Hope's River

by McHeyzer , Margaret

  “Huh,” she huffs. “Good for you, girly. Do you like it?”

  “I love it. My brother’s my plumber, and I’m good with the design, but also with the hard work. You know, demo, building, laying tiles if I have to, floors, framing, dry-wall. Virtually everything.”

  “Here.” She thrusts a bowl of salad into my hand. “Make yourself useful. Go set the table. You’ll find all the plates under here.” She indicates with her head. The dining table is large, and can easily accommodate twelve people with room to add more. I set the bowl down, then head back into the kitchen to get two plates, and two sets of cutlery. “I assume you’ll be staying in my stable for a while?”

  “Until I can live in the house, yes.”

  “Like I said before, I’ll meet your brother before I decide if I want to let him stay with you.”

  “Do you live here on your own?”

  She nods. “I do. From time to time my niece Tabitha comes to stay.”

  “You don’t have kids of your own?” I ask.

  The moment the question leaves my lips, I automatically regret it. May stiffens, and I see a sorrow pass through her. “Marriage and children weren’t in the cards for me,” she softly says.

  I feel terrible. “I’m sorry. I was rude for asking.”

  She flicks her hand at me. “Hush, girly. No need to apologize. Now, the tart should be ready. Grab some glasses from the top shelf, and there’s a jug of freshly made lemon iced tea in the fridge.” She takes the tart out, places it on the counter, and gets a wooden board to slide it onto.

  I get the lemon iced tea and two glasses and set them on the dining room table. “Do you need any more help?”

  “No. Sit. Eat.” She pulls a chair out, sits and piles the food on her plate.

  I sit diagonal to her, and when she’s finished, I help myself. “Did you know Old Roger?”

  “Of course. Everyone knows everyone else here.”

  “Can you tell me anything about him or his family?”

  “Old Roger’s family was one of the original ones to settle in Hope River. He came from a long line of McGraths, and they paved the way for future generations. However, as time went on, a lot left and only a small handful stayed, Roger being one of the last.”

  “The house sounds like it has a lot of history. Is there a town library where I can go to research it? Maybe I’ll find some information on the house, or the family. Do you know anything that might help me? Was Old Roger married? Did he have kids?”

  May eats her tart carefully, as she stares down at her salad. A small smile tugs at her lips, before quickly disappearing. “Roger was married but his wife passed from cancer. They had two sons.” She looks to me, but I can see there’s a touch of sadness. May turns her head, and stares at nothing. She blinks quite fast, then suddenly takes a deep breath, smiles widely, and keeps talking. “He had two boys, Henry and Carl.”

  “And where are they now?”

  “Carl passed away when he was only a few months of age. Died of what they called cot death back then. And Henry died when he was twenty-one. Roger lost so much. But he went on to live in his house, and became a cranky old bastard. Everyone knew it was because he lost his wife, then two years later he lost Henry. After that, Roger became a recluse. Refused help from the townsfolk, didn’t want anything to do with anyone.”

  “How sad,” I say as I find myself engrossed with the story of Old Roger. “What did Henry die from?”

  May hesitates for a second, before she continues eating. “It rocked the entire town. It was like Roger’s family had a curse on them. Henry died from being struck by a train. He’d gone out with his friends, and they got to drinking. He stumbled on the train tracks and didn’t see the train approaching.” Something tells me there’s more to the story then she says.

  “How devastating.”

  “It was enough to cause Roger to shut down any emotional connection to anyone. Can’t say I blame him really. The town rallied around him, but he was never the same after Henry died.”

  “How long ago did Old Roger pass away?”

  “Many years now, girly. Many, many years. I’m sure you’ll find all the information in the library.”

  “Thank you, May. I appreciate the information.”

  “Do you have a team of people you’ll be bringing here to help with whatever you’re going to do to the house?”

  I straighten in my seat, and let out a huff. “I do have a team of people, but I doubt I’ll be bringing them here. I need to clear my head, so I’m thinking of putting in a lot of the sweat equity myself. And my brother, Charlie, he’s just finishing up on a house we’ve flipped, and he’ll get it ready to sell.”

  “Tell me something, girly, do you make good money doing this flipping business?” She waves her hand around.

  “It’s always a gamble. Sometimes I buy houses sight unseen, and find they need more work than they’re worth. Usually I do my due diligence on a property before I buy it. But for some reason, I didn’t with Old Roger’s house. And that’s completely uncharacteristic for me. But something about that house spoke to me. Sometimes, I prefer to restore than demolish and start again. Charlie on the other hand, would much rather we level and start again.”

  “So you’ll be putting in a lot of work yourself then?”

  “Most of it. Of course, there are things I can’t do.”

  “Like what?”

  “I’m not a plumber, but Charlie can do that. I can’t run the electricals, or do the rough-in for them. I’ll be looking for an electrician, and maybe a small team to help.”

  “You’ll be coming to the flower festival on Saturday, won’t you? You’ll meet a lot of people there who could probably help you.” I look at May and shrug. “Girly, no one told you about the flower festival?” I shake my head. “Saturday morning Main Street will be closed, and by lunchtime, there’ll be a large table down the center, where we all come together and each bring a plate or a bowl of food.”

  “Where do the flowers come into this? Because it sounds more like a street party then a flower festival.”

  May laughs, then leans over and places her aging hand on my arm. “I’m not giving anything away. But you’ll be there? Don’t worry, we’ll go together, and no one will say a word if you don’t bring a dish.”

  Wait, now I have to cook something? “I can make some things. I’m really good at making…” I stop to think what I’m good at. “Um.” I tap my finger to my chin, thinking. “I can make a mean grilled cheese.”

  May chuckles. “I’m sure you can. But it’s okay, you don’t need to bring anything to this one. But you may want to get some cooking lessons while you’re here, because I can guarantee, the next one you’ll have to bring a plate of something.”

  Where am I going to get cooking lessons? I don’t have time for cooking lessons. “Oh, okay,” I say with concern.

  May chuckles again. “You are so easy to read. I can see the cogs turning in your head. I’ll call you when I’m making something I think you can easily learn. Don’t worry.”

  “Thank you.” That takes the pressure off. At least this way, I know if I’m here long enough for another one of these flower festivals, I don’t need to bust my ass learning how to cook because May’s going to give me some lessons. “What do you love about the town, May?”

  “Everything. It’s my home. I was born here. But I’ll tell you what, the moment I could walk, I was out there helping in the stables, growing the vegetables. You haven’t seen around the side, have you?”

  “No, what’s there?”

  “My little vegetable patch. I’ll take you out there when you have time.”

  “I’d love to see it. Thank you.”

  “Now eat.” She pointedly looks at my barely eaten food. “And I’ll be offended if you don’t go back for seconds. A girly like you needs her energy to work on houses all day.”

  “I’m not working on one now. If I eat for two, I’ll end up looking like two people.”

  “H
ush, girl. You’ll be at that house before you know it.” She cuts another piece of the tasty tart, and slides it on my plate.

  “Thank you,” I reply. Truth be told, it’s damned delicious, so I’m okay with it. I like May. I have a feeling May and I are going to form a firm friendship. I like her. And I have a feeling she likes me too.

  “I’ve got the keys a day early. When do you think you’ll be done there?” I ask Charlie as I sit in my truck outside Old Roger’s house.

  “I can be there on Monday.”

  “Okay, that gives me time to have a look inside, get a plan together, and arrange for a dumpster. How’s Acacia going? Is it done?”

  “Yeah, it’s finished. We got a full price offer before it was even shown.”

  “What? Who…how?” I’m so relieved that house is done. It means I can give Grady what’s owed to him, and we can split cleanly. Even though he doesn’t deserve my consideration.

  “One of the neighbor’s daughters came and asked if she could have a look just before we got the staging in. She asked what we wanted for it, and I told her. She walked away, and when the staging crew showed up, she did too. With her checkbook. Paid full price.”

  “Get out. Just like that?” I ask.

  “Yeah, just like that. She said she loves the fact it’ll accommodate her family, and she loves how close it is to her parents too. So, Acacia is officially in escrow.”

  “Okay, this is fantastic. Well, I’ll text you the address. You have to meet May first. If she likes you, she’ll let you stay with me. If not, then you’ll have to sleep in your truck.” I laugh.

  “Fuck. It’s one of those towns, is it?” He huffs. “Am I going to have to wear long sleeves to cover up my tattoos?”

  “Nah, the town’s real estate agent has two full sleeves. The tattoos are fine.”

  “Any tips to get on this May chick’s good side?”

  “She’s a character, I’ll give her that. She’s straight up, and says what she thinks. You’ll be fine. But you can’t bring anyone random around here. No one-nighters.” I hear Charlie groan.

  “Fine, I’ll behave myself. Anyway, give me a damage report at what we’re looking at. When do you go in?”

  “I’m sitting out in front of the house now. As soon as I get off the phone to you, I’ll head inside, though the front porch is rotted.” I look up the house. “And there’s an ivy snaking its way up and into the house.”

  “Maybe it’s best if you wait for me,” he says, his voice etched with worry. “Yeah, wait ’til Monday. It’s only three days and I’ll be there.”

  “Nope, I’m going in today. I know what I’m doing, Charlie. You don’t have to worry about me.”

  “I know you know what you’re doing. And I do have to worry about you, because I love you. Mom and Dad will kill me if you go and break your neck on a house flip.”

  I laugh. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever. I’ll be careful.”

  “Keep your phone on you, in case you need me.”

  “Alright. See you Monday. I sent you the address, yeah?”

  “Uh-huh. See you then, sis.”

  He hangs up, and I turn to look at the house. “Let’s see what we’re working with,” I say as I get out of my truck and carefully make my way across the front porch to the door of this old, derelict Victorian. The wooden porch is significantly rotted, and will need to be completely replaced. I tread carefully, making sure my leg doesn’t go through the decayed timbers.

  There’s got to be close to twenty keys on this keychain, which means finding the front door key will be a process of elimination. I take the packet of colored Sharpies out of my back pocket. On the third key attempt, I manage to open the door. I color code it black.

  Opening the front door, the first thing that hits me is the smell. Like something’s died, and it probably has. A skunk, dog, cat, God knows what we’ll find in here once demo begins. I let the initial smell leave, cover my nose with my hand, and walk through the open foyer.

  There’s no denying this house is in need of major repairs. There are holes in the walls, and the balustrade on the staircase is barely existent. But the moldings are intricate and beautiful. We’ll have to be careful with those, because I want to keep them, or at the very least, replicate them. I take loads of pictures with my phone.

  Moving into what I think is the formal dining room, I look around. This room is grand, and in its heyday, must have been very elegant. There ceiling height has to be at least fifteen feet. “Wow,” I say as I walk through.

  This house has an amazing feeling to it. There’s something majestic, but mysterious too. Whenever I go into these old houses, my skin always breaks out in goosebumps. They’re so exciting, and I become giddy wondering what secrets they hold.

  I walk over and place my hand to the wall. “I bet you’ve witnessed some amazing things in your life, haven’t you?” I gently stroke the wall. “Have you got some secrets you want to tell me?” I whisper. Smiling, I can only imagine what this breathtaking house has seen, and heard. “I’m going to rebuild you, old girl. But in order to get you back to your beauty, I have to tear you down first. It’s going to hurt, and you may think I’m not doing the right thing, but please just trust me.”

  Moving my hand, I turn and walk through a narrow door. “This isn’t up to code,” I say as I walk into a completely non-functional kitchen with no windows and cabinet doors falling off their hinges, or non-existent. “Nope, this won’t do. Good size, though. What do you think, old girl? Would you like a nice big kitchen? We’ll remove this wall and open you up to that massive dining room. What’s in this side?” There’s another door, which leads to an awkward, tiny half-bathroom. “That’s revolting. Nope, you can’t stay.” I place my hand to the wall in the kitchen. “It’s okay, you’re in good hands now. I promise I’ll look after you.”

  Leaving the kitchen through the narrow door, I cross the entrance, and go to the left of the lower level. There’s another large room identical to the dining room, and behind it what appears to may be a bedroom. “Alright, this is weird.” And there’s another door to the side of it. When I open, it leads me into another room. “It’s a maze, right?” That room has another door, and when I walk through it, I see the back of the staircase. Some kind of weird maze? Right then, let’s move on.

  I’m careful as I make my way up the stairs, because I can see some of the treads have rotted. Upstairs there’s a narrow, incredibly dark hallway that leads to three large bedrooms, one smaller bedroom, and one upstairs bathroom.

  “Ugh, carpet.” The carpet upstairs in horrendous. It’s stained, and old, and doesn’t fit in with any of the millions of ideas going through my mind. Kneeling down, I peel the edge of the carpet back and thankfully beneath is beautiful hardwood flooring, matching the downstairs.

  “My head is going crazy right now, old girl. I’m going to make you just as beautiful as you were when you were first built. I’ll get to drawing up plans tonight.”

  I’ve seen what I need to see on the inside, now I need to check the back garden out. Carefully, I go down the stairs, and I’m surprised to find there’s no internal exit to the back yard. Wow, how bizarre.

  Walking out the front, I’m careful not to fall through the holes in the porch or front steps, and navigate through the thigh-high weeds to the back.

  “Well, the good news is, blank slate.” I turn, trying to figure out why there’s no door opening on the back yard. “Totally bizarre. But hey, don’t worry, we’ll get there.”

  I head back to the truck, and send Charlie all the photos I’ve been taking. Within moments he calls. “Alright, don’t hold back,” I say as I answer the phone.

  “Am I bringing the gasoline and the lighter?”

  “No, you’re bringing our tools.”

  “Hope, it looks like the only decent thing are those floors.”

  “I’m fairly certain, they are the only decent thing.”

  “Let’s tear it down, and start again. How large is the land?”
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  “Nearly an acre.”

  “Shit, that’s massive. We can split it and put two houses on that, sell it for more.” I’m shaking my head. Old Roger’s house speaks to me. She’s whispering her pleas not to tear her down. “Oh man,” Charlie sighs. “I know by that silence, you’re not going to tear this house down, are you?”

  “Nope.”

  “We’re going to restore it, aren’t we?” I begin nodding. “You’re nodding, aren’t you?”

  “Yep.”

  “How long do you think it’ll be before we get the permits?”

  “That’s like asking how long is a piece of string. I’ll work on the plans tonight, and hopefully I’ll get them submitted early next week.”

  “Wait, you don’t need me down at Hicksville yet?”

  I smile. “It’s actually quite nice here, Charlie. You may even like it?”

  “Are there clubs and restaurants?”

  “No and no.”

  “Then there’s no chance I’ll like it. I’m going, I’ll head down on Monday. I’m going to get my fill of parties, alcohol, and sex, because I’m not going to get that again for at least four or five months while we’re in No-Fun Hicksville.”

  “Honestly, you’re an ass. But get it out of your system now, because none of that goes on here.”

  “Yay,” Charlie says in a deadpan voice. “Great. Really looking forward to this one. Make me a promise.”

  “What?”

  “Let’s flip this damn house, and promise me you’ll never stray so far again.”

  “We’ll see.” I shrug. Old Roger’s house and I have got an intimate connection. One I can’t quite explain to anyone. “See you soon.”

  “Ugh. Bye.”

  Hanging up, I head back to my truck, rustle through the paperwork to make sure I have all the specifications, and start the drive back to May’s. I need to take a good look at this, and decide what I’m going to do with this old girl.

  Shit, I didn’t lock the house. I highly doubt squatters would break in now, but I better lock her up before I leave. Turning my truck around, I get up to the house and search for the keys in my pockets. “Shit, where are they?” I pat my pockets again, to no avail. I must’ve dropped them inside somewhere.