Chapter 6

On the drive to the graduation ceremony, Paul was going over in his mind what he was going to say and the points he wanted to make in giving this address. Of course, he would start with it being not that long ago he was sitting where the graduates were sitting and go from there. He would mention that he does not remember one word the commencement speaker said then and he would suspect that would be the case here today.

The main topic of his talk would be was for them to set a goal of what they wanted to do in life and go for it. Hard work goes without saying and he would tell them not to be ashamed to ask for and take advice. Remember your classmates and keep in touch with them and network with them. When an opportunity or a crisis exists, don’t let it go to waste. He would explain what he meant by that and how he became an opinion columnist. He would finish by wishing them all good luck and much success. He hoped one of them present today would be here ten years from now addressing that group of graduates.

These were all the bits and pieces that were kicking around in his mind up until the time he was introduced to the graduates to give his talk. There was a nervousness he felt in looking out at this large number of graduates and other attendees. He thought he covered all the points he wanted to make in doing this talk and was surprised to receive some laughter and applause when he finished with his patented, “and that is my two cents.”

Several distinguished alumni were attending this graduation ceremony to who he was introduced. One attendee was Corrine Webster a well-known and very successful realtor. She was an older classy lady whose daughter was in this graduating class.

In talking to Corrine he said, “I don’t mean to talk business with you but does your office handle the Belton Lake area?”

“Not really, but what are you interested in or looking for?”

“A home in the area that is not far from the lake. Just some place I can go to get away from the city on the weekends and relax, maybe do some fishing.”

“I do know Stacie Willard who is a realtor in that area and if you want I can ask her to give you a call.”

“Thanks, I would appreciate it.”

Paul said his goodbyes and knew doing this talk had been something different for him in addressing this many people as opposed to looking at the lens of a single television camera.

Stacie phoned Paul two days later and after introducing herself said that Corrine asked her to call him. She asked what she could do for him and said she enjoyed reading his columns.

He told her he was looking for a house in the area that he could use as a get-a-way place where he could go to and relax. He had looked on the web and saw some prices of houses but he wasn’t looking to spend that much. A house with some land around it, two or three bedrooms, a two-car garage, and ideally a turnkey was what he was looking for.

She said she would check but she was sure she had some listings that would interest him. He made an appointment to drive out and see her Saturday.

Paul met Stacie at her office late Saturday morning. If he was to describe Stacie he would say she was in her late thirties, of average height, and weighed in the one thirty-five-pound class. She had short dishwater blond hair, a nice face, and was well-groomed. Her persona was that of an intelligent business lady.

Stacie in greeting Paul said she was a fan of his and religiously read his column along with watching his commentaries on the news. She said she had listings on properties that were for sale which she thought would interest him.

There were five properties that they visited that day. Paul thought Stacie was an excellent realtor in that while she gave the pros on a listing she also gave the cons. The one property that she showed him that caught his interest was what she called a raised ranch three-bedroom all brick home. The widow that lived here could no longer live by herself and was moving to an assisted living facility close to her daughter. The house was sixteen years old and was furnished but the living room furniture had seen better days. There was an attached two-car garage.

Stacie said the house being furnished was a plus for several reasons. The living room furniture could be replaced and recommended a consignment store in town to do that. Her comment was that older but stylish furniture at the store is better constructed than what is being made today unless you are paying for the expensive name brands. While there were features in this house that needed to be updated, Paul wouldn’t need to purchase items like dishes, towels, pots, pans, and lawn care tools. Price-wise she said the asking price was in the ballpark and the acre and a quarter of land did afford some privacy.

Paul signed a contract offering to purchase the property for ten percent less than what was being asked. The money he had received from the sales of his book would handle the down payment and the money he was getting for syndicating his column would handle the mortgage and the utilities’ monthly costs.

It was close to five when Paul signed the contract. He offered to buy Stacie dinner before he headed back to Austin as he was hungry since he hadn’t eaten. She accepted his offer saying her husband wasn’t expected home till later.

In driving into town she pointed out some of the stores and then pulled into the parking lot for the Blue Bon restaurant and lounge. She said the food here was good and at night the lounge was a gathering place for the locals.

Dinner with Stacie was informative. She mentioned some features of the lake and surrounding areas he was unaware of. The farm stand on Ridge Road and the u-pick orchards behind it were worth a visit she said. Regarding fishing, she said her husband looks for where the birds are diving for the bait fish that have been driven to the surface and casts into the edge of the commotion they make.