Isabel, The Beauty Next Door Pt. 08

"Eight hundred thousand pounds?" Harry says, disbelieving.

I get my wallet out and hand him the printout I showed Isabel. He looks at it and then gives it to his wife, who shows it to my parents. "We are talking about it because we trust your advice above all others and would like your input on what you think we should do?"

"Property," my dad says.

"Yeah, property is good," Harry agrees. "Where would you like to live?" He asks.

"Not sure, Exeter or here," Isabel says.

"Oh, my baby's moving away for good," Isabel's mother cries out.

"Mum, you haven't seen much of us for years," Isabel says. She grabs my hand under the table and squeezes it. She's noticed the lack of a comment from my mother.

"We were thinking along those lines," I add. "I will look online later to see what sort of house we can buy."

"You could buy a bloody castle with eight hundred grand," my dad says.

Later that night, I am on my laptop, looking around the different sights when I stumble on an auction lot. I say lot, but it's more like two large townhouses next to each other. They are large Victorian-style houses being sold by Exeter city council.

Both houses are slightly run down but don't look damp, and the basic structure looks good. What has caught my eye is that they still have many original features. "Baby, what do you think of these?" I say to Isabel, who's relaxing after I scratch her itch.

"Wow, they are beautiful," she says. "Do we need two?"

"No, but as an investment, buying two could be better than buying one," I say.

"See what your dad thinks."

I get up and walk down the stairs to where Dad is sitting talking to Mum in the Kitchen. "Hello, James," he says, like they've been caught talking about something.

"Hi, Dad; I was looking through the property sites and came across this. What do you think?" I say.

I put the computer down in front of him and let him look through the site. I sit down as his eyes eagerly look through the site photos and information.

Mum turns to me, "your dad was just explaining to me that Heather made a comment when we talked about you buying a house in Exeter, and I was quiet," she says. I don't say anything to her statement, so she continues, "I guess by your silence, you are either not bothered or used to it. I guess either is damming. You haven't been deprived, have you?"

"Depends; compared to many, I've not gone hungry and had clothes on my back. I have had a happy childhood and have made a good start to life," I say. "I can't say that you two should take credit for that. I guess I was lucky with the best friend that I had and a Kendo teacher that saw more than a boy stealing his apples. What I have and how I am is due mainly to my choices. Being in my twin's shadow was an easy choice for me, and many people underestimated me because of it."

I see my mother's expression has changed. "Your father was saying pretty much the same thing."

"I'm sorry if it's not what you want to hear, but you have always put Bradly above me and taken his side every time. Don't worry; I got over it years ago. I have been thankful for what I have and know that what I achieve is down to my hard work."

"What do you mean, taken Bradly's side?"

I roll my eyes; I don't want to answer a question I know she won't like the answer to. The truth often hurts, and I can see this truth isn't one my mother is prepared to face. "Okay, mum, can you tell me how many times you've come down to see me take a Kendo exam and receive my next belt? Do you even know what belt I hold in Kendo? Can you tell me how many times you visited me in Cambridge? Can you remember what sports I did at school and what honors I won? Can you remember the last time you took me out that was nothing to do with a holiday or football? One last thing, can you remember ever coming up into my room just to talk to me?" I shake my head because I can see the tears welling up in my mother's eyes. "I'm sorry, Mum, I didn't want to answer a question I know you wouldn't like the answer to." I get up from the table and say to Dad. "When you're done, let me know what you think."

He looks up, and I can see the hurt in his eyes. "The one thing I had with you, Dad, was work. I valued our time together on a Saturday morning above all else." I smile at him and pat him on the shoulder.

I walk back into my bedroom. "What's up, Jimmy?" Isabel asks when she sees my expression.

"Dad pointed out to Mum that she didn't have the same response as your mum when we said about buying a house in Exeter. Mum just asked the question I don't think she was ready for the answer to," I reply.

"Oh, Jimmy, I'm sorry....." Isabel wraps her arms around me, as always making me feel better.

"James," my dad says as he walks up the stairs. He stops at the top with my computer.

"How's Mrs. Stokes?" Isabel asks.

Dad takes a deep breath. "She's had a dose of reality; we both have," he says. He coughs because he's choking up. "James, these houses would make an excellent investment if you can get them at the right price. They back onto a large park, and I know the area is very good to live in." He walks in and hands me my laptop.

"Would you help to get them up to scratch?" I ask.

Dad smiles and pats my shoulder. "I would be honored to," he says before turning around and heading back downstairs.

When Isabel and I walk into the kitchen the next morning, you can cut the atmosphere with a knife. Isabel and I had agreed to go next door if it was too bad, so we did. This wasn't what my mother expected, who is still trying to keep some moral high ground.

As we walk toward the back door, Isabel looks back at my mother. Their eyes meet, and Isabel can't help but shake her head in disapproval. Isabel takes a couple of steps before stopping. She looks at me and then turns back.

Isabel steps back into the kitchen. "I'm sorry," she says. "This weekend was meant to be a joyous return home."

"I have never put Bradly above James, never," my mother says firmly.

"Okay, that is your opinion, but I will say that I've seen it multiple times myself," Isabel says in response. "I will leave you to answer this. How many times did you visit our flat in Cambridge, and how many birthdays have you spent with James and not Bradly?" Isabel walks out, leaving my mother with her hands over her mouth and tears rolling down her cheek; she knows the answer is zero. Isabel catches me up. "I'm sorry, Jimmy, I had to say something," she says.

"Thanks, Izzy, but it goes in one ear and out of the other," I reply.

"I think the shell might be cracking," Isabel says with a smirk.

We go over to the Richard's house, and Heather Richards makes us some breakfast. We explain what has happened, and Heather promises to talk with my mother.

Once Heather Richards has finished making Isabel and me something to eat, she apologizes and heads off to talk with my mother.

My mother is still nursing her coffee in a daze when the next-door neighbor taps on the back door and walks in. "Hi Heather, how are you doing?" Heather R asks.

"Have you come over to tell me what a bad mother I am?" My mother says as her friend grabs a mug and starts to make a cup of coffee. Heather stops what she's doing and looks at my mother with raised eyebrows. My mother breathes out, "I'm sorry, but what James and then Isabel said to me has upset me beyond belief."

Heather still doesn't say anything momentarily and then returns to what she is doing. "And what exactly did they say?" Heather says, clicking the kettle on.

"I'm sure they've already told you what was said," my mother retorts.

"You know me; I like both sides of a story," Heather glances over at my mother.

"Oh, something along the lines of, I favor Bradly and have basically ignored James," my mother says, paraphrasing.

"Uh-huh," Heather says. "And what did my daughter say?"

"Oh, she asked how many times we visited them in Cambridge and how many birthdays I've spent with James instead of Bradly?"

"So, how often did you visit or spend time with James on his birthday?"

"I don't know off the top of my head. Ummmmmmm, well, we didn't go to Cambridge because of Sarah and his birthdays...Uhh, umm, well, none I can think of. Bradly always seems to have an important match."

"But James hates football, so what did he do for his birthday?"

"I don't know; spent the day with Sam or Isabel?"

"So what you are saying is you didn't go to Cambridge because Sarah, who could have stayed with us, and you're unsure what he did for his birthday. Just out of interest, what did you do with Bradly?"

"We went out for din... I can see what you are do...Please leave Heather." My mother is getting upset now.

"Do me one favor. Write down every point James and Isabel made and prove them wrong. If you do that, then that will be the end of it, but at the moment, all I hear are excuses."

"Heather," my mother says. "Can you please leave? I don't want to get into an argument with you."

Heather puts her hands up and says, "I'm going, but you have a very special young man next door that, for some reason, still wants to come home to visit. Remember, once your son starts working, he will have less time to come home, and if you give him fewer reasons to need to, he will stay away. If that happens, it will effect all of us." Heather walks out the door after having her say.

"Bloody cheek," my mother says to herself.

My dad walks into the kitchen. "What was that all about?"

"Heather came across to...I don't know. Make me feel guilty?"

"I think they have a point. I think we have paid too much attention to one twin and been blind to the incredible young man that's grown despite of us," he says. "You've got to concede that we went to see Bradly without even considering James. Christ, James had to get hit by a car for us even to notice him, and let's face it, we have to emotionally blackmail him to go and watch his brother play." My parents sit opposite each other, thinking. Both were lost in their thoughts. "What date is James's graduation?" My dad adds.

"The twenty-fourth, just before he goes to America," my mother says, picking her bag up.

"What ya doing?" My dad asks.

My mother has her diary out. "I'm checking to see if Bradly has anything on," my mother replies. My dad looks at her with total amazement. "What?" He asks, annoyed. "Are you seriously looking? There shouldn't even be a single thought about Bradly. This is one of those moments you don't miss. It's a milestone that we will remember and look proudly back on. Our son is graduating Cambridge University, top of his class, and you are making sure there's no football match or any other engagement that won't get in the way?"

"It's okay; the seasons over and preseason doesn't start for a couple of weeks after," my mother says, not listening.

My dad shakes his head. "Worst parents ever," he says.

Isabel is busy online checking the legal pack for the two houses we are looking to invest in, and I am reading on the balcony. Today is a rare down day, and we have absolutely nothing to do. Our parents are taking us out for a meal later in SQ in Braunton before we head to Exeter tomorrow. Initially, we will stay at Sam's place, but if everything goes right, we will buy the two houses and get them habitable for our return from America.

I see Harry walk into his kitchen, knowing Heather is out shopping; I get up and go downstairs, not saying anything to Isabel. I quickly jog next door and knock as I walk in the open back door.

"Hello, James. What can I do for you," Harry asks.

"Harry, I have come over to quickly to ask for your blessing. I want to ask Isabel to be my wife, and I feel it's only right to get your blessing first."

"About bloody time, son. When are you going to do it?"

"I'm not sure when the time is right, I suppose. Can you keep it to yourself for now please?" Harry nods but doesn't look happy he has to keep this from his wife. "Anyway, thank you, and I need to get back before I am missed." I stand and shake his hand before going next door.

I walk back up the stairs, and Isabel is still in the same place I left her. "What are your thoughts?" I ask like nothing has happened.

"Right, the only thing I see is the house preservation order and the upkeep restrictions," Isabel says. "It looks like the two houses were used for offices and have conjoining doors, so that will need to be sorted."

"That would be normal with a period property. We would naturally keep the place looking good, and I like all the features inside--especially the stained glass window up the stairs," I say. "We could have one big house," I add.

"Yes," Isabel says excitedly. "I've made an appointment to view the property Monday at two. The auction is on Wednesday," she adds.

"What do you think it will cost us?" I say.

"If I'm honest, I don't think we will have much change from four hundred and fifty. They are run down, and I hope the preservation order will keep the developers away." Isabel smiles. "Just remember we have to do the places up as well."

"Yeah, okay. Can you double-check everything when you have time and..." Our conversation is stopped by two sets of footsteps walking up the stairs.

My mum and dad appear at the top. "Can we talk, please, Son?" My dad asks. I nod, and they sit next to each other on the couch. Isabel gets up from the computer and sits beside me on the bed.

My mother takes a deep breath. "First of all, it has been a very awkward and, quite frankly, devastating twenty-four hours. Until an hour ago, I was in total denial that I had done something wrong."

"Mum," I say, trying to ease her pain.

She holds up her hand. "Please let me finish. This is a bitter pill to take, and I don't think I will get it out if interrupted. Anyway, three things happened in quick succession. I was doing what Heather suggested and writing down two lists--one with what we have done with Bradly compared to you. Then Sarah came in to tell me she was going next door and asked what I was doing. When I told her, Sarah laughed, saying I didn't need a list to know that it's obvious to everyone that we favor Bradly. She was right; I had been sitting down for over half an hour and only had three things on your side compared to nearly twenty on Bradly's. Then to hammer the point home, Bradly phones home for once; his timing could not have been any better. I asked him what he thought, and he laughed the same way Sarah did, but he did something more." By now, tears are rolling down my mother's face. I get up and go and sit next to her, putting my arm around her. Mum continued, "he ridiculed me and took pride in the fact that he was our favorite. He said some unkind things about you and then had the audacity to ask if we were coming to see him because he's bored." Mum is laughing through her tears. "I just put the phone down without answering," she said. Then she starts crying again. Isabel joins us in a family hug as my mother blurts out. "I'm so sorry, James."

******

Isabel and I are sitting in the auction house, waiting for the two houses to come up. The viewing of the two houses went well and we both fell totally in love with them. Although both houses are a little neglected, they both look structurally sound and have so much promise. There is a little damp in the back room and upstairs, but I am confident both problems are easily solved and look worse than they are. One thing did become clear, and that was the fact that both lots are enormous and way too big to make into one. The lot is the last of the day, and the room is incredibly empty. I know it only takes two people wanting the place for the price to go through the roof.

"Last but not least are two houses in Bromsgrove." My heart sinks when he says, "I have two bids on the books, and we are at....." He looks at the book in front of him: two twenty, two forty...fifty. I'm looking for two sixty; he doesn't look up and goes to raise the gavel. This guy wants to go home.

I raise my card and say, "Excuse me."

"Oh, two fifty," he says, surprised I am there. I nod, and he looks back down. "Two, sixty," he looks up. Two seventy?" He asks. I nod. I still can't believe how low the price is. Then it goes very quickly. "Two seventy, eighty, ninety, three." Again, he looks up, "Three ten?" I nod. "Three Ten," he pauses, and I look at Isabel, still amazed at the price. "Three Ten....going once....twice....yours. Three hundred and ten thousand pounds.

Isabel gasps and then hugs me as the delight at our purchase overwhelms her. "I can't believe it," she says.

"I'm wondering why it's gone so cheap," I say. We separate from each other, and I walk up to the auctioneer.

"Please don't tell me you didn't mean to bid?" He says, rolling his eyes.

"No, I was wondering why the price was so low?" I said.

"Oh. There was plenty of interest, but several issues put many people off. The main one was the conservation order and the ongoing upkeep of the facade. Then there was the damp inside and the time restraint on getting the outside up to standard. The two bids on the books were more speculative. You did read the legal pack, didn't you?"

"Oh yes, we've bought it for ourselves. I'm an architect at Sampson Harris, and my girlfriend is a lawyer for the company. We needed a base in the city and fell in love with the place when we saw it online. My dad is a builder and owns his own company, so getting the site up to spec quickly is not a problem," I say.

"Sampson Harris, you say. How is Andrew?" He says, now more relaxed.

"All is good; he's in Dubai at the moment," I say. "So, where do I go to pay the deposit and fees?" I ask.

"Through the doors over there and the first door on the right past the ladies," he says. "It's been a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Stokes," he says.

"And you. Thank you," I say, shaking his hand.

We pay the money owed and make our way back to Sam's. Since finishing Uni, Sam has had several jobs before recently becoming an events organizer. This job is perfect for her. With her natural energy and organizational skills, she seems to be turning work away. It's getting to a point she is looking for a second person to help her.

"Jay, how did you get on?" Sam asks as we walk through the door. Both Isabel and I pretend to be sad. Sam's smile fades. "Oh Jay, I'm sure there will be others," she says sympathetically.

"I doubt it," I say. "Because we got it," I shout excitedly.

"You fucker," Sam says as she jumps up and hugs us both. "How much?"

"Three hundred and ten, but we've got fees on top of that, but Iz thinks we can get around paying tax because we can split it between two houses."

"Wow, less than you thought," Sam says. "Jaaaayyyyy?" She says when she wants something.

"Yes, Sam, what do you want?"

"Wellllll....what are you doing with the second house?"

"Not sure why?" I say, thinking I know what she's going to ask.

"Could you rent it to me and Hannah?" She asks.

I raise my eyebrows and look at Isabel. What Sam doesn't know is that we had talked about this very thing. "Oh, Sam, we worried about renting out..."

"It's okay," Sam interrupts Isabel, looking disappointed.

"...to someone we don't know, so if you are serious and we will have to do it properly, but you will be number one on our list," Isabel finishes.

It goes quiet for a minute while Sam's brain catches up. "You what?" She says. "Shit, we are going to be neighbors again?" Sam jumps into my arms and kisses my face, saying, "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you."

"Hey, what's with the reaction?" I say.

Even by Sam's standards, this was over the top.

"Mum told me last night that she's getting married," Sam says. "I was thinking of moving out anyway, and your place couldn't be more than perfect."

"Oh right, Rachel's getting married," I say.