Tiny House, Big Fix

by Gail Anderson-Dargatz

  I PARKED THE TRUCK in front of Maggie’s school. Aside from the gym and office, the building was made up of a line of classrooms. Each class had its own outside door, like in a strip mall.

  The buses, parents and teachers were long gone. My daughter sat alone on the outside steps of her classroom, hugging her knees. Even when Maggie was in a crowd of other kids, she was easy to spot. Taking after me, she had an unruly mop of bright-red curls. Anyone could tell she was my daughter. Now that I worked in construction, she’d even started dressing down like me, in jeans and T-shirts.

  “What took you so long?” she sobbed as I got out of the truck. Her freckled face was red from crying.

  I wrapped my arm around her. “I got here as quickly as I could,” I said. “But I had to drive from my job site, honey. That took a little while.”

  “Everybody left,” she said. “Even the principal’s gone. My teacher had to stay and watch me.”

  She pointed to the classroom window. Her teacher gave me a stern look before disappearing into the room. That’s just great, I thought. We hadn’t even had “meet the teacher” night, and the woman already had a bad impression of me.

  I wiped the tears from Maggie’s cheeks. “I’m so sorry you had to wait, baby,” I said. “But there’s nothing to worry about. Zoe just missed her bus again. Now we have to drive into town and pick her up. You know what that means, don’t you?” I grinned.

  Her face brightened. “We get pizza for supper!”

  “You got that right!” We always stop for pizza on our way home from our weekly shopping trip into town. When I’d picked up Zoe at her school earlier that week, we’d bought pizza then too. It occurred to me that maybe this wasn’t the best parenting move. Was pizza one of the reasons Zoe was missing her bus again?

  But on second thought, I doubted it. Aside from getting my attention, I suspected her new friend Jason was the real reason she’d stayed in town.

  “Okay,” I said to Maggie. “Grab your stuff and jump in the truck.”

  “Can I ride in the front?” Maggie asked as she picked up her backpack. “On the way home from town too?”

  “You sure can.” I would make Zoe sit in the back seat of the crew cab on the way home. As the oldest, she usually sat in the front. Not this time. Not after missing the bus and making me drive all the way into town.

  “Buckle up,” I told Maggie as she got in the truck.

  I pulled onto the highway to head into town, passing through our village. Our little town is a tourist spot, on the edge of the lake. In the summer, city people flock here from all over. Many of them own cottages along the beach.

  The summer people come for the water and sandy shoreline, but also for the surrounding landscape. My drive into town follows the lake through lovely rolling hills. Vineyards grow on many of them. There are a lot of wineries in the area.

  But I wasn’t in a mood to enjoy the beauty this day. Now that I had time to think, I fretted about my landlady’s call. If Ruby wanted to talk to me in person, I figured she must want to raise the rent.

  I knew rental prices had gone way up. There was a housing shortage in the area because so many people had moved here for work. They were buying and renting homes, and that was pushing up both housing prices and rent. More and more people were building homes too. That was good for Bruce’s construction business and meant steady work for me. But I knew many families were having a hard time finding affordable places to live. If Ruby wanted to raise my rent, I wasn’t sure how I would make ends meet. I pretty much used up each month’s pay as it was. My ex-husband, Kevin, did pay child support. But that small monthly amount didn’t go far.

  “You okay, Mommy?” Maggie asked as we stopped at the first traffic light in town. “Is something wrong? You look so sad.” My youngest daughter always picks up on my mood.

  “I’m fine,” I said. I smoothed her wild red hair as we waited for the light to turn green. “I’m just tired. Everything’s good.” I put on a smile for her sake.

  As I drove into the high school parking lot, I was surprised to find Zoe actually there. She had been acting out so much lately. I’d thought she might go to the mall even though I’d told her to wait at the school. But there she was, sitting on the front steps with a skinny, blue-haired boy. Jason, I imagined.

  As soon as I pulled up to the curb, the boy slunk off like he was afraid to meet me. So, I thought, Jason isn’t just a friend. Zoe, my little girl, had a boyfriend already.

  I studied my oldest daughter as she picked up her backpack. Almost overnight she’d grown up. Zoe is more like my husband, tall and lean. Her hair is darker than mine, a reddish brown. While Maggie and I let our hair grow wild, Zoe insists on stylish cuts.

  She dresses far better than Maggie and me too. Today she wore jeans, but hers had flared legs with hummingbirds embroidered on them. Her lace blouse had bell sleeves, and her curls were tamed with a scarf.

  Zoe opened the front passenger door. “Took you long enough,” she said. Then she gave me the stink eye. “I’ve been waiting, like, forever. Why didn’t you let me hang out at the mall with Jason?”

  “Don’t talk to me like that, young lady,” I said. “And you have some nerve complaining. I had to leave work early and drive all the way into town just because you missed your bus. And I know you missed it on purpose. You just wanted to spend more time with that boy.”

  “His name is Jason.” Zoe didn’t bother to argue further. I was clearly right. She had purposefully missed her bus. Instead, she punched Maggie’s arm. “Get out of my seat, munchkin.”

  “Zoe,” I said, warning her.

  “Ow!” Maggie complained, though I knew it didn’t really hurt. She pushed Zoe back from the door with both hands. “Get out of here. Mom said I could ride in the front.”

  “I never ride in the back,” Zoe said. She sniffed like that was beneath her.

  “You are today,” I said firmly. “Get in the back.”

  “But—”

  I held up my hand to stop her from saying anything more. In response, she slammed the front door shut. Then she yanked open the back door of the crew cab and threw her backpack inside. “This sucks,” she said as she got in. “I’ve got, like, zero legroom.”

  “Maybe next time you’ll think twice about missing the bus.” I turned to face her. “This has got to stop, Zoe. My boss told me I could lose my job if I keep leaving work early. And I can’t afford the gas for all these useless trips.”

  Zoe slumped in her seat. “Whatever,” she mumbled. But her pale cheeks grew blotchy like they always do when she is upset or embarrassed. She knew she’d messed up.

  As I pulled onto the highway Zoe caught my eye in the mirror. “Pizza for supper?” she asked hopefully. “I promise I won’t miss the bus again.” Then she offered me a sheepish grin that lit up her pretty face.

  I shook my head and smiled despite myself. I knew that was the closest my daughter would come to saying she was sorry.

  “Yeah,” I said. “We’ll stop for pizza.”

  FOUR

  MY LANDLADY, Ruby, was waiting on the deck of our rental when we finally got home. The house was a small bungalow with cedar siding. Nothing much to look at, not like the home I’d lost through the divorce.

  The house I once owned with my ex-husband is a two-story Edwardian-era building. I did a lot of renos on our old place. But we’d had to take out loans to do the work. When we sold the house, the bank still owned most of it.

  I’d loved our old place, and I knew the girls had too. It was a real step down to move from that great home into this rental. But the bungalow was close to Maggie’s school and on a quiet rural road. It came with a good-sized yard with fruit trees.

  There was also room to park our travel trailer. That travel trailer was the one thing I’d insisted on keeping during the divorce, and my ex-husband agreed. It was old, and the roof leaked, so it wasn’t worth much. But the kids had good memories of camping in it. We still used it now and again, for getting away
on weekends.

  After we got out of the truck, Ruby said hello to the girls. Then Zoe carried the box of leftover pizza into the house, and Maggie followed. I invited Ruby inside, but she shook her head. “Let’s talk out here,” she said. She glanced at the girls before they closed the door.

  So she didn’t want them hearing our conversation.

  “What’s this about?” I asked.

  “You may have read there’s a housing crisis in the area,” she said. “Housing prices are going through the roof. No pun intended.” She smiled a little. “People are having trouble finding places to live.”

  “You’re going to raise our rent, aren’t you?”

  “I’m afraid it’s worse than that,” she said.

  My voice rose in panic. “You’re selling this house?”

  She shook her head. “No, I’m keeping the place. But my daughter and her family are moving back into the area. My son-in-law found work here. He starts this week, as a matter of fact. I’m thrilled, of course. But—”

  “But they haven’t found a place to live.”

  Ruby nodded. “And my daughter is expecting. She’s due to have her baby the second week in October. They already have two toddlers, twins. Things are rather desperate for them. They need a place to live, now.”

  I felt my stomach sink. “You’ve offered them this house.”

  “Yes.”

  “But we need the place!” I cried. “You’re asking us to move? What are we supposed to do?” When I saw the shocked expression on her face, I took a deep breath to calm my anger. “I’m sorry about my outburst. It’s just…you said I was the best renter you’d ever had. You have no reason to kick us out. No legal reason.”

  “I know. But my daughter is pregnant. And family comes first. You must understand.”

  “Can’t your family stay with you until they find something?”

  “The house you’re living in now was the one I shared with my husband. When he died, I moved into a one-bedroom seniors’ apartment in town. There simply isn’t room at my place for my daughter, her husband and her kids. They would have no place to sleep.”

  I sighed. “I understand,” I said. “I’ll start searching for another place. We’ll be out before November.”

  “I need you out of the house before October first.”

  “October first! But that’s less than a month from now. You’re supposed to give us two months’ notice.”

  “My daughter doesn’t have two months.” Ruby held out both hands, pleading. “As it is, I’ve given you more time than we can afford. Think about it from our point of view. My daughter will have to move and then have a baby, all within two weeks. And she has the twins to worry about.”

  “Ruby, I need more time to find a place for my kids. As you just said, there’s a housing crisis.”

  “I’m sorry, Sadie. I wish I didn’t have to ask you to move. But I’ve got to look out for my daughter and her family.”

  “I’m within my rights to file a complaint, you know.”

  “I hope you won’t make an issue out of it. That would only lead to bad feelings all around. You can hardly expect a pregnant mother to go without a home.”

  “Of course not,” I said. “But you’ve put me in an impossible position.”

  “My daughter is in a bad place too. Don’t blame me. Blame the housing shortage.”

  “Okay,” I said, resigned. “We’ll be out of here by the end of the month.”

  “Thanks, Sadie.”

  Just then I saw Maggie, watching us from behind the screen of the kitchen window. Zoe stood behind her. We’d left that window wide open.

  Ruby followed my gaze until she saw the girls. “Well, I’ll leave you to pass on the news,” she said. But I knew I didn’t have to. My daughters had heard every word Ruby and I had said.

  I raked my hands through my hair as I watched Ruby drive away. Maggie ran out and wrapped her arms around my waist. I hugged her back. Zoe followed, with our cat, Mr. Snuggles, trailing behind.

  “Well, that sucks,” Zoe said.

  I nodded. “Yes, it does.”

  “You should fight it,” said Zoe. “Like you said, file a complaint or something.”

  “Yes, but what’s the point?” I asked. “You heard Ruby. Her daughter is expecting a baby. And she has young children. This is Ruby’s house, after all. She has every right to offer it to her daughter.”

  “You said she’s supposed to give us two months’ notice.”

  “Yes, she is. But I don’t feel good about making things harder on a pregnant mom. With a move ahead of her, she’s already under enough stress as it is. We’ll just have to find another place to live.”

  “Where?” Maggie asked.

  “I’m not sure yet, honey. But we’ll figure something out.”

  “Can I take my tree fort to our new place?” Maggie asked.

  I glanced over at the platform in the crook of the old Manitoba maple. Maggie and I had built that tree fort together. I make a point of teaching my girls building skills. Zoe isn’t really into it, but Maggie enjoys working with her hands. I can see her going into the trades when she is older.

  “We’ll leave the fort for the kids who are about to move in here,” I said. “They’ll love it.”

  “But it’s my tree fort! I built it!”

  “We can’t take it with us, honey.” I tried to smile as I stated the obvious. “The tree has to stay here.”

  “What about Mr. Snuggles?” Maggie asked.

  I bent to scratch the cat’s head. “We won’t leave our kitty behind,” I said. “He’s family.”

  Zoe picked up Mr. Snuggles, cuddling the cat. “I don’t want to move again,” said Zoe. “I still miss our old house.”

  “I do too,” I said. “And I don’t want to move either. I thought we’d be here for a while.”

  “It’s okay, Mom,” Maggie said. Then she echoed me. “We’ll figure something out.”

  “You got that right,” I said. “We’ll find a place, even if we have to move to a new community.”

  Maggie looked panicked, as if she might cry. “I don’t want to leave my school.”

  “And I’m not leaving my friends.”

  “You mean you’re not leaving Jason, your boyfriend,” said Maggie.

  “Shut up,” said Zoe.

  “You shut up,” said Maggie.

  Zoe dropped Mr. Snuggles to the ground, and the cat charged off. “Why did you and Dad have to get divorced anyway?” Zoe asked me. “You ruined everything.”

  I didn’t know what to say to that. My marriage had ended when my husband had an affair. It hurt to think Zoe blamed me for the divorce. I put my hand over my mouth as I blinked away the tears.

  Maggie hugged me again. “You’re making Mom cry,” she told Zoe.

  Zoe growled in frustration as she marched into the house. She slammed the kitchen door shut behind her.

  “You okay, Mom?” Maggie asked.

  “Oh, honey,” I said, wiping my eyes. “I’m the one who should be asking that.”

  “We’ll be fine, right?”

  “Yes, we’ll be just fine.” But my voice trembled a little as I said it, betraying me. I wasn’t sure of anything in that moment. Still, I put on a brave face and took her hand. “We had our pizza. How about we have some ice cream for dessert?”

  Maggie jumped in excitement. “Ice cream!” she shouted, as if that would make everything better.

  FIVE

  I SPENT SATURDAY and Sunday searching online for places to rent. I quickly realized houses were now out of my budget range. And most of the apartments I phoned about were already taken. I took the kids to see the remaining rentals in our village. Most had already been scooped up by the time we got there. Others turned out to be more than I could afford.

  By Sunday afternoon it had become clear we would have to find a place outside our village. We might have to move into town—if we could find a place there. I didn’t tell Maggie that yet though. She would be heartbr
oken to hear she’d have to switch schools.

  As the dinner hour neared, I sat back from my laptop and rubbed my eyes. I was exhausted from hunting for a place to rent. The last thing I wanted to do was make supper. Then, at that thought, I remembered Liam’s dinner invitation. Crap! I’d forgotten to text him.

  If I didn’t bother to call or turned him down, I knew he’d feel rejected. But if I went to his place for dinner, I knew I’d have to make it clear I wasn’t interested in dating him. Working with Liam after this would be awkward either way. I sighed. I knew I had to get it over with.

  I texted Liam. You still into having us over for dinner tonight?

  He messaged back right away, like he’d been waiting for my text. Yes! Come over anytime!

  “Hey, girls,” I called from the kitchen table.

  Maggie was in her room, watching cartoons on Netflix on her tablet. Zoe was in her room too, doing homework on her laptop. She was probably also listening to music and texting her friends at the same time. We seemed to spend so much of our evenings and weekends in separate rooms these days.

  “Are you guys into going over to Liam’s this evening?” I called.

  When neither of the girls answered right away, I added, “He’s offered to barbecue burgers for us.”

  “Burgers!” Maggie shouted. I took that as a yes.

  Zoe wandered into the kitchen, texting on her phone. Mr. Snuggles wrapped himself around her leg. “What was that?” she asked. She kept her eyes on her cell.

  “We’re having burgers at Liam’s place,” I said. “Want to come?”

  She shrugged. “I guess.” Then she looked up. “Wait, is this a date? I mean, are you and Liam a thing now?”

  I shook my head as I texted Liam, asking for his address. “No date.” Not for me, in any case. Liam thought it was a date though. There had to be a way to let him down easy.

  I thought about that for a minute, and then I sent another message to our new framer, Alice. Into a BBQ at Liam’s tonight?

  Alice, Liam and I already hung out a lot together. I figured if I brought Alice along now, Liam would know I didn’t see this dinner as a date. Maybe I wouldn’t have to face him about the issue at all.