Chapter 1: Luck

Man, talk about excited. I just closed on my own house. This was a goal I had set five years ago. My goal was to save up a substantial down payment, pay off all of my other debts like a stupid credit card bill, my college loans and the balance of my ego car then to find that perfect place to make it my own. I did it. Done deal.

A week ago on a mid weekday off I was driving around one morning looking at neighborhoods to consider. My plan was to find an area I liked then go to a local realtor and have them set up showings for me in my price range. But fate was on my side. Driving through a quiet neighborhood that was fairly close to my office plus convenient to a shopping mall and grocery store, there was a tiny hand written "For Sale" sign in front of a nice seemingly little home. I pulled over and just looked at the house. It was a very nice place that looked to be well kept in an older established neighborhood. All the houses in this area were probably 30 to 40 years old but all looked in excellent condition, with decent landscaping.

Thinking I had nothing to lose, I went up the steps of the porch and knocked on the door. Instantly the inside door opened and a short gray-haired woman complete with an apron and a smile, pushed the screen door open.

"Have you come to look at the house?" She asked. Using her body language to invite me in.

Not wanting to invade her space too quickly, I hesitated and said, "Yes Ma'am, I saw your sign and liked the way your home looked."

"Come in, come in, let me show you around." She said waving me in.

Just inside the door was an entryway complete with built-in hall tree and a closet. Just beyond was a living room that was filled with light from the many windows displaying older heavy comfortable furniture that looked like any Grandmother would have.

"My name is Charles Davidson." I said as we entered the living room. "Most people call me Chuck though."

The living room seemed larger than the house would have indicated. There was a staircase on the right with some double doors under it. To the back there was a swinging type door. To the left was what appeared to be a dining room. The front part of the room highlighted a stone fireplace framed by two large windows.

"Nice to meet you Mr. Davidson, I'm Nettie Baugh. Let me show you the house, okay?" She said as she led me to what was obviously the dining room. The drapes were closed in this room but when Nettie turned on the light, a beautiful chandelier that looked like crystal dazzled the room. Nettie smiled at my wonder then led me through a swinging door to the kitchen. This was a big old-fashioned kitchen with some modern touches. The counter area was really expansive and wrapped around to give a small sitting area on two sides that would be perfect for morning coffee. There was plenty of room on the other side of it for the good-sized table with six chairs. In the cooking area there was a large six-burner stove plus a very large refrigerator. Next to the frig was a closet that had my curiosity. As soon as Nettie saw my interest she opened the door to a large walk-in pantry. Wow! This is the way to have a kitchen. Next to the walk in pantry was a full bathroom complete with a shower. There was another swinging door that would open to the living room. Looking out the back windows and door I could see a large back porch that seemed well shaded with vines and plants all around it. Nettie took my hand showing me an opening with stairs going up plus a door on one side that she opened to see stairs going down. Instead of using either of the stairs, Nettie pulled me back through the swinging door that entered into the living room again. On the right outside wall was an ornate staircase going up stairs. But before we could go there, Nettie opened the double doors sort of under the stairs to find an old fashioned study with built in bookcases. We didn't stay there long but left to head up the stairs.

Upstairs seemed pretty straightforward. There was a hallway with two open doors on one side and three doors on the other plus a set of double doors at the end of the hallway. The open doors displayed two bedrooms. Nettie led me into the first room then showed me the closet and a bathroom that had a door leading into the next bedroom. We went across the hall to find a duplicate of what was on the opposite side. Next we went to the doorway almost to the end of the hall to find a small closet with a vacuum and some cleaning supplies. Then Nettie stood in front of the double doors at the end of the hall as if presenting something special.

"This is the room my husband built just for us. It is special as it was built exactly like I described to him." With that she opened the door to a huge room. There was what looked to be a queen sized canopy bed with huge posts. There was a love seat and a chair with reading lamps and end tables facing a television that was also convenient to the bed. There were four windows on two adjoining walls giving the room a lot of light. On the left wall were two doors. One was a large walk in closet and dressing area and the other a nice sized bathroom with a tub and shower.

"I have to look at the house again. It sure doesn't look this big from the front." I said astonished by the size of the whole house.

Nettie just smiled then said, "When Herbert, my late husband, built the house we didn't want it to look like it was bigger than everyone else's house. We wanted it to fit into the neighborhood. Our lot backs up to a land management area. All the lots on this side of the street are a little over six hundred feet deep. That's another nice thing."

This was really a nice place. The more I saw of it, the more I knew it was way out of my league. I figured on being able to swing a place for around a hundred fifty to maybe two hundred thousand. Using my savings as a down payment of fifty would leave me with a manageable mortgage. But this place, probably three fifty to a half a mil. If this were in a new subdivision it would be beyond expensive. This has to be way too much. I know my limits.

"Mrs. Baugh, I'm sorry to have wasted your time. Your home is way too much for me. Your place is gorgeous and is deceptively huge. It's really going to be out of my price range." I said with a sad look on my face.

"Well let's see about that young man, ah Chuck. There may be a way for us to do business if you like the house." Nettie said with a soft smile. "Let's go to the kitchen and have some coffee."

Nettie seated me at the counter then proceeded to make coffee from an espresso maker. "Do you take cream or sugar Chuck?"

"Just black Mrs. Baugh." I answered.

"Please call me Nettie. That's what my friends call me." She smiled while handing me a cup of dark coffee.

"Now Chuck, tell me about yourself and your wife and why you want a house like this." She said seating herself on another counter stool with her own cup of coffee, also black.

"I'm sorry Ma'am. I didn't mean to mislead you. I'm not married. I want to find a house of my own, to have something permanent in my life. Seems everything in life is temporary. I want to have a place for roots. I've planned to do this, set a goal for myself, saved up and now it's time for me to have my own home." I began meekly but ended with conviction.

"Whew, Chuck." Nettie said with a chuckle. "You sure do sound off, when you have something to say. You were so quiet, I wondered about you. How come no little woman?"

"Don't know ma'am." I answered. "It seems like every time I see someone for a while, they are just not the person for me. I have been pretty busy for a long time so there often has not been a lot of time. Besides, it's hard to save money if you spend a lot on dates."

"So Chuck." She started. "How much can you pay me for the house? Remember that we don't have to pay a realtor, just lawyer fees and closing fees"

"I don't know Mrs. Baugh, have you had the house appraised?" I asked. "Do you have children that could help you sell it or that should be involved?"

"Look here Chuck." She frowned. "First of all, my kids are all grown and gone. They have all moved away and can't seem to come to visit. My sister has moved to Hawaii and wants me to come there to live with her. After visiting her, I want to go. And no, I have not had the house appraised. I tried to sell the house with a realtor but they never brought anyone out to show the house. They started out listing the house for three hundred and fifty thousand then reduced the price twenty-five thousand after three weeks. They kept asking me to list for less till the last time it was advertised for two hundred thousand. They said that it was a nice neighborhood but in the more run down area of the city. I can't understand that because everything around here is being spruced up. This little neighborhood, this street, has only eight houses that are all in perfect condition. The commercial area is rebuilding. And they just finished that brand new huge mall. There are two grocery stores within a couple of miles of here and we have no crime."

Nettie shook her head wondering about what she had just said. "The listing ran out so when they came and took the sign down, I put up my own. The first day it's up, today, I have a potential buyer in my kitchen. So it must be fate." She looked me in the eye and asked, "So what will you buy the house for."

"I don't know what to say ma'am." I said shaking my head looking down. "The house is worth a whole lot more than two hundred thousand, probably worth every bit of the three fifty. But my budget and what I could get a mortgage for is probably about one fifty to two hundred."

"You want the house Chuck?" She asked.

"Sure, I'd love to have this as my home."

"Sold." She said.

"What?"

"Sold, you just bought a house. Let me call my lawyer and we'll go down and get this show on the road." She said getting up going to the phone on the wall.

"Huh? Pardon?"

Nettie waved at me to be quiet as she talked on the phone. She was explaining to someone that she had sold her house and needed the paper work to be put together. She was telling the person on the phone that she needed to come down right then so they could print it all up so we could sign it.

She hung up the phone and turned to me, "Let me get my purse then you can give me a ride in that fancy car you have. I'll explain everything on the way."