The drive to the house took about five minutes, which was a shame because Caroline had hoped to put a little more distance between her and her husband’s family. Regardless, five minutes was better than the five seconds it usually took for them to reach the front door of the camper from his parent’s back porch. Not that she wasn’t grateful to them for allowing her and Travis to park their camper in the driveway for the last six months; it’s just, well, there’s no such thing as too much privacy.
Then there were the not-so-subtle hints they wanted grandchildren. When she and Travis lived a couple of states away, they managed to avoid those conversations. Now, they happen at least once a day. As a child from an ‘odd’ family, Caroline had sworn she would never bring a baby into this world. Her own upbringing had been full of cruel taunts, names, and so-called ‘pranks’ that were more painful than funny, at least for her. She may have married out of that family and left her old name and life behind, but she would never leave behind the memories. In this area, she had Travis’s full support. Now, she needed to get him on board with the new house.
The house sat a ways back, the roof the only part visible from the road. When they pulled onto the drive, they had to climb a small hill before they reached the detached garage. A blue sedan was already parked there; the first clue the realtor, some guy named Randy, was already there.
Caroline had never seen the house in person. She had searched the local real estate listings religiously every day for the last six months and jumped on this one the second she saw it pop up on her list. She would never admit this to Travis, but she was so desperate to finally get out of that camper she would buy a shack in the woods if they could afford it. Something he likely already suspected.
As soon as they exited the car, a tall man wearing a Mossy Oak ball cap stepped out of the house and loudly greeted Travis, rushing over to shake his hand enthusiastically. “Look who finally came home!” Randy exclaimed. “How long has it been? Six years? Seven?”
Travis returned the handshake and then gave the man a bear hug. “Been about seven, but who’s counting!” He looked over at his wife, noticing she was watching them silently. “This here is my wife, Caroline,” he said by way of introduction.
Caroline stepped forward to shake his hand only to be lifted off her feet instead as the man gave her the same bear hug Travis had just given him. Her body tensed at the unexpected show of familiarity, and she had to fight not to scream at him to put her down. She knew the man meant no harm; this just wasn’t how they did things where she was from. Having grown up in a large city, she wasn’t used to the ways of small towns.
When he finally put her down, she stepped back to put some distance between them. “Nice to meet you,” she said as politely as she could muster. After all, she needed him on their side if she was going to get the house. Not only could he prove to be an ally in convincing Travis, but as the seller’s realtor, he could prove invaluable in helping them close the sale. A house at this price would surely attract dozens of buyers, and competition would be fierce.
“You guys ready to see the house?” he rubbed his hands together as he nodded toward the front door.
“We sure are,” Caroline beamed at him.
He led the way, glancing over his shoulder occasionally as he talked. “Y’all should come down to the Beer Lounge sometime. The gang hangs out there every Friday and Saturday night. They’d love to see you again,” he said to Travis. “And I’m sure they’d love to meet you,” he said to Caroline.
She grabbed Travis’s hand and squeezed it. Seeing his old classmates was the last thing he would want to do after the year they’d just had. Between being forced to flee their duplex due to a nasty mold infestation, losing his job at the architecture firm, and now living in his parent’s driveway, he had fallen way too far to face the inevitable ‘What have you been up to since graduation’ questions these meet-ups usually produced. “We’re pretty busy, but we’ll try to make it one of these days,” she replied noncommittally.
Randy stopped, gave her an enthusiastic thumbs-up, then, with a flourish, waved them inside ahead of him. “Watch your step,” he warned as her hand reached for the handle on the screen door. “There’s evidence that termites were here once, and the floor is a little soft in certain areas.”
Caroline heard Travis groan but chose to ignore it. Termites could be treated, wood replaced; after all, if the house were perfect, the bank would ask a fortune for it, and, once again, they would be priced out. No, a little termite damage was actually in their favor. How many other potential buyers would run at the first sign of damage? Hopefully, all of them.
This was their house. She had felt it in her very bones the second she saw it. Nothing could convince her otherwise, not even a few termites.
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