Chapter 60: Time Flies

August/September, 1984, Chicago, Illinois

The next couple of weeks flew by. I was so busy with school and work I barely had time for anything else, though I did make sure that I called Bethany, Jennifer, Tatyana, Karin, and, because I valued my life, my sister. The only remarkable things both happened on the last day of August. Staci and I had put the Bible debate behind us, realizing that neither of us would give in, and had a few good talks about belief, but of course didn't see eye-to-eye. On that last Friday of the month, we were walking to The Bog, joking as we often did.

"You once told me that beer wasn't your only sin," I said. "Care to elaborate?"

"Confession?" she smirked. "I'm not Catholic and even if I were, you are certainly no priest!"

"That's for damn sure! Not even a hint?"

Staci just shook her head.

"Interesting," I replied. "I also remember you said that it would take a lot more than beating your grade in class to, how did you put it, 'get that'. Just what would I have to do?"

"Is that your lame way of asking me to go to bed with you? Seriously? You can't even be bothered to come up with something stupid like 'That dress looks nice on you but would look better on the floor next to my bed'?" she said, laughing. "As if I was going to answer THAT question. If you're as smart as you think you are, YOU figure it out!"

"Oooh! I love a challenge," I said. "Given that everything has a price, it's just a matter of figuring out what the price might be."

"You think money could get me to do that?" she asked, sounding slightly offended. "You're dumber than I thought!"

"I didn't say that. Your price, given everything you've said, could well be nothing less than an engagement ring and a wedding ring, with all the appropriate paperwork completed."

"Well, if you put it that way! If price means what it would take, then that would absolutely work. In fact, it would work for anyone!"

"So you're implying there's a different price?" I teased.

"I implied nothing!" she teased back. "You're the one who asked. I just told you to figure it out!"

"You're not wearing a dress, by the way," I chuckled. "In case you hadn't noticed."

She laughed, "True."

"You seem to have an affinity for alligators; you always wear Izod shirts."

"Also true," Staci agreed. "Your powers of observation serve you well!"

"The question is," I said with a smirk, "what are you wearing under the jeans and shirt?"

"That's a state secret. If I told you, I'd have to kill you!"

"Interesting. So don't tell me. Show me!" I teased.

She laughed. "Now that's more like it. Very creative. Come on, let me buy you a beer before this gets completely out of hand!"

I had to admit, banter with Staci was a lot of fun. I didn't think that there was a snowball's chance in hell that I'd even get to first base with her, and I wasn't really thinking in those terms beyond the teasing. She was a lot of fun to talk to and she had a fantastic sense of humor. And she could give as good as she got with teasing.

On Monday Kara had started taking the El home after her last class, instead of hanging out in the library, so I drove home alone. When I arrived at the house, there was a message on my answering machine from Bill Wyatt confirming the closing for Friday the 14th, as planned. He left a number so that I could call him back and I dialed it right away.

"I have class all day Friday, and I can't really skip at this point. Is there any way I can do this without showing up at the closing?"

"Sure. It's all cash, so you can sign the paperwork at any time. Just get the cashier's check from your dad and you can stop by Thursday after work to sign the papers and drop off the check. I'll bring the keys and your copies of the paperwork by the house on Friday evening."

He gave me the exact numbers that I'd need and after I hung up, I called my dad to let him know. He said he'd get the check on Monday and send it to me by Federal Express. Before we hung up, Stephanie asked to talk to me. We chatted for a few minutes, just catching up. I reminded her not to say anything to Jennifer about the coach house and then we said our goodbyes.

That Saturday morning, after Penny left, I took Sofia to the Secretary of State's office so she could take the written and driving tests to get her license. As I had expected, she passed with flying colors and walked out with her license. She insisted that we look for a car immediately. I decided to try the Dodge dealer where I'd bought my Daytona because he'd done right by me.

"Actually, I can do better for you than a used car," he said to Sofia. "I have a 1984 Shelby Charger with about 1000 miles on it. It was a demonstrator that was used during a golf tournament. You know, they give the golfers a car to use. It comes with a full new car warranty package and is in perfect condition. The price is perfect, too."

I laughed, "Sofia, do you want a sports car? That's what he's offering."

She smiled, "You mean like your Daytona?"

"Yes, but a lower model. And I suspect that given it's a demonstrator, it's going to cost about half what my car cost."

The salesman nodded, "Yes, it lists at around $8500, and obviously we'll come down quite a bit from there."

An hour later, after a test drive, Sofia had a red 1984 Dodge Shelby Charger with a 5-speed and a 2.2L turbocharged engine. I asked the salesman why he hadn't offered ME this car and he laughed, saying that I came in knowing what I wanted and who was he to give up that kind of commission! I laughed, and shook his hand, and then Sofia and I set off for the house in Hyde Park.

The following week was uneventful until Thursday night, when I stopped by Bill Wyatt's office to drop off the check and sign the sales contract. He confirmed how I wanted the deed made out and gave me the paperwork that I'd need to file with the city to combine to the two properties. He was confident that it would go through quickly because the original property had been combined and we were simply putting the lots back together.

Early Friday evening, he brought the keys by and the girls and I walked around the block with him to check out the coach house. He handed me the keys, and we walked inside. The first thing I noticed was that the walls needed a coat of paint, and the hardwood floors needed a good mopping. Otherwise, everything looked to be in good shape. I thanked Bill, and he left. I started making notes about furniture because I wanted to furnish it, and discussed my options for renting it with Elyse.

"Why don't you try putting up flyers at IIT and the University of Chicago?" she suggested. "You never know if someone might be interested. That would work best because the girls will be here from California in June and you can't rent it out for a normal 12-month period."

"That makes sense. I need to get Jeremiah's dad out here to look at the back yard, and I have to get some paint. I think we can whip the house into shape in two weeks. I'll make some flyers so you can post them at UofC and I'll do the same at IIT."

"How about a Sunday painting and cleaning party?" Katy suggested.

"Sounds good!" I said. "I'll take some time tomorrow to go look for the furniture and arrange for delivery."

We went back to the house and fixed dinner. After dinner, Elyse and I collaborated on the flyers offering a 'school year' rental period. My dad and I had come up with a proposed rental rate that would easily cover the note and what I would owe him for my half of the purchase price.

On Saturday after Penny left, Elyse, Kara, Sofia and I went to buy paint and look for furniture for the house. I ended up buying two moderately priced bedroom sets, a sofa and loveseat combination, and a dining room table and chairs. I arranged for everything to be delivered the following Saturday and then we headed home so we could study.

Sunday was the painting and cleaning party. Penny came by and helped the dozen of us who were painting, mopping floors, washing windows and scrubbing bathrooms. When we finished mid-afternoon, there was a parade of people through the showers and then all of us, except Penny, went into the sauna. She wasn't happy when I sent her home, but I was sure that Alice and Bart would not approve of her sitting naked, even with a towel around her, in the sauna with Dave, Kenneth, Kurt, Jorge, Jamie, and me.

On Monday between classes, I got my flyers approved and Kara helped me hang them on bulletin boards around IIT. After lunch, I used a pay phone to call Brown Construction and arrange for Gerald Brown to be at the house on Saturday to discuss options for restoring the walk and changing or removing the fence.

By Friday, we'd had three calls about renting the house, but no takers. If we didn't get anyone by October 1st, then I'd put up a for rent sign and offer a year rental term. We'd work things out with Jennifer and Josie if that happened, because we had enough room in the house for them if push came to shove.

The furniture was delivered on Saturday and a small group of us put the beds together and arranged the furniture the way I wanted. Gerald Brown arrived just after Penny left and we walked out into the backyard.

"I looked up the property records and from what I can see, the fence replaced a low brick wall that was about eighteen inches high with lamp posts on the end caps. I think that's your best option. I wouldn't put a gate unless you need to separate the property for some reason."

"I think that sounds about right. Can you match the bricks on the walk?"

"I think so. There'll be a bit of difference in color because of weathering, but that can't be avoided. Eventually, they'll fade and weather to match."

"Write it up and let's do it!" I said.

"I'll have the paperwork to you by the end of the week. Did you file the paperwork to combine the property?"

"Not yet. Do you need that before you do the work?"

"No. We'll just make sure that the wall is completely on the back property."

We shook hands, and he left. Just after lunch, I had a call from a female UofC student who wanted to see the house. I gave her our address, and she said she'd be over within an hour. The doorbell rang almost exactly an hour later.

I opened the door and thought I was seeing double. Two cute, dark-haired girls that had to be identical twins were on my porch.

"Hi. I called about the rental. I'm Patience and this is my sister Prudence."

I laughed, "You're joking, right?"

"We get that a lot. Those really are our names. It's a long story. I'll tell you if you show us the rental."

"Sure. Come on," I said. "We have to walk around the block."

We started walking down the street and Patience told me the story.

"Our parents were raised Amish, but after my dad did his Rumschpringe, he decided not to be baptized. He asked my mom to marry him and leave the community. They moved to Chicago, where he found a job as a carpenter. Because he had so much experience, it didn't take long before he was a foreman and now he's the general manager of a construction company out in Aurora. We live in Sugar Grove, which is a bit further west."

"You lost me at Rumschpringe," I said.

"It's like a period when boys can leave the community and decide if they want to live like the 'English'," she made air quotes, "or be baptized and stay Amish. He decided he liked the real world, so here we are."

"Why are you looking to rent?" I asked.

"We're commuting in from Sugar Grove every day. It's more than an hour's drive to get here and in the Winter it's going to be impossible. Dad told us to see if we could find a place and I saw your flyer. The price is OK with our dad, and he's the one paying!"

We got to the door, and I unlocked it and let the girls in.

"Oh man, this beats any of the crappy apartments we looked at that aren't much cheaper!" Prudence said as soon as we were inside.

"You pay your own utilities. I'll share the bills with you when they arrive. It's fully furnished. You just need sheets and pillows for the beds. Everything else is set, including a washer and dryer. They're the ones that the previous owner left, but they work and I'm sure they'll suffice for you."

"Cool," Patience said. "What happens in June?"

"You move out. Most likely, some friends of mine from California will rent it next year."

"Bummer," Prudence said. "We'll have to find another place. But this would be perfect for now!"

"Just let me know," I said. "And if your dad needs to come check it out, or talk to me, that's cool."

"Can we call you tomorrow? You won't rent it before then?" Patience asked.

"I'll show it, if someone calls, but you have first dibs until tomorrow evening at 6:00pm. Will that work?"

"Perfectly!"

We finished the tour of the house and the girls headed back to campus because they were studying at the library for the day. I headed back to the house. Elyse was waiting for me.

"You are a magnet for crazy, you know that?" she smirked.

"What?" I asked, innocently.

"Identical twins?" Elyse said, laughing and shaking her head. "Patience and Prudence? Seriously?"

"Yeah," I smiled. "Welcome to my life."

"Oh, I've been to Crazy Town with you plenty, so this is just one more trip!"

"Let's just do some homework," I chuckled.

Early Sunday afternoon, I got a call from Jakob Stoltzfus, the girls' father. He asked a few questions and said that he'd like to come by and check the house if he could. I said that he could come by anytime. He arrived around 4:00pm and I took him to see the house. He looked it over from top to bottom and told me that he was happy with what he saw. We shook hands, and he wrote out a check for the first month's rent and a security deposit. He asked about a written lease and I showed him the pro forma lease that Bill Wyatt had left with me. We both signed it after he filled in his daughters' information and I handed him the keys. He said the girls would move in the following weekend.

I was amazed that September had disappeared so quickly. We were already in the last week of the month and the semester was five weeks old at this point. All my classes were going OK, and I was holding a 92% in my accounting class. The real determining factor would be the midterm exam that was coming up in about three weeks. Work was going fine as well, and things were calm around the house. All in all, I was happy.