. When he’s near them he says, “No point bitching about things you can’t change. All you do is make yourself unhappy and make everyone around you unhappy. Now, if you two have finished the bitch session let’s see if we can work a deal to improve things, OK.” They both turn to look at him, and nod for him to continue because they know his deals are often nice. “Good, now here’s what I want and what I think I can get for you. Tom, you like the afternoon sun and don’t want to go up the stairs to the attic, you’d also like more space, right? Lee, you want the morning sun and would like a phone extension in your room, right?” Both nod yes. “Tom, I want you to stop messing around with my things or Lee’s things and you stay out of our rooms, except when specifically invited in. Also, you stop yelling if the toilet isn’t free when you want it, and any fights over the bathroom get taken to Mum for arbitration. For that, you get Lee’s room instead of the attic, that has the afternoon sun you like, is a bigger room, and is nearest to the bathroom. The only issue is the extra toilet will be put in the attic, so you have to go upstairs if you need to use the other toilet when the main toilet is in use. Acceptable?” Tom smiles as he nods his agreement.

Ernie turns to his sister, “Lee, you try not to take so long in the bathroom and organise some introductions for me to some of your female classmates or their sisters, if they have any fifteen or older, same deal with the toilets and bathroom. For this, you get my room with the morning sun you want, and it’s the largest. You also get your own telephone line, Dad will pay the line rental but you pay for all the extra phone call charges. The line will run into the attic and back into your room. I’ll get to use the broadband connection and an extension will be put in your room, but yours will be the only phone on it. Mum doesn’t realise it, but the basic phone service here also includes all of the local phone calls, so you only have to pay for any long distance calls made. Acceptable?” She smiles and hugs him while she nods her agreement. “Good, I get the attic and my lab will go into the shed over there, since Dad doesn’t want me stinking up the house. Being in the attic doesn’t worry me, and I’ll be able to use that little verandah to sit on and read during the day. But the important thing is we all end up happier and smiling. We’ll make new friends at school and in the area. Also, Aunt Mary’s place is just over the back fence, so I think Dad will be putting a gate in.” All three are smiling while heading back inside to the kitchen.

Lucy is watching the discussion through the kitchen window. Seeing all her children smiling while they walk toward the house makes Lucy happy, so she nudges Mary when she nods at them. Mary glances out, and shakes her head at the change from a few minutes ago while Lucy says, “That boy could rent sand to people living in the desert, when he puts his mind to it. I better go talk to Henry about putting a gate in the fence, that’ll make visiting easier. But I best confirm the deals first.”

The three kids walk in and Ernie says, “Mum, we’d like to change the rooms about in the manner we discussed because Lee and Tom like the idea. Also, have you made a decision about the beds? What can we get, and when can we go to have a look at them?”

Realising Ernie is being nice by setting her up to look like a good guy with the news on the beds Lucy smiles and replies, “Mary and I have been talking and we’re both going bed hunting tomorrow. She’s getting new beds for your cousins of the same sort I’m getting for the two bedrooms. Queen sized double beds with a bunk style single bed above them so you’ll have room for friends to sleep over. The attic doesn’t have enough room for that style of bed so I’ll get standard queen beds for the guest room and Ernie’s bedroom up there.” Both Lee and Tom smile with happy shock at the mention of them getting double beds. It’s huge smiles all round.

Henry walks in to see everyone smiling, and says, “Well now, that looks a lot better than ten minutes ago. Why’s everyone so happy?”

Lucy turns to him while saying, “We’ve been talking about bedrooms and making some changes. First, Ernie gets the attic, Tom gets the bedroom near the bathroom, and Lee gets the other bedroom. I’m getting Lee and Tom queen sized beds with a single bed bunk above it so they’ll have room for friends who stay overnight while Ernie will have to settle for a standard queen. We’re putting in a second phone line into Lee’s bedroom so she can have her own phone and we’ll pay for the line. Ernie slipped one over me there, the basic service is a bit dearer than what we’re used to, but it includes all of the local calls; Mary put me straight on that. But Lee gets to pay for all her other calls. The same line will give Internet access to the attic for Ernie, and Lee can plug into that as well.” She turns to look at Ernie, he shrugs and accepts it; he’d hoped that wouldn’t happen, but he knew it might. “While the rest of us share the Internet line off the main phone line, the house is already wired for that. Also, tomorrow, while we’re out bed shopping you get to install a gate in our back fence, Ernie can show you where, because our house backs onto Mary’s. The laugh there is she didn’t know it until Ernie mentioned it.” They all laugh about that.