The Confabulator Cafe

Tag: house

  • The Builders

    I wish I’d never seen the things.

    I wish I’d never gotten into this business.

    Now it’s too late.

     

    “You ready for this?” Martin said. (I won’t use any last names. I can’t bring myself to rat out my friends.) He had his hand on the doorknob and he looked dead serious. “Once you go through, there’s not turning back. You can’t unsee this, or unknow it, either.”

    What did I know? He hadn’t told me anything yet. Foolish, I nodded.

    We went through the heavy oak door and into a room that reminded me of a Viking mead hall. Candlelit chandeliers hung from bare rafters and there was only one table. Our footsteps echoed off the stone floor. The hall extended in either direction so far that it disappeared into darkness.

    Around the table were ten men, all looking like they’d come right off the construction site, same as me. Martin clapped his hand on my shoulder as we reached the table.

    “Guys, this is Tom. The one I told you about.” (more…)

  • Sensitive

    “This is beyond unorthodox.”

    The seller’s agent shook his head but didn’t unlock the front door of the house.

    “Gerry, I know,” the buyer’s agent said. Her blond hair blew across her face and she brushed it away. “I’ve never had anyone do this. I hope it’s not a trend.”

    “You know what it is? It’s that damn book by what’s-his-name… Anson.”

    The woman nodded. “Probably. You know they’re making a movie out of it?”

    He chuckled. It was a hopeless sound. Gerry looked at his watch and tapped its face. He’d made plenty of money selling real estate and even though it wasn’t a Rolex yet, it would be someday.

    “Maybe we should go see it together,” Jerry said.

    “What?”

    “That movie.”

    She paused. “Oh, I don’t know.”

    “I know you like me Jeri, and you know I like you.” He smiled. It was the smile that always closed the deal and he knew it. They were about the same age and had known each other for years.

    “Well…”

    “Think about it,” Gerry said. He pointed with his chin. “Here they come.”

    The little Ford, bright and shiny, well-kept, pulled into the drive. Both Gerry and Jeri had parked on the street. Jeri waited for them to get out of the car before approaching them.

    Gerry watched her interact with them and admired her skill in the situation. She’d probably spent less than four or five hours total with these people and she seemed as intimate as an old friend. She hugged the woman and put her hand on the man’s shoulder. They were maybe ten years younger than both Gerry and Jeri, and this was going to be their first home together.

    “Hello, again,” Gerry said, extending his hand when Jeri escorted the couple to the front door. “Good to see you Phil, Tara.” He shook hands with them both. “Are we waiting on —?”

    “Mrs. Vecsey,” Phil said. He was taller than Gerry, more muscular. “She chose to drive herself. Said she wanted to get a sense of the neighborhood.”

    “Well,” Gerry said, taking out the key to the house. “Let’s go inside, then, and wait for her. She knows the address?”

    Tara nodded. She was pretty, dark-skinned. Gerry decided she must be at least half-Japanese. Her enormous brown eyes lit up as he held the door for her.

    (more…)