Chapter 19

Brent had no ambition to pack up everything for the move to Castlegar. He decided to leave it all to the movers. He had sold the house in less than three weeks for a price he thought was well above what buyers in their right mind would pay. It was a big relief and allowed him to concentrate on finding a home in their new town. Andrea and Scott accompanied him to every viewing. He wanted their approval too. They found their new home just off Crowsnest Highway, southwest of town, in a new subdivision. It was a three bedroom ranch-style house with a walk-out basement and was half the price of their home in Langley. All three agreed this was the ideal house.

Andrea had her driver's license now and was teaming with her dad to get Scott where he needed to go. Scott was counting the days until he was sixteen and could get his license. Andrea had inherited her mother's Toyota Corolla, and was enjoying her new-found freedom. She had made a decision about her future, and it was time to share it with her dad and Scott.

"Dad, you know how we talked about me going to university next year?" she began.

He father nodded as he slowly chewed his dinner.

"Well, here's what I've decided. I want to go to Selkirk College here in town for two years and then I'll decide which university. Is that OK with you?"

"Sure, as long as you can transfer and you can get the courses you want," he said positively.

"I want to be near home for a while. You guys need me around until we get settled. Somebody has to know how to cook," she smirked.

"Uh, yah, but ... to tell the truth, I was thinking about hiring a housekeeper to do that. Someone who can clean and cook and do the washing ... that sort of thing. You'll have your courses and homework. I don't want you to be tied down being the house-mother here," he said, pausing to let them digest what he had just implied.

"Well, that's OK, I guess. I'll still feel better if I'm around to keep an eye on things," she said with finality.

"OK, Ma," Brent laughed. He marveled at how seriously she had taken her role as the female head of the family. He was enormously proud of her, and he thought it wouldn't be that many years when some young guy would be coming to ask him for her hand in marriage. She was seventeen, going on twenty-seven. She had grown up in a big hurry.

"Look, Andy ... this is the time of your life to enjoy yourself. You'll get more than your share of housekeeping practice in the future. I want you to go to school and enjoy your friends and see what's going on in the outside world. I don't want you tied down here like some live-in domestic. Is that clear?" he asked in a serious tone.

Andrea looked at her father and understood he was very serious and that he was releasing her from her self-imposed responsibilities. She smiled at this man who had lost so much and yet had so much to give. She stood, went to him, embraced him and kissed him. Nothing more needed to be said except, "Thanks, Dad. But I want some input on who we hire, agreed?"

"Agreed," he said reluctantly. He looked to Scott for acknowledgement and received a shrug in return. Brent wondered how difficult it would be to hire someone who could live up to Andrea's exacting standards. Woe betide the person who failed to meet them.

They found someone. Her name was Ludmilla Dubrinski and she was of local, Dukhabor origin. She was a sturdy woman with a round face, blonde hair, and a big smile. Her husband was a farmer and she kept house to provide the extra money they needed to help their children get a good education. Her ambition was to see all three of them attend university for at least two years. Her husband, Petr, thought wasting good money on their daughter, Tanya, was complete foolishness. She would marry and bear children for her husband and have no need of a college education. Their sons, Marcus and Adrian, needed the education more than Tanya. It was old-world values against new-world realities. It was a conflict that Ludmilla and Petr had waged in gentle terms for several years now. He knew he would lose, but he had to make sure his wife had no doubt about his opinion.

Brent had embraced his new job with enthusiasm. He loved the workmanship and beauty of the pine millwork. The windows and doors in particular were almost works of art. They featured thirty different door designs and their windows and custom window-walls were graceful, structurally sound, and could be configured to whatever design the customer required. Brent had already discussed replacing the vinyl double-hung windows in his home with the slim casements that suited the existing openings. He would wait until the business was less hectic and he could find someone to do the installation.

His sales plan was to co-ordinate his efforts around the three main customer locations - Edmonton, Calgary, and the local mountain resorts. His secondary plan was to develop a new market on the coast; particularly in Whistler. The Winter Olympics would bring in millions of development dollars and he wanted Verano Custom Millwork to be able to take advantage of the resulting boom. Charlie endorsed the plan with the proviso that they didn't take on more work than they could handle. He had little doubt that Brent could bring in new business.