They met the realtor at the house. How many homes had they looked at that
day? Evelyn couldn't remember. Some of them had been nice, but nothing had
really jumped out at them yet. She
didn't expect this one to be any different, but as they pulled into the
driveway, already Evelyn could tell this one was different. The lot was larger than any they had seen
that day. The home was a two story with
lovely windows. It was made of wood and
brick and not covered in the plastic-looking siding. The realtor opened the front door and showed
them into a home unlike any they had yet seen.
It was old looking. Rustic. It had character and personality. The banister was real carved wood. The kitchen was a good size. Not small like the apartment they were currently
renting, but not the huge over sized kitchens Evelyn had seen in so many of the
new homes. The cupboards were real wood,
not laminate.
Every room Evelyn went into had more surprises. It was such a lovely home. It was perfect. The right number of bedrooms, a perfect sized
yard and most importantly, the house was the right price. It was perfect. Too perfect?
Why had no one bought it yet?
Evelyn asked the realtor. It had
only been on the market for two days.
Evelyn knew they needed to get working on the contract immediately. Such a home would not stay unsold for
long. Her husband Phillip agreed. They went back to the realtor's office and
wrote up their offer.
Two days later, they heard back from the realtor. Their offer had been accepted. The home was theirs. After a house inspection and some repair
work, they finally moved in. Evelyn kept re-arranging the furniture, trying to
find the best position for it in the new rooms.
Under her direction, Phillip had repainted the living room and bathrooms. She like the colors, but they were looking a
little old and dark. The new paint was
very close to the old one, but a shade or two lighter. It certainly made a huge difference. After four weeks, the house was ready and
they had their open house party. Friends
from the old apartment complex were invited.
Friends from work and church were invited. They also invited the neighbors on either
side of them, whom they had met while moving in.
They barbequed in the spacious back yard and had drinks on
the patio. Several hours later, the
guest began to leave. Evelyn took a tray
of dirty dishes to the kitchen. Her best
friend, Lucy, followed close behind with another tray of dishes. Evelyn thanked her.
"Evelyn, I love your new home," Lucy said.
"Thank you. So
do I," Evelyn laughed.
"Just out of curiosity, though, who lives in the house
across the street from you?"
"Oh, I don't know," Evelyn said. "I haven't met all the neighbors
yet. We've been so busy balancing work,
the move and updates to the house that I haven't had much time for neighbor
watching. Why do you ask?" She turned away from the sink and the piles
of dishes to look at her friend.
"It's an odd house, isn't it?" Lucy said casually.
"Is it? I
haven't really noticed," Evelyn said.
"Well, yes. It's
old and looks a little run down."
Evelyn laughed.
"This house is old and looking a little worn down. It's an old neighborhood."
Lucy chuckled, "Yes, I suppose it is. Well, let me know when you meet the
neighbors."
Evelyn plopped down on the oversized recliner after the last
guest had left. She loved having parties
and was especially proud of her new home, but it was always such a relief when
it was over. Phillip sat down on the
couch. "Glad it's over?"
"Yes. I don't
want to get up, but I guess I should take care of the dishes. I can at least get the dishwasher
loaded." Evelyn pulled herself out
of the recliner. Phillip went back
outside to clean up the patio and barbeque area. Evelyn loaded the dishwasher. Forcing herself to continue, even though she
only wanted to sit back down, she finished washing all the dishes. When they were done with the clean up, Evelyn
and Phillip sat snuggled together on the couch and watched some TV. When there was nothing else on to keep them
entertained, they headed up to bed.
Phillip turned out the light and climbed into bed. Evelyn went to the window to make sure the
curtains were pulled closed. She didn't
want the morning sun getting through the curtain before she was ready to be
woken up. Evelyn looked out the window
to the house across the street. It was
dark and she could see nothing of the house except a single light shining in
the foyer of the home. She closed the
curtains and got into bed.
******
The next morning was a Saturday. Oh how she loved Saturdays. No work to go to. Today she planned on spending the morning in
the front yard, cleaning out the flower beds and planting some new flowers
around the porch. The sun was shining
and the sky was clear. Evelyn was glad
for the tree in the front yard to provide a little bit of shade.
She had been out front many, many times since moving in and
had knew there was a house across from theirs, but she had never taken the time
to really notice it. Today she did. The home was two storied and similar in size
and shape to their own home. Probably
built around the same time, Evelyn thought.
However, the home across the street didn't look like it had been nearly
as well cared for. The roof was metal
and rusted. The gutters were bent and
broken in some places. Ivy grew up one
side of the house. All the windows were
dark and covered on the inside by dark curtains. The front door had a large piece of glass at
the top and the door frame was surrounded by panes of glass. She could see the foyer light was still on.
The lawn of the home was well cared for. It had recently been mown and the large bush
that sat in the middle of the yard was trimmed and neat. Evelyn noticed the driveway, or what was left
of it. It was a rock path, like their
own driveway, but the rocky path of the other house was completely grown over
with grass after the first three feet.
No one had used that driveway in a very long time. Evelyn shrugged her shoulders and went to
work in the flower bed.
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