Chapter 13

A woman packs for every possible occurrence ... and then Murphy takes over. But before the packing Mom asked, "Where are we going in Pentwater?"

"I've spoken to the real estate agent here. He has spoken to the realtor there. There are exactly three places for sale on the north side of the lake." I paused for the sake of drama.

Mother made that motion with her hand that signifies, hurry up, asshole. We don't need no stinking drama.

"The house on the north east corner of Dover and Second ... it's a three story with five bedrooms up ... they share a bath, a master bedroom down with bath and living room, dining room and kitchen. It's big and old. Recently roofed ... the attic has seven foot ceilings and it's one big room ... it has a bath. The place has a basement. It is across the street from the Yacht Club. Its detractions are it's old ... it's big ... it needs new windows and the furnace needs replacing. But it's cheap. $18 thousand. and it's empty. Its attractions are I get my own room.

"House number two is that nifty home on Green Street. The one with the boathouse, dock and seawall. The water at the lake end of the dock is 75 feet deep ... you can put a large boat there and not worry.

The house is older than the three story. It's cozy. Low ceilings ... rustic but each of the four bedrooms have a bath. According to the realtor it's been totally gone through ... and it's 25 grand.

"Before I tell you about house number three I want you to tell me true ... do you REALLY want to live next door to Jean?

"She works ... you'll have to babysit ... all of your sisters visit ... you'll have to babysit ... your brother will visit ... you'll have to babysit.

"Daddy will only be there on weekends and they'll want you to stay home and babysit. They'll want to party on the boat and you'll have to babysit while they go cruising.

"You're the oldest ... it'll be expected of you.

"Your mom and dad live in Shelby on purpose ... they don't have to babysit. They only visit when the kids have a sitter. You will be that sitter if you live next door to Jean.

"Grace will NOT babysit ... unless she is paid seven dollars an hour. And it doesn't interfere with her plans.

"The house next door to Jean and Al ... and their numerous offspring was built last year to replace the house that burned while the fire department was at the fire downtown."

"After all these years, somebody bought the lot?" Mother was fairly amazed.

The fire I speak of burned everything from the bank to the Antler Bar. A few years ago some rich Chicago woman and her daughter organized a clean up an paid for it. There's a pretty little park there now. During the fire an ember settled on the roof of the house next door to Jean and Al and burned that sucker to the foundation. It's a huge lot and the new house is correspondingly huge ... and very modern ... I hate it.

"Yes, mother ... somebody bought the lot.

"The house is on a slab so the heating is electric baseboards. It has new everything ... it should ... it's a new house. The bad? An arm, a leg and your first born child. It was built on speculation and the bank wants to turn it."

"What about the south side of the Lake?"

"Nearly every home on the south side is for sale. The bridge is gone and no firm will insure any home on the south side. There are huge houses and not one of them will list for more than seven thousand ... and the owners will dicker. I'm serious ... no insurance. If one of them burns the forest will go up too. If the forest burns the homeowner will be billed by the state. The Pentwater Fire Department has a motto. We've never lost a South-side basement, yet.

"If you want a boat..."

"Yacht, David ... I don't want a boat I want a yacht."

"If you want a yacht you can have one at Pentwater, Ludington or on Betsie Lake. Unless you don't want Pentwater at all."

"I never thought about babysitting ... they'd do it to me ... if I'd let them."

"As for south we could start looking in New Buffalo ... New Buffalo is really too close to Gary and Chicago.

"Benton Harbor? No?

"How about Saugatuck? I know ... you hate the name.

"Holland? Too many tulips?

"Port Sheldon? Sheldon has that huge coal fired power plant.

"The huge ports are out I won't buy there.

What about Whitehall? ... Whitehall is pretty."

Mother ... ever impractical suggested, "How about our own jetty to the big lake?"

Daddy had the answer, "Can't be done ... Federal regulations."

So I bought the big three story, corner of Dover and Second ... just for family.