An Absence of Trust

It was several tables over when I caught up with her and handed her the drink.

She accepted the beverage with a nod, not quite a thank you. I strolled with her for a bit, chatting casually. I had the distinct impression that she didn't mind my company but didn't specifically welcome it either. I liked her looks, and for some reason, I was amused by her arrogance.

We wandered together examining auction items and occasionally bidding on them for the next ten or fifteen minutes. Abruptly at a point she turned to me.

"Nice to meet you Billy, I need to get back to my table." She once again offered her hand out as a sign of good bye.

"Madeline," I replied, not quite ready to see the last of her, "would you care for a dance after dinner?" I asked.

Once again I got the long look before she replied.

"Maybe," was all she said.

I continued to watch her as she threaded her way back to a cluster of tables on the far side of the ballroom.

I sat with Landon and Helen and the others at our table. We had the unremarkable dinner and then lots of people spent a lot of money for things they likely didn't really need. After the auction the lights dimmed slightly and the band started playing.

I decided I'd wait a bit before I went to find Madeline. Finally I meandered over to the area I'd seen her walking towards. Fortunately with my height I was able to see over most people and I spotted Madeline dressed in black at a full table of mostly men.

Her back was to me as I approached her table but the people facing me all looked up as I grew closer. They all appeared rich, arrogant, and unfriendly. I noticed an older man and a woman that had to be Madeline's mother, the resemblance was striking.

"Madeline," I addressed her. She glanced up at me, slightly surprised, looking at me with something less than a welcoming expression.

"Would you care to dance?" I asked.

Once again no immediate reply, she looked at me, eyes partly squinting, nothing in her face seemed friendly. I was preparing for her negative reply, when all of a sudden she stood up, still silent, gave me a brief nod and walked toward the dance floor.

Walking behind her I heard slight murmuring from the people at Madeline's table. I think I may have even heard my name mentioned.

We began to dance and I asked her who the people at her table were. Rather surprisingly she answered immediately.

"Family, work associates, and friends?" She replied.

We continued to dance and I was fully prepared for her exit but as the next song began she made no move to leave the dance floor. We talked and I found out she was an attorney in one of the big, prestigious law firms in downtown Seattle.

For a big guy I guess I've always been a decent dancer, fairly light on my feet. I got the impression Madeline was surprised at my dancing skill.

The second song ended and the beginning of a slow song started. She paused, as if making a decision, and then with that same slight smile I'd seen earlier, grasped my right hand and placed her left one around me.

Close like this we were able to talk a little more and partway through the dance I could feel her relax and we had a casual, 'just getting to know you' conversation throughout the slow song. As she relaxed her body moved closer to mine and I could feel the combination of her slim athletic body and the feminine softness.

I liked the way she felt.

As the song ended she told me she needed to get back to her table. I walked her back. Once again the neutral to hostile looking stares of her table mates greeted me as we approached the table.

I knew the game, they were trying to intimidate me. What this group may have not realized was that I had stood across the line of scrimmage from all pro linebackers trash talking how they were going to specifically hurt me, and they meant it.

A bunch of guys in tuxedos didn't really bother me.

"Everyone, this is my new friend Billy," Madeline addressed the group at her table.

New friend? I thought. Hmm, maybe the dance went better than I thought.

No greetings from the table, a quick nod or two from a few, but that was it.

"Well, it is my pleasure to meet you all," I said in my most pleasant voice, even grasping the man's hand to the left of Madeline's table spot and shaking it, surprising him.

Still silence from the table, I prepared to leave.

I now was 100% focused on Madeline.

"It was a pleasure to bump into you tonight," I began, "pun intended." I said with a smile.

And I got the first genuine smile back from Madeline, she liked my little joke.

"And thank you for the dances. I hope to see you again soon." I said and turned to leave.

"Billy," she said as I was turning away, "it was good to meet you too." She told me, once again with that genuine smile. She even hesitated almost as if she was going to give me a quick kiss goodbye, but then thought that there was too large an audience.

I turned to Madeline's group and called out good evening to them. There was no reply. Walking back to my table I had a couple of thoughts. The first one was I liked what I saw from Madeline, though I knew it had only been the tip of the iceberg.

The other thought was that there was far too much hostility from her table mates and I wondered what that was all about? I understood being wary of new people but this was beyond that.

The following week I continued to look at real estate and do the minor chores associated with the properties I currently had interests in. The great thing about the setup I had was the people who had bought into each property, for the most part, took care of any maintenance required. I was a passive partner.

I assessed my financial/business situation. I had a steady income from my real estate partners, I had equity growing in each property, I had cash to buy more real estate, and I had a backlog of people interested in owning a share of their own house.

Furthermore, I barely worked 20 hours on an average week. Not a bad situation.

I'd thought about Madeline the days after we had met. I did not have her phone number but I did know where she worked. On Tuesday I called the general office number of her law firm.

"Bradshaw, Miles, Rosen and Rice," I heard the receptionist say.

"Madeline Doucette please." I answered in my most business-like voice.

"Please hold." I was told.

After several minutes I heard the receptionist reply.

"Ms Doucette is unavailable, may I ask what this is pertaining to?"

I paused for a moment, not quite sure how to respond. I then gave her my name and phone number and asked for 'Ms Doucette' to call me.

By Friday I had heard nothing and I called her back.

"Billy Damon for Madeline Doucette," I said to the receptionist.

"Please hold."

I expected the same drill, this time I would leave no message, oh well, I thought. I was surprised when I heard Madeline's voice.

"Hello Billy," she said, in a neutral to positive tone.

We talked and I asked if she had received my message from earlier in the week and she said she had but had been extremely busy. We chatted a bit more and finally she said she had a Zoom call starting soon. I asked if she wanted to get together this weekend. She hesitated.

"Um, Billy, sorry I'm busy this weekend." She said,

I was silent thinking once again, oh well, but then she interrupted my negative thoughts.

"I'm free Monday night." She stated

Okay I thought, we'll see what happens Monday.

We met at Cecilia, an upscale bar in downtown Seattle on Monday. I was dressed in nice jeans and an untucked button down long sleeve shirt. Nearly all the other men in the bar were in suits and ties. I normally stood out a bit in restaurants and bars because of my size, now in this group, my attire was different too.

Madeline was dressed professionally and she saw me immediately as she entered. She walked directly to my table and surprised me with a kiss on the cheek. My mood got even better.

We had drinks and an ahi appetizer and then split a Caesar salad. The conversation was positive and easy. Furthermore my impression of her beauty, if possible, increased with this meeting.

After a little more conversation I brought up something and I wasn't sure how she would take it.

"Madeline, can I call you Maddy," I continued, not waiting for her reply, "What was the deal with all the people at your table at the auction?" I asked.

She cocked her head looking puzzled.

"Who, what people?" She asked.

"All of them, when you introduced me they acted like I was a barbarian from a rival village coming to steal their women." I said with a smile on my face to make sure she didn't think I was angry.

"Oh don't worry, that was my family and some others. Sometimes they can be a little shy at first." She told me.

I sat there silently looking at her. Shy, I thought. They weren't acting shy, they were acting like impolite assholes. I kept these thoughts to myself.

"And what is it these barbarian's do with the women they steal?" she asked as she looked at me and covered my large hand with her smaller and slimmer one.

I thought just perhaps I was on the verge of physical intimacy. This notion was reinforced when she asked me to walk her home to her condo 2 blocks away. We chatted during the brief walk but I was on autopilot. I was wondering about all the things that may soon happen in her condo.

"This is it," she told me as we stopped in front of a modern high rise.

Abruptly my ideas of intimacy changed. From her body language it was clear I was not about to be invited up. I also had not planned a follow up strategy. So consumed in my fantasy of a nightcap turning into a new sex partner.

"Thanks for the evening Billy, I'll see you later," she said as she buzzed herself into the lobby.

"Maddy," I called to her.

She must have felt sorry for me, standing at her doorstep, looking thoroughly confused as she walked away. She stopped, smiled, came back out and gave me a nice kiss on the cheek.

"Call me," she said to me as she entered her building.

I was still standing on the sidewalk staring in with a non comprehending look on my face. Through the panes of glass I thought I saw her laugh when she looked back out at me. This evening certainly took a different turn.

The next day I called her and got the same greeting.

Same deal. Ms Doucette is unavailable, what is this pertaining to, and you are welcome to leave a message. And I did.

I got a call from another real estate agent about a house in Madison Park, a highly desirable and expensive area of Seattle.

"Billy, this one is going to go fast. They're asking 600k and it," he paused, "it's going to need some work, a lot of work. But Billy, you've got to move quickly. Someone's going to get a hell of a deal." He told me.

I was interested, very interested. In fact I already had a plan for this place if I were to get it. I told him I would meet him there at 9 AM, on the way I called my financial guy, Daniel Murphy.

"Danny, how much cash can I get," I said, "like today?" I asked him.

He told me to hang on. After a moment he told me I had $463,000 in liquid assets at this moment.

"How hard would it be to come up with another 150k?" I asked. "Quickly." I added.

"Hang on," he told me. After a moment he came back on. "I could sell a couple of things and probably have that amount of cash liquid by the end of the day. But, as your financial advisor it's my duty to ask what you need all this money for." He added.

I told him not to worry and that I'd call him back in an hour or so.

I got there first and from the outside I could see a lot of work that needed to be done. Roof, siding, windows, gutters. It all needed to be replaced. The yard was a jungle. But I looked around, this was definitely the worst house in a nice neighborhood. A very nice neighborhood. Several million dollar properties were on this street and all the houses, except this one, were well maintained.

Just then the realtor, Antoine Keys, pulled up in his shiny black BMW. Antoine was a senior on the WSU football team when I was a freshman. We reconnected after I moved back to Seattle and started buying real estate.

He gave me an elaborate handshake that I never quite knew how to reciprocate. He then began talking a mile a minute about what a great deal this house was. He told me it was going on the market tomorrow but we may be able to tie it up before then.

I had three initial impressions when we entered the house, and for my purposes, none of them were bad.

Number one, it stunk. I always liked a house that smelled bad. This was usually an easy fix but for most people that was a huge turn off.

Number two, it was trashed. Broken windows, the bathrooms filthy, spray paint on the walls. All easily repaired.

And finally, the house was beautiful. I could see the potential. Beautiful wood work, built in cabinetry, classically arched doorways and a grand staircase leading to the upstairs. It even had a back staircase. This was used in the era of live-in domestic help, a separate way up to the second floor for those who weren't supposed to use the main stairs.

Antoine and I toured the house and the yard. There would be a long list or repairs needed, but it would not take much to get it livable. By my calculation the land itself was worth almost $500,000.

"OK, buddy," I said to Antoine when we were out at the curb, "what do we need to do?"

"Billy, uh, you're interested?" He asked, surprised based on the poor condition of the home which we just toured.

"The family is back east and just want to sell it quick, but Billy," Antoine said, "they're asking $600,000. If it gets on the market tomorrow there's probably going to be a bidding war. We tie it up today. I think we can make this all happen."

I looked at the house, and then I looked at the neighborhood. I had this vision of me living here, having children, giving them the stable childhood Richie and I never had. I knew this is what I wanted. In my future fantasy I also saw a woman sharing this life I conjured up.

And in my daydream the woman looked an awful lot like Maddy.

Antoine printed up an offer sheet while I called Danny. I explained I was buying real estate in the Madison Park neighborhood. Any hesitation about his fiduciary responsibility as my advisor was overturned when he heard the location of the real estate. This was a very nice part of Seattle.

After another, different handshake Antoine said he'd get back to me by early afternoon.

When I got home I was excited by the prospect of the home in Madison Park. So excited I nearly forgot that I was expecting a phone call from Maddy. Nearly.

When the phone rang just after two o'clock I was glad it was Antoine, but I'd also hoped it would be Maddy.

Good news though, it seemed I'd bought the house. I was nervous and excited all at the same time. This was a lot of money for a house that was going to need more money to repair. But I had a plan.

I was going to sell equity in my West Seattle house. I had a list of people interested in owning shares of their own house and there were three people I knew I could sell it to, just as I had done with all the other houses I had sold. And my house was nicer than the others I'd sold so far.

Their down payments to me would finance the repairs on the Madison Park house. And the combined total payments from the three of them would be nearly $4000 per month. More cash flow. Furthermore I retained a 25% interest in this house.

There was a lot to do between selling my house and buying the new one and I actually, for large parts of the week, forgot about the fact that I hadn't heard from Maddy.

By Friday morning I had done the title search, signed the documents, and was in escrow on the new house. I will get the keys later this afternoon.

Just before noon on Friday I received a call, I didn't recognize the number, I was figuring it was likely the title company. I was actually surprised when I heard Madeline on the line.

"Hey stranger," she said to me.

I had so much I wanted to say to her. I wanted to tell her about my house, my plans, but I took a deep breath and slowed down.

"Maddy," I said, "I'm glad you called. How are you?" I asked and we began the perfunctory small talk chat.

Finally I asked her what she was doing this weekend.

"I'm free Saturday night." She told me.

And we made plans for dinner Saturday. Pick her up at 7 PM.

Friday evening I spent some time going through the house creating a punch list of projects. Dallas met me there at 7:30. Dallas, I had learned, was quite handy and despite his sometimes sloppy appearance was quite precise in his home improvement skills. I asked him to give me a bid on several repairs.

The following day I had scheduled a landscape contractor, Oscar Morales, to get his crew over and start on the yard. While they were doing that I began doing the very base cleaning in the house. I had purchased fans and odor neutralizers so being inside for an extended time frame was tolerable.

That night I picked up Maddy at her condo downtown. I took her to a small bistro on the edge of Madison Park. It was in an area with a cluster of nicer shops. It was also only about 4 blocks from my new house.

We had a pleasant dinner chatting comfortably about life. At this point I had mentioned nothing about the new house.

I did study Madeline. She was classically beautiful, dark hair a slim athletic body, with wonderful curves. But beyond the beautiful appearance there was intelligence, personality, and that arrogance that I was beginning to enjoy. I liked a confident woman.

After dinner I asked her if she wanted to take a walk. She looked at me slightly confused, but agreed. We meandered down the street in a direction that I wanted to seem random, but I had a definite goal.

We talked about the neighborhood and the styles of different houses. We pointed out houses we liked, well tended yards, and other particular noteworthy architectural features. Finally we arrived at my house.

"What do you think of this place?" I asked her.

"Pretty beat up," she said, "but it had potential."

"C'mon." I said as I walked up the path to the front door

"Billy," she said, "somebody probably lives there. Get back here."

I ignored her and motioned her to follow. She reluctantly did. When I got to the front door and unlocked it with the key she looked at me questioningly.

"What's going on Billy?" She asked.

She followed me in and we stood in the entry and looked around. Most of the odor was gone and all the broken glass and graffiti had been cleaned up. It still would be classified firmly in the category of a 'dump', but the improvement was significant compared to when I first saw it last Tuesday.

"I bought it." I told her.

"You bought a house in Madison Park!?" She asked. "When did this happen?"

I told her about the call from Antoine and the offer without telling too many economic details. I explained what I was doing with my house and talked about how this was going to be a long term project.

I saw her looking and observing the craftsmanship that survived despite all the neglect. The beautiful hardwood molding, the formal layout, the leaded glass windows and the beautiful centered staircase.

"Yes," she said, nodding her head. "A long term project."

On the drive back to her condo we talked a little more about the house and I explained about my business. Though we'd had many conversations about our lives in our previous time together in all honesty most of the talk had been about her.

Maddy seemed genuinely interested in my business and what I did. I explained how I had invested my football money in a few initial pieces of real estate and then came upon the idea of selling the partial equity of houses to people like my brother that may have a difficult time ever achieving home ownership on their own in this market.