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Author Topic: First Time Home Buyer  (Read 27002 times)

Offline mr_90proof

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Re: First Time Home Buyer
« Reply #15 on: 11. March 2022, 07:58:40 AM »
Part 4.

Everyone was in shock.  It had been 30 years or more since there had been an outbreak of deadly storms like this.  And there had not been live cameras, wall to wall media and internet to follow it all.  It was overwhelming.  There were so many storms, all marching from the SW.  And several were monsters, F4 and F5 storms.  The one we were watching live on TV was one such monster.  It was just minutes outside of town and was going to march straight through it.  Ironically, it never rained a drop where we were, and the sun was out a good bit of the time.  But others weren’t so lucky.  Just as the storm was slamming Westal, my buddy that had invited me up the hill got called out.  Two different smaller storms where in our county.  While they largely avoided the most populated areas, there were residential structures severely damaged, people trapped and hurt, and both of the two main highways coming through town were blocked by downed trees; both north and south of town.  It was all hands on deck for everyone.  I asked if he wanted me to come with him, and he said he couldn’t bring me along.  I was pacing around, feeling like I needed to do something.  The initial images coming in were heartbreaking.  It was devastation.  After it looked like the worst had passed, I thanked my neighbors for their hospitality and said I was headed to Westal.  I didn’t know what to do, but I was going to do something.  I went back home and started loading my truck.  It was no longer the old beat up $6k truck; but a new fullsize crew cab 4 wheel drive.  I threw my chainsaw, an axe and sledge hammer, a tank of gas, and a couple of tow chains and straps in the bed along with a pair of broken in work gloves.  In addition, I had a number of sleeping bags, blankets, a box of old cloths I had been meaning to take to Goodwill, flashlights and batteries in my garage.  Like more then any one person should ever have.  But I now had a use for them.   I put them all in the truck. I had a few cases of bottled water and threw those in the truck too.  Finally I grabbed the first aid kit I kept inside the house as well as the one I kept in my boat and put them into the truck as well.  I filled my truck with everything I could think that might could help and managed to get the cover closed.  I ran inside to change into some jeans and boots and came back out through my garage door.  I found Brittany standing by my truck.

She said “I know we just met, but I have a huge favor to ask.  I left home with literally the cloths I have on.  I really would like to check on my apartment, but I don’t know if I can get there in my car.  Again it is a huge favor, but could I ride with you and could we try to see if we can get to my apartment and hopefully get some cloths?”  “Of course” I answered “but I am going to go ahead and apologize for my truck being so messy.  If I had known a pretty girl was going to be riding with me I would have cleaned it up some”.  She said “thank you so much”.  Being a gentlemen I opened the passenger door and she managed to crawl up into the seat, though it was a stretch for her.

As we pulled out it had become dark.  I looked over at her and said “I hope we don’t regret this”:  On the ride we chatted in between phone calls. About 10 minutes out of town we found where one of the tornados had crossed the highway.  Someone had cut the trees enough to get one vehicle through at a time, but there were still limbs and debris in the road we had to drive over or through.  This was my first new truck, and hearing tree limbs scraping down each side of the truck made me pucker up.  What the heck I thought, there are a whole lot of people that are having much bigger problems than a few scratches on a truck.  There were a couple of houses that the storm had damaged, but they looked largely intact and there were people milling about in the glow of headlights so we pushed on. 

As we talked, I found out she was a dental assistant at a large practice in town that did both general dentistry and orthodontics.  That is where and why she had braces.  I found out she was 26.  I found out where she lived, and I crossed my fingers that she still had an apartment.  I knew it would be close.  And I found out she had a boyfriend who was in the military and currently deployed.  From my phone I found out where EMS had set up their main command post.  It was at a large park that also had a large public rec center.  This was where they were taking many of the people that were uninjured but now homeless.  The problem was it was on the south side of town, and I was coming from the north side.  And there was a path of destruction that separated us.  I came in on one of the main highways, a divided 4 lane.  Police had the road closed and were diverting traffic.  I pulled over and got out.  I talked to one of the cops and told him what I was doing and where I was trying to get.  Having grown up there I knew most all the little back roads.  He told me all the main roads were blocked or closed.  But if I knew my way around I could get there.  As I thanked him and wished him good luck, I headed to my truck.  Something seemed really odd, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.  As I got back in the truck I realized what it was.  Other than headlights, flashlights, and flashing emergency lights, it was black.  I told Brittany to look out the front window and asked her what she saw.  She asked me what I was talking about.  I said “it’s pitch black as far as you can see.  There is no power.  There may be no lights to power though.”

After almost an hour I made it to my first stop, the rec center.  It should have taken 10 minutes.  But I was forced to be very creative in my route and felt like I had been around the world to get there.  It was mass pandemonium.  Flashing lights everywhere, police, fire, emts, red cross, dirty shell shocked people huddled in a basketball gym.  There was no cell service.  There was no power.  They did at least have some generators up and running and they had food for the victims.  I found someone that looked official and told them I had something to drop off.  I hauled several large boxes of sleeping bags over, followed by the cloths and blankets, then the cases of water and finally a box of a dozen or more flashlights and hundreds of batteries.  I didn’t know if I had really helped, but I was trying.  I got back in the truck.  Off to stop two, Brittany’s apartment.

I made another big loop taking surface streets and pig trails,  and approached her apartment complex.  The closer we got to the storm’s path, the more destruction could be seen.  And the more people that were just milling around outside.  Luckily her apartment had not been in the main path.  There were limbs down, a few signs leaning crooked, some trash cans, deck and patio furniture blown here and there, and I am sure a lot of missing shingles and a few broken windows.  But it was pitch black other than the glow from a few other vehicles and a few flashlights so it was really hard to tell.  But her building was here.  She directed me to her building and told me she was on the second floor.  She pointed out the corner of the building where her stairs were.  I didn’t bother looking for a parking spot.  i just drove over the curb and drove through the yard, stopping 20 or 30’ from the stairs.  As I turned off the truck, I handed her a headlamp and a flashlight.  I slipped a headlamp onto my head, pulled a flashlight off the charger and stuck it in my left pocket and then opened the console.  I pulled out a little .380 pistol and stuck it in my front right pocket.  Brittany had seen me do this and her eyes got a little big.  I told her “just in case, and I have a pistol permit “

We climbed the stairs and arrived at her door.  She took her keys out of her pocket.  When she went to unlock the door she found it was already unlocked.  She said “I must have forgotten to lock the door, I was in a panic.”  I told her just to be safe, let me take a look just to make sure.  I had a pretty bright Streamlight that lit up most of the living room.  Nobody here.  I asked Brittany just to hang here for a second. I did not pull the gun out of my pocket because I didn’t want to freak her out.  And I knew the odds of someone being in here were astronomically low.  Nonetheless I stuck my right hand in my pocket and around the grip of the pistol as I was walking away from her.  I checked kitchen and dining nook.  Nobody there.  I opened the first door in the hall and found a treadmill and some workout stuff.  But nobody.  I checked the closet just in case.  The christmas tree made my pulse jump a little when I opened the door, but no people. I saw the door to the bathroom was open and shined in there and didn’t see anything so I went to the last door, it was open too.  I found no one in her bedroom or closet.  And then my brain clicked and I thought about every horror movie.  The killer is always hiding behind the shower curtain.  I went back to the bathroom and threw back the shower curtain.  All that was there was a shower head.  I hollered out to her that it was clear.  As I turned around towards the door my light reflected off of something metallic beside the sink.  I looked at it in the light.  It was a facebow with a blue highpull headgear strap attached to one side of it.  I was looking at it when she came through the bathroom door.  She saw me looking at the headgear and screeched “Oh my God, you weren’t supposed to see that” and grabbed it up trying to hide it from view.


Offline mr_90proof

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Re: First Time Home Buyer
« Reply #16 on: 11. March 2022, 09:25:19 AM »
Part 5.

I looked at her and thought she was truly embarrassed so I changed the subject.  “So, I make a pretty decent pack mule.  What all do you want to get?  Get me a load together and I will take it to the truck and you can get the next load ready”.  We went into her bedroom, where she laid the headgear on the dresser.  She pulled a suitcase out of the closest and laid it on her bed.  She started packing it with underwear and socks.  I asked her what hanging stuff she wanted to take, and I could go ahead and make a trip downstairs with it.  She came over and flipped through her cloths.  She grabbed over half the things in there and handed them to me.  I told her I would be right back.  When I got back, she had finished with the suitcase and was now working on a duffle bag, stuffing shoes in there.  I asked her if the suitcase was ready.  She said not quite yet.  She had to get some things out of the bathroom and put a toiletries bag in there too.  She said to hold on, she was almost done with the duffle.  She shoved one more pair of shoes in there, zipped it up, and handed it to me.  I hauled it downstairs and came back a minute or two later.  She was zipping up the suitcase when I came back in.  I looked over at the dresser and noticed the headgear was gone.  I suspected she had waited for me to leave and then hidden it in her suitcase.  I took the suitcase and asked her if she needed anything else?  Paperwork, documents, etc.  She went into the kitchen and opened a drawer, withdrew a couple folders and a an envelope.  She looked at me and said she thought this was everything she needed for a few days.  She said she would be staying with her parents until they got the power back on.

Once we were back in the truck, I had to snake around again to get back north of the storm path.  We didn’t talk much.  We were both looking at the damage we could see in the glow of the lights.  It was somber.  Having been through a hurricane before, I knew that the damage would look even worse in the morning when daylight came.  We made our way around town and across the river where power was on and there was no damage.  I was down to about a 1/4 tank of gas so I pulled into a gas station.  Brittany sat in the truck while I pumped gas.  Once I was done, I opened the door and asked Brittany if she needed anything.  She said she didn’t.  I told her I would be right back.  I came back with a bag and handed it to Brittany as I climbed in.  I said “I know you said you didn’t want anything, but I got a few drinks if you want one.  I don’t really know what you like but there is water, Gatorade and a coke in there.”  She looked over and said “that is sweet, thank you.  And thank you for helping me.  You are a lifesaver.  I owe you for sure”.  I replied “no, thank you.  I appreciate you coming with me.  And I apologize if I embarrassed you in your apartment.”  She shook her head and said “no, you didn’t do anything.  It is just so embarrassing, I am 26 years old and have headgear”.  I asked her “how much do you have to wear it”.  She answered I am supposed to wear it 12 hours a day, but it is hard.” She looked at the clocked which read 11:17 and said “I am definitely not getting it tonight.”  I told her “why don’t you put it on now?  We have an hour till we get home; nobody will see you, and I already have seen it”.  She said “i might die of embarrassment.”  I pulled over and looked at her “if you need to put it on, will you please do it?  You said you owed me.  Put it on; maybe it will keep you from getting in trouble with your orthodontist.”  She looked at me and said “I can’t believe I am about to do this.  Please don’t be mean, and please don’t tell anyone”.  I swore an oath to secrecy. 

She got out of the truck and opened the back door where her suitcase was, unzipped it, and pulled out a plastic pouch.  She kept it in her hand, zipped her suitcase back up and closed the back door.  With only one hand, she had a little trouble getting in the truck.  I stuck my hand out and asked her to hand it to me.  She did, and was able to climb up into the passenger seat.  Once she was back in the seat and had her seatbelt buckled I handed it back to her.  She took it and said “i can’t believe I am about to do this” for the second time in the last few moments. She unzipped the pouch and pulled the facebow out.  She placed the prongs in her mouth and by feel she managed to get them into the bucal tubes on her molar bands.  She then placed the blue straps over her head and hooked the facebow to the next to last hole on the white plastic modules.  I looked at her and thought she might be the sexiest thing I had ever seen.  I then said “nope, headgear doesn’t do it.  You are still absolutely gorgeous”. She smiled and said “thank you, but you are just saying that”.  I assured her I was not, and pulled back out onto the highway.

Offline bracessd

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Re: First Time Home Buyer
« Reply #17 on: 11. March 2022, 17:30:37 PM »
Great job so far!

Offline ortho218

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Re: First Time Home Buyer
« Reply #18 on: 11. March 2022, 17:31:29 PM »
great story, I'm loving this :) good job!

And I'd be interested to know which bits are true or based on truth...!

Offline eddiestobbart

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Re: First Time Home Buyer
« Reply #19 on: 12. March 2022, 00:30:12 AM »
What a wonderful story - you have me on the edge of my seat!

Offline Lithpkith

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Re: First Time Home Buyer
« Reply #20 on: 12. March 2022, 05:12:30 AM »
Gweat thtowy, vewy entewtaining! Can’t wait fow mowe!

Offline mr_90proof

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Re: First Time Home Buyer
« Reply #21 on: 12. March 2022, 07:24:39 AM »
Part 6.

As we drove back home both of our phones lit up with phone calls and texts.  People all over were checking on their friends and family to see if they were safe.  I had coworkers and colleagues from all over the country checking on me.  The national news was covering this historic event, and even people that usually ignored the weather knew something was going on.  I assured everyone that I was ok; but that it was bad, very bad.  There were already reports of multiple deaths and numerous injuries all through the region.  I was preoccupied with driving and with my own texts and calls, but I was aware that Brittany was dealing with the same in the seat beside me. 

Between Westal and home there was a dead area that lasted about 15 minutes.  For once, it was a relief to not have cell service.  Neither one of us had spoken to each other since I had pulled back onto the highway.  We had both been too inundated with messages and texts once we had gotten back into service.  The whole time we had been in the storm zone, neither of us had service, cell towers were gone, and people were worried about us.  We answered texts and voicemails until we hit the dead zone.  Once the phones went quiet I just stared through the windshield and tried to process everything that had happened.  I was already planning on returning in the morning; my friend had organized a crew to clear downed trees and of course I had agreed.  That was one of the calls I had returned.  He was going to bring a trailer to haul off off tree trunks, and another guy in the hastily assembled crew had a winch.   There were little self assembled groups like this forming all over the area that night I would find out in the coming days.  As I thought about what I had seen, and what I thought I would see in the daylight the following morning I heard Brittany say “It’s bad isn’t it?”  I had been self absorbed in my thoughts and what was to come; this broke me out of my daze.  I looked at her with sadness and said “yes, it is bad”.  No one knows how to react in a state of shock; and I didn’t even really think about it, but I reached over and grabbed her hand.  Maybe it was to try to provide her with a little reassurance, maybe it was to provide me with a little reassurance. 

After a few minutes I asked her if everyone she knew was ok.  She said so far everyone she had heard from was ok, but she was still worried about a few people.  I instinctively squeezed her hand and told her I was sure they were ok.  I thought about all the people I had grown up with, the people you knew but didn’t keep in contact with, and hoped they were all safe as well.

As we reached the outskirts of our little town, I asked her about her job and if she had to go to work in the morning.  I already knew the answer, we were in a war zone of sorts, but it just seemed like a safe question to ask.  Even if it was stupid and I knew the answer.  She said she didn’t know.  I told her if she had to go in to let me know and I could take her to work.  Maybe I subconsciously was using this as a pretext to get her number, because then I suggested we exchange phone numbers.  She asked me my phone number, punched it into her phone, and hit ‘dial’.  My phone sounded off, and I shut it off.  As I drove, I went ahead and saved her as a contact.

Once I got back in my neighborhood I drove past my driveway and instead I pulled into her parent’s driveway.  I pulled my truck up as close to their carport door as I could and turned the truck off.  It was not far from midnight.  I looked over at Brittany and again realized how incredibly pretty she was.  And she was wearing headgear.  I told her I would help her get her stuff inside.  I hoped she wouldn’t notice what was going on at the front of my pants; I also hoped she would.

However her parents where waiting up and came out the carport door not much longer after I thought this.  I definitely didn’t want them to notice my situation.  I tried to think of naked Betty White and Fat Bastard from Austin Powers.  I got out of my truck as Brittany’s parents came around the front bumper and both gave her a hug.  They were asking her if she was ok, if her apartment was ok, if everyone she knew was ok.  She was doing her best to answer their questions.  I was just kicking rocks, waiting for them to be done.  After they were sure that their daughter was ok, her dad came over and thanked me for what I had done.  I told him it was my pleasure; and I asked where I needed to unload the cloths in the back seat of my truck.  He said just to place them inside the door.  I grabbed the hanging cloths, her dad grabbed the duffle bag, and Brittany grabbed her suitcase.  After depositing it all in the mudroom inside the door, dad thanked me again.  Brittany came over to me and gave me a hug.  She said “again, thank you. Will you text me in the morning before you leave?”  I assured her I would, and got back in the truck.  I backed my truck down their driveway, into the street; and pulled back into my drive.

When I got inside I turned on the weather channel.  I needed to sleep.  It was midnight and I had set my phone alarm for 6 am.  But I couldn’t sleep.  The images on the weather channel were captivating and horrifying at the same time.  As I sat down on the couch and watched the TV most of my brain thought about what a horrible evening and night it had been.  But another smaller part of my brain thought about Brittany.  She was so pretty, and it was so adorable how she had gotten embarrassed about me seeing her headgear, and how hot she had been when she had put it on.  I also thought how, in a normal situation, I would have crawled through broken glass to get a closer look at her.  But tonight, even as adorable as she had been, my focus was definitely elsewhere.  And with that thought, the weather channel sucked me back in.  I did not want to see what was on the screen, but neither could I turn away.  Finally around 3 am I knew I had to go to sleep; my 6 am alarm was going to be coming very soon.




Offline m1090y

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Re: First Time Home Buyer
« Reply #22 on: 13. March 2022, 11:12:49 AM »
This is quite the adventure.  I'm really enjoying it.

Offline mr_90proof

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Re: First Time Home Buyer
« Reply #23 on: 15. March 2022, 07:53:48 AM »
Part 7.

I reached over and slapped the buzzing noise. The alarm had come completely too soon.  And normally I would have hit the snooze button.  But upon waking I realized what the situation was.  I walked down my hall and grabbed a red bull from the fridge.  With a little caffeine in me, I put on some fresh socks and the same jeans from the evening before.  I threw a stained shirt on and headed to my truck.  Before I pulled out of the driveway, I text Brittany “i am about to head to Westal, let me know if you need me to check on anything for you”.  I looked at my phone for a few minutes, hoping I got a reply. When I didn’t, I pulled out of the drive.

When I got back into service I had several texts pop up.  One was from Brian, which confirmed which apartment complex we were meeting at.  Another was from Brittany; “I am sorry I overslept, thank you for everything”.  I sent her back a short reply while I drove “no thank you, I will be back sometime tonight”.

Once I got to the rendezvous spot we got a game plan.  We split time between running the chainsaws, and loading logs on the trailer.  Once we had a load, we would pull it over and dump all the logs in a pile clear of everything.  We spent the next several hours cutting and hauling trees that had fallen in and around this apartment complex.  We didn’t attempt to cut the trees that were laying on or across the building.  We just were trying to clear the parking lot out.  There were so many trees.  And so many wrecked vehicles flattened by trees.  At one point we noticed a big scene in a field across the street from us.  There were multiple police and fire vehicles that converged.  I did not know it at the time, but they had found a body.  There were so many incongruent sights and emotions in this new waste land.  People that were glad to be alive.  People that were angry that so much had been destroyed and wanted to take it out on whoever was in front of them.  One man was just grateful that, as bad as things were, his baby tomato plants that he had in pots on his back patio had weathered the storm.

Around noon it had already been a long day.  I had to take a break.  Everyone in our little band was tired emotionally and physically.  I told the rest of them I was going to take a break and go look at a subdivision that I knew had been hammered by the storm.  I had already seen images on the TV.  And I knew it was bad.  But this was a subdivision where I had friends growing up and they had a lake where I had grown up fishing.

As I walked down the street with a chainsaw in my hand and sorrow in my heart, I saw the destruction was overwhelming.  Trees were snapped off like twigs.  The trunks that were left were devoid of bark, scraped clean by the wind.  It was so overwhelming, there was a feeling of helplessness.  Where do you even start?  I thought to myself something that had been told to me long again.  How do you eat an elephant?  One bite at a time.

Most houses were empty wrecks.  But as I approached one heavily damaged house there were about 20 college aged guys going through the debris. I stopped and asked if I could help.  I now, 10 years later, wish I had not stopped.  The guy I spoke with said they were looking for a dress.  I cocked my head and looked at him like he was from mars.  He said they were looking for a dress.  He then explained the girl living in the house, a college sophomore, had been killed.  She had been the girlfriend of one of the guys on the baseball team.  That was who was digging through the wreckage.  In the parents grief that had asked him to please find her favorite dress so she could be buried in it.

In normal times, like now as I sit here typing with tears on my face, it would have seemed bizarre.  But at the time, the shock and magnitude of what was happening seemed to mute emotional reactions.  After about an hour, I found out someone had found the dress.   Despite being numb, this was about all I could handle.  I lugged myself and my chainsaw back to my truck and cried.


Offline mr_90proof

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Re: First Time Home Buyer
« Reply #24 on: 19. March 2022, 04:30:33 AM »
Part 8.

After I composed myself I drove back over to the apartment complex where we had been working earlier.  Cell phone service was still nonexistent in much of the city so you couldn’t just call or text someone to find out where they were.  I got back over there just to find “my crew” gone.  I was exhausted physically and emotionally and ready to go home. 

As soon as I walked in the door I went straight to the kitchen.  I dumped my keys, wallet, phone and pocket knife on the counter and opened the cabinet above the stove.  Normally I did not drink straight liquor.  But this was not normal.  I got a tervis tumbler and filled it half full with ice.  I filled the rest with dewar’s scotch.  I took my drink into the living room.   I just sat there and drank, trying to decompress.  I polished off that first glass alarmingly fast.  I decided I needed a refill.  When I walked into the kitchen, out of habit, I checked my phone for messages.  I saw Brittany had sent me one about 15 minutes earlier.

B:  I saw you pull in; can I please bring you a plate of food for supper?  I don’t know what you like, but I have meatloaf, green beans and mashed potatoes.

Me: Sorry, I laid my phone down in the kitchen.  I would love a plate of food.  Thank you, it is really sweet of you.

B:  Wonderful.  And I have a friend that came up here to stay with me.  I hate to invite us over, but would you mind if we both come? 

Me: Of course not.  The more the merrier.  Do you want me to come and pick you up?

B: No silly, we can walk.  We will be over in a minute.

I poured myself another drink and then I realized what a wreck I was.  I was nasty; covered in mud, grime, sweat, saw dust and even a little blood from assorted knicks and scrapes.  I really wished I had taken a shower, but I didn’t have time.  They would be here in a minute, so I figured I would just go with it.  The door bell rang.  I sat my drink down on the coffee table and went to great my guests.  As I opened the door the first thing I noticed was the headgear.  Brittany was wearing her headgear.  She was so hot.  She was wearing short grey workout shorts that showed off her muscular tanned legs and a pink tank top that accentuated how fit she was. I welcomed them to my home and invited them in.  I showed them into the kitchen.  After Brittany sat the food down, she introduced me to her friend, Haley.  Haley was really attractive too.  A little taller and slimmer than Brittany, she had sandy blond hair a little darker than Brittany’s and really pretty blue eyes.  She was wearing short pink shorts and a grey form fitting long sleeve grey top.   She looked very familiar, but I couldn’t place her.  One thing I did notice, to my disappointment, was that she had pearly white teeth.  No sign of any orthodontic accessories in her mouth.  After we had made our introductions, I asked them if they wanted a drink.  I showed them the options; beer and soft drinks, lemonade and punch, a decent selection of liquors, and a couple of racks of wine in the cabinet above the microwave.  I then told them to help themselves and make themselves at home.  I needed a quick shower, explaining I was feeling a little self conscious being such a dirty wreck in front of them.

I took one of the quickest showers of my life and returned wearing shorts, a t-shirt and flip flops.  As I came into the kitchen I found that the girls had each made themselves a drink.  And to my disappointment Brittany had removed her headgear.  I asked if they would think me a neanderthal if I ate in the den.

After I sat down I again thanked the girls, it looked delish and I was famished.  Before I dug in I flipped on the TV and handed the remote to Haley.  I told them they could drive, and I began eating.  Actually I devoured the plate in record time.  It was the first food I had eaten that day.  As I ate, the girls chatted.  Just as I was getting close to finishing my plate, Haley asked me about my day, about what I’d seen.  I politely told her I would tell them all about it once I finished eating; but I might need another drink.  And then I thought about the girl and her dress and tears welled up in my eyes.  I excused myself before I embarrassed myself in front of them.

Haley was right behind me.  She grabbed my hand and stopped me.  She apologized, she said shouldn’t have asked that.  I turned towards her.  It is funny how the brain works.  It was at that moment I realized why she looked familiar.

I turned and asked “Haley Peters?  You went to Central?”  She said “yep, that was me.  I wondered if you recognized me, or even remembered me”. I replied “of course, I am just a little slow on the uptake sometimes.  It is great to see you again”.  I noticed Brittany was standing off to the side and I looked at her “I went to County and was a senior when Haley was a sophomore at Central.  I guess you could say we ran in different circles, but they overlapped a lot socially.  So we kind of know each other”.  Haley looked at me and smiled “I guess that is a way to explain it.  You certainly overlapped with a few of the older girls in my circle..: Stacy, Joni, Joanne, you took Lindsey to spring formal.”  I was not sure whether to feel proud or ashamed.  I simply held up my hands and said “what can I say, I was young and in love… everyday”.  i was glad they both laughed, it seemed we had broken the ice.  When Brittany laughed I couldn’t help but notice the pink elastics in each corner of her mouth.  I suggested we refill our drinks and go out on the back deck.  It was a very nice spring evening, and the deck was one of my happy places.  My mood had changed since the girls had arrived.  Instead of another quadruple scotch, I got a budlight.  The girls each refreshed their drinks.  I noticed that Haley was very generous with her pour, there was more vodka than tropical punch in her glass.  We went out on the deck.  All along the rail of the deck I had a bench type seat and angled backrest integrated into it.  I sat near where the two sides cornered, and the girls sat on the opposite corner.

I told them “First, thank you again for supper.  And second, thank you for coming over.  You don’t know how much it has brightened my day.”  Haley responded “thank you for having us.  And if you don’t want to talk about today I understand”. Brit added “and I want to thank you for getting me out of my house; it has only been one day and I am afraid me and my parents may be at each others throats soon.  I have been an independent woman for years, and they still treat me like I am in high school”.

I realized that for the last few minutes I had focused most of my attention on Haley.  But I certainly had not forgotten about Brittany and her adorable smile.  While trying not to be obvious or creepy, I was sneaking glances, hoping to get another look.  So I looked at her and said “first though, why don’t you tell me about your day”. They explained they were both off work for the foreseeable future, at least until they got power back on at their office.  Haley explained that her parents had retired and moved to the beach, and she didn’t want to stay in her apartment in the dark, so Brittany had invited her to stay with her.  I told them that was great, that friends needed to look out for each other, especially right now.  I explained that I had two guests bedrooms upstairs.  And while the furnishings were spartan, one bedroom had a bed, the other had a fold out futon.  I told them that if they had any friends needing a place to stay they were available.  I looked at Brittany and added that if she needed to get away from her parents for a night or two she was obviously welcome to stay up there too.  I extended the same offer to Haley.  I also thought they would be very welcome in the bed in the master bedroom, with me, but I knew that was better left unsaid.

Offline Lithpkith

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Re: First Time Home Buyer
« Reply #25 on: 19. March 2022, 21:38:55 PM »
Haha- yeth indeed, thome thingth awe bettew left unthaid - ain’t that the twuth! Love thith thtowy, looking fowawd fow mowe!

Offline Braceface2015

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Re: First Time Home Buyer
« Reply #26 on: 20. March 2022, 03:12:31 AM »
I like how you have a different storyline than a lot of what has been posted in the past. It is also different than the way your other stories have been written. Keep going.

Offline mr_90proof

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Re: First Time Home Buyer
« Reply #27 on: 20. March 2022, 05:48:46 AM »
This one is pretty personal.  It seemed like a good idea, and I regret now I started it.  It has been very hard to write.  But it is a good story.  I had planned to post this link after I finished the story.  I thought about her today when I responded to a private message.  I remembered her name as Lauren in my mind, but I had the spelling wrong. I googled this afterwards, though I don’t know why.  It still makes me cry.  And this will out my location though I have put it in the story (West AL).

https://dereferer.me/?https://www.google.com/amp/s/whnt.com/news/the-white-dress/amp/

This is the girl in the field; though at the time I didn’t know it was a girl.  This is the body the first responders converged on early the next morning in my story.

https://dereferer.me/?https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.spokesman.com/stories/2012/jan/08/tragedy-not-forgotten/%3famp-content=amp



I shouldn’t post this now.  But I am.  And I will continue this story.  I like how this story goes.




Offline Braceface2015

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Re: First Time Home Buyer
« Reply #28 on: 20. March 2022, 14:45:44 PM »
After my accident, one of the things the therapists recommended was to write stories.

As writers, we do find that we put ourselves into our stories to some extent, whether it is as a character or something that we have done or would like to do. Sometimes writing about it helps to get beyond what has happened.

No matter why you are writing the story, It is well written and I know that I have been enjoying your stories.

Offline Lithpkith

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Re: First Time Home Buyer
« Reply #29 on: 20. March 2022, 20:56:13 PM »
Yeth, I altho enjoy youw’e thtowies. Thank you tho much fow thhawing them with uth!