Ready or Not (Aggie's Inheritance) (10 page)

Tina says:
Excellent idea!

Aggie says:
Thanks girl, I
’
m off to find a house. See you later.

Aggie closed the messenger window and changed the search area to cover the entire state. Suddenly, she had the choice between hundreds of homes in various cities around the state. First, she narrowed those in the right size by price and then removed centrally located from possible search options. It was amazing how detailed the search could be. Horse property, swimming pool, and gas vs. electrical furnaces, stoves, and dryers were a few of the hundreds of options the site offered.

By the time Aggie weeded through fifty homes, she had two houses that looked somewhat promising. She was tempted to continue her treasure hunt, but she sensed something was wrong. A glance around the room proved unhelpful. Ian snoozed in his playpen surrounded by shredded paper, giving him the appearance of a guinea pig in a cage. Aggie smiled, until she realized what disturbed her. The silence was almost deafening. She
’
d never understood what that meant until she could hear every breath, rustle, click, and the steady hum of the refrigerator.

“
Cari? Lorna?
”
Aggie called up the stairs and out the door. She charged down to the basement, and then up the stairs into forbidden rooms. A quick glance at Ian showed his downy head still nestled amid the colorful paper shreds, as his chest rose and fell in a soporific rhythmic cadence. Nearly frantic, Aggie dashed out the front door and around the side yard to the back corner where she was sure she
’
d find the twins climbing over the swing set. The play area was empty. The swings barely moved in the breeze. Just as Aggie thought it couldn
’
t look any bleaker, the sun dipped behind the clouds, leaving an ominous feel to the air. The temperature dropped, and Aggie shivered.

The sound of a school bus rounding the corner caught Aggie
’
s attention. Before the yellow loaf of bread on wheels stopped, Aggie saw two blonde girls climbing over a fence, fists full of tulips with the bulbs dangling from the bottoms. She started to call out to them, but several shrieks from several directions created a cacophony that struck her silent.

The twins, seeing Kenzie descending the steps of the bus, jumped up and down, their delighted squeals piercing the air. Kenzie, just old enough to realize that the twins should not be alone at the bus stop half a block from home, screeched,
“
What are you doing here?
”

This would have been pandemonium enough, but the owner of the fenced yard recently exited by Cari and Lorna, dashed down her walkway screaming something about antique tulips and hooligans. Aggie bolted down the street. The twins wailed as the irate woman screamed at them and tried to take the flowers from their tight little fists.

Kenzie chased the little girls away from the angry horticulturist as Aggie tried to apologize.
“
Just get me my bulbs before they destroy them, and then keep them away from my garden. Those b
ulbs were over thirty-dollars a
piece, and they have handfuls!
”

As Aggie assured her that she
’
d make complete restitution for the twins
’
thievery, the twins showed Kenzie the
“
bowcakes
”
that they picked for her. Cari looked at the flowers with a critical eye.
“
These rocks are ugly. Take the rocks off, Worna!
”

The three little girls tore the bulbs from the stems of the tulips and tossed them into the street. Aggie saw the movement from the corner of her eye and shouted
“
Nooooooooo,
”
but it was too late. The bus, just pulling away from the curb after the last student stepped onto the sidewalk, crushed the bulbs beneath its massive wheels as it drove down the street and around the corner.

It took Aggie several minutes to assure the woman that she would replace the bulbs, to try to make Lorna and Cari apologize, and get back home before Ian awoke and chose that day to learn to climb from his playpen. Lorna cooperated and apologized with sincere penitence in her voice, but Aggie could do nothing to coax, bribe, or threaten Cari into an apology.

“
I
’
ll be back with a check, and she
’
ll have to apologize at some point. I
’
m very sorry.
”

Lynn Wilston gave Aggie a disgusted look before returning to her house. At the door, she turned back and called after Aggie,
“
I know Alanna Stuart
’
s lawyer, and I will call Robert Moss myself if I do not have a check for four hundred fifty dollars by Friday at noon. I wonder what Geraldine will have to say about this.
”

Aggie led the three children toward home with a dejected droop to her shoulders and her steps dragging in despair. She wasn
’
t bothered by the twins
’
mischief. Being so young, they didn
’
t understand the wrong they
’
d done. Even repentant Lorna was sorry only because she knew she
’
d upset Aggie. The idea that the girls could leave the house, walk over half a block away, climb over a fence, pick a dozen or more flowers, and hop the fence once more before Aggie noticed they were missing and found them, scared her.

“
Aunt Aggie? Where is Ian?
”

She
’
d ignored most of Kenzie
’
s prattle about school as they shuffled home but the mention of Ian snapped Aggie to the present.
“
Run, girls!
”
In her struggle to extract an apology from Cari, she
’
d forgotten about the baby.

Grabbing the twins
’
hands, she pulled them along beside her, their feet barely touching the ground as they tried to keep up with their crazed aunt. Kenzie, seeing the look of panic on Aggie
’
s face, dashed ahead, bursting through the front door and shouting for Ian. Pandemonium surfaced again as the baby, startled from his sleep, screamed in terror.

Aggie collapsed in an under-padded wing back chair, held the wailing baby, and cried.

Saturday, March 16
^th

After over a week of diligent and exhausting house searching, things were looking dismal. It seemed as though there wasn
’
t a house in existence to suit her unique family, and Aggie was beginning to feel desperate. Thus far, her shopping experiences, even for her convertible and the van, had been swift and painless. To Aggie, a week searching was tantamount to a lifetime. She
’
d understood that this motherhood experience was going to bring about the patience that her parents always encouraged her to cultivate. She
’
d always ignored the suggestion, but Aggie now saw the wisdom of it.

A look of excitement crossed her features, and Aggie dashed out to the back of her new van. Writing on her palm with a pink pen, she jogged back into the house and to the phone. Praying that Zeke was at work today, Aggie dialed the number for the car lot.

“
May I speak to Zeke please?
”
Aggie
’
s voice sounded much calmer than she felt. By the time Zeke came on the line, Aggie felt decidedly foolish. Zeke was a car salesman, not a realtor.

“
Zeke, this is Aggie Milliken again. I have a silly question for you. Do you mind humoring me?
”
Zeke
’
s familiar chuckle was music to her ears.
“
Yes, the van
’
s running great, this is about a house. Do you know of any fairly large homes for sale?
”

“
Well, missy, I have to admit, I do know of a house that
’
s big enough for your little clan. Do you know how to get to Brant
’
s Corners? It
’
s just across the highway from Brunswick, off Highway 32.
”
Aggie shook her head and then realized Zeke was still waiting for an answer.

“
No, actually, I don
’
t, but I am very good with directions. Can you tell me how to get there? Do you know what the owners are asking for the house?
”

“
Well, the house hasn
’
t been lived in for years. The county just put it on the market last week for back taxes. So far, there haven
’
t been any bites that we
’
ve heard of, because it needs so much work.
”

Aggie demurred.
“
Oh, Zeke, I can
’
t afford the time and expense of refurbishing a house. What if it wasn
’
t safe? I have to think of the children.
”

“
Oh, no, missy. The house is structurally sound. Our Luke went out there and looked it over when they listed it in the paper. He said it looks worse than it is. It just needs cosmetic changes and minor repairs. There isn
’
t anything unsafe about it.

“
My nephew, Luke, likes to flip houses. You know, when you fix up places and either rent them out or sell them at a profit? He wanted this one, but he
’
s stretched a little thin right now. He bought another place on the other side of town just before the county put this one up. He was disappointed that he couldn
’
t buy it
--
such a nice place and all.
”

Still unconvinced, Aggie hesitated.
“
I don
’
t know Zeke. I mean, I have eight children to care for, and the last thing I need right now is more work. Any house I buy needs to be safe and practical for our family. I
’
m not sure I am prepared for the time, expense, and hassle of a
‘
fixer-upper.
’”

Zeke tried again.
“
Missy, how about you and I go out there? I
’
ll show you around and give you an idea what the place would need to be livable. You might be able to get it before spring is over, and you
’
d have all summer to get it refurbished. I think you could have it all fixed up and be settled by winter if you found the right handy man.
”