Chapter 2: The New Neighbors

Exactly forty-five minutes after leaving Barb and Nick’s house, Maggie hears a knock on her front door. She answers the door to find their freshly-washed neighbors standing on the porch. She invites them in and yells for Ricky.

“You look good. Feel better?” asks Maggie.

“Much,” says Barb with a sigh. “This is our third move in less than five years. It’s getting old.”

Ricky enters to hear Barb’s comment. “Three times in five years? What, are you two in witness protection or something?”

There is a round of polite laughter, then Nick answers, “Nothing so exciting. Just bad luck. I’m in sales and Barb is a nurse. The first move was for a promotion, the next due to layoffs, and this one a combination of the two.”

“Been there done that,” says Ricky. “You can tell us more while we eat. We were thinking Lucella’s if Italian sounds good to you?”

Both Barb and Nick enthusiastically agree and the foursome work their way to the garage and Ricky’s Volvo. It is a short drive to the restaurant and they are lucky to get a table after a minimal wait.

“This is one of our favorites,” says Maggie as she slides into the booth. “We come here one or two times a month.”

As Ricky follows his wife into the booth a waitress that knows them by name waves and indicates she’ll be over in a few moments.

“I highly recommend the antipasto and the veal Marsala,” says Ricky. “Maggie will suggest a Caesar salad with a chicken fettuccine Alfredo.”

“It all sounds wonderful,” says Barb. “And after a day of moving we could probably each a portion of everything.”

“Well hello you two, how are you this evening?” starts their waitress Helen. “I see you have brought some friends tonight.”

“Good evening, Helen,” responds Maggie. “These are our new neighbors – Barb and Nick. Be nice to them and I’m sure you’ll have another regular customer.”

“Oh, they moved into the Brimble house?” asks Helen as she looks at Maggie, who nods her affirmation. To Barb and Nick she says, “Welcome. Nice to meet you, and so glad you chose Lucella’s. First drink is on us – what can I bring you?”

“Nice to meet you, too,” says Nick. “Let’s start with a couple glasses of white wine.”

“Got it,” says Helen. “And you two, the same? A white and a zinfandel?”

“That will get us started,” says Ricky, and then continues, “and I’ll make an executive decision. We’re going family style tonight, starting with a large antipasto, a large Caesar salad, and an order of ravioli to start. For our entrees let’s go with veal Marsala, chicken fettuccine Alfredo, gnocchi, a side of meatballs, and a large spaghetti bowl with extra sauce on the side.”

As Helen writes in her little book she says, “I may have to bring a fifth place setting and join you – these are some of my favorites. I’ll be right back with those drinks, appetizers, and salads.”

“Helen said that we moved into the Brimble house. I saw the name on the paperwork. Did you know them?” asks Nick.

“No, they had left long before we moved in, but our realtor told us much of their story,” says Ricky.

Maggie goes on to explain that Beth and Darren Brimble bought most of the land in the area almost sixty years ago. They were the first to build a few years later, and only slowly sold plots in order to control the growth of the neighborhood. They kept about ten acres of land that surrounded their house. When their daughter, Robin, married a guy by the name of Arthur Spencer they split off about two acres to build them a house in the mid-80s.

“That house is where we live,” concludes Maggie.

“Ahh,” says Barb, “that explains why our houses are so close even though we both have large lots, as well as the gate between the properties in the backyard fence.”

“Right,” says Ricky, “and it is also why the floor plans of our houses are a bit ... non-standard? Old-man Brimble had some unusual design ideas. The houses work great for a couple, but neither are really that well suited for a family with children.”

“That’s exactly what we thought,” said Maggie, “and it was, in fact, one of the selling points of the house.”

Nick jumps into the conversation by asking, “So what happened with the Brimbles and Spencers?”

Ricky continues the story.

“About ten years ago Darren Brimble had a massive heart attack while on a walk. Died before he hit the ground. Even with the support of a next door daughter, Beth found the house too much for one person. With Darren gone, Art and Robin started flexing their wings with an eye toward more independence. They eventually got her mom settled in a retirement village about twenty miles north of here and then they moved into a new place a bit further north from the retirement house.”

Maggie then takes up the narrative.

“The two houses sat empty for almost two years before Art and Robin could convince Beth to sell. The age of the houses, and sitting vacant for so long, meant it took a good deal of work to get them market ready. When they were finally listed, the unusual layout and proximity to one another, meant they stayed unsold.”

Nick looks at Barb and says, “Now some of the offhand comments made by the realtor are starting to make sense.”

“We moved in almost five years ago. They kept reducing the price and it got to a point where we couldn’t say ‘no.’ From what we could follow on the realtor site, it looks like you two got a similarly great discounted deal on your house.”