That Old House

"You can put me in the truck now, Jack. Although I certainly don't mind being held by such a handsome young man."

I was embarrassed I'd been standing there holding her, and set her into the cab. I was always a little surprised when she called me handsome. I knew better. Striking, maybe, with the large scar down the side of my jawbone, eyes too small and narrow, nose too wide. Wild hair which I could do nothing with and pretty much let it do whatever it would. No, not handsome. Still, it was nice to hear it from her.

We were already in D.C. so I gave them a short driving tour of the monuments and downtown, pointing out all the famous landmarks and buildings, to their contented oohs, and aahs. Then we headed south. It was a long drive, so we broke it up, stopping at a Cracker Barrel for dinner. From there it was less than an hour before I was turning up my private entrance, no trespassing signs displayed boldly.

"So this is your new road?" Beverly asked, as we bounced our way up the hill.

"It needs some work, but paving it will probably be the last thing I get around to, if I can help it. We'll be on it for a while, almost half a mile, and my initial quotes are over $30K to get it done."

"Would gravel work?" Karen asked from in back.

"Yeah, and that might be an alternative if the winter proves too much. Still pretty pricey, and then the whole expense is lost when I finally get around to paving it."

"Awfully secluded out here," she said, looking at the encroaching trees. The canopy was dense, letting little light through.

"Nearest neighbor is about a mile up the road. I've only met a couple of them. Nothing but farmland across the way. The nearest town is only about 8 miles away."

We drove that last bit in quiet, before the road opened up, crested the hill, and The House came in view.

"It's magnificent!" Beverly exclaimed.

"It's huge!" Karen chimed in afterwards.

I pulled up in front, and we unloaded the wheelchair and escorted Beverly into The House for the first time.

"It's beautiful," she said softly, looking around.

It was dusk, and we only had a few minutes of daylight left. I set about lighting the kerosene lamps and getting the fireplaces going. The library and sitting room were our makeshift bedrooms, and each had its own fireplace. The huge living area hosted another one, as did the dining room. Only the kitchen at the back of The House was left without. With fires crackling and popping in all four rooms, I finally had time for my guests.

Karen had brought in the bags, and settled Beverly in front of the living room fireplace, where she could watch our actions while staying warm.

"Your pictures didn't do the place justice," Beverly told me, when I finally settled into my lounge chair near her.

"That's why you had to see it in person."

"Are you happy with how it's going?"

"Beyond happy. I'm just aggravated it's taking so long. I imagine it'll be a couple of years before I'm done with this place. Of course, a house like this one will never be really done."

Karen was preparing tea in my kitchen, making herself at home. For the first time I wondered what it would feel like to share this place with a woman. Someone, hopefully, that loved the place as much as I did.

"You've done an amazing job here. It must have been a lot of work. The woodwork alone must have been exorbitant," Karen said.

"All the wood is from the property. Mostly hardwoods. I know a heck of a lot more about trees and wood then I thought I'd ever have to. Come spring I may thin out some of the woods, and sell the trees off to the lumber mill. I may even make enough to pave that road, who knows?"

"How much land is it?" Karen asked.

"Nearly 500 acres. Over a mile of road frontage, and well over half-a-mile deep. We've even got a creek on it, but I haven't been down there yet."

Beverly had been quiet, but seemed to wake up a bit. "You're doing a wonderful thing here, Jack. This place seemed so sad, so forlorn, and you've managed to breathe life back into it. It was a shame for us to let it go so."

"You've been here, then?"

"Twice, a long, long time ago. Once as a young girl for my Uncle's wedding. It was amazing. So big, so beautiful. It was old even then. He restored it for his wife, who was from Philadelphia. Then years later, after he passed away, I came out once to see it after I'd inherited it. I couldn't stand to be here, it was so dreary and gloomy. They'd only lived in it for a little over a year when the fire happened. Uncle Donald was out of town. Aunt Mary and little Elizabeth were trapped on the top floor nursery and couldn't get out. When the volunteer fire department showed up, they found them dead outside the house. She'd jumped from a window rather than burn. Aunt Mary was still holding Elizabeth. It destroyed Uncle Donald when he found out. He was never the same. Never got re-married. Not that he gave up on women. He was a black sheep for a while, leaving a series of bastards in his wake. Great gossip for the family, but I could never feel anything but sorry for him. He left the place as it was, refusing to sell it or fix it. It sat here empty for at least 75 years now. Such a shame."

"That's so sad!" Karen exclaimed at the end.

"It is, but even sad stories can have happy endings. I think Jack is just the man to make this a happy place once again. He's certainly made a wonderful start of it."

We didn't last much past that. Karen put Beverly to bed while I cleaned up a bit, and she joined me in the living room.

"I'm sorry I didn't know you were coming. I would have bought another bed. You can sleep in my room, and I'll take the couch," I offered.

"I'll be fine on the couch. That way I'll hear if Bev needs me in the night. Besides, I don't think you'd fit on the couch."

She had me there. She was small, only about 5'2" and I'm near 6'1". She had a better chance of squeezing in than I did.

I gave her some blankets and a pillow off my bed, and left her. "Thanks for coming. She seems comfortable around you."

She came over to me and pulled me down for a kiss on the cheek. "She's more alive than I've ever seen her. It's you and your project, filling her with joy. You're a good man, Jack."

"It's been good for both of us. Goodnight Karen."

"'Night Jack. Sweet dreams."

* * *

I loved my home, but it was doing weird things to my brain. Once again I awoke in the night, and my door was open. I got up and checked on the ladies, both sleeping soundly. I closed the door firmly, determined that I would do something about that when my company was gone, and tried to get back to sleep.

I was restless, and the sounds of The House weren't helping. I heard a regular creaking noise, and sat up in bed to see my rocking chair rocking back and forth. While I was staring at it, it slowly stopped moving, making me wonder if I'd been seeing things. Maybe a draft from the fireplace. Weird.

Lying back down, I felt my need arising again. I wasn't at an age where I felt I had to relieve myself daily; I suspect it had something to do with the young lady sleeping on my couch. Either way, I was feeling horny, and my rod was already at half-staff. I closed my eyes, casually playing with myself, while I drifted in that space between half-awake and half-asleep. My consciousness was slipping away, but the feeling below my waist was intensifying. My mind was playing tricks with me, and I thought I felt somebody settling onto the bed. I opened my eyes and glanced at the empty bed beside me, and at the closed door to my room.

Nothing. Door shut. Just the empty house messing with me.

Looking down, I was hard as a rock, and the crown was bright red as if on the verge of coming. I settled back down, mocking myself for my behavior, and made an effort to finish what I'd started. I stroked myself firmly, letting the cool air caress the sensitive head, which was feeling incredible. When I could hold back no longer, I released, pumping hard, until the throbbing stopped. Looking down, I was surprised to see how little I'd come, just a little stickiness on the head and dripping down my hand. Nothing like the torrent from the night before. I guess that in spite of the intensity of it, I wasn't in the same recovery mode as I'd been as a teenager.

* * *

I awoke to the smell of coffee and bacon. I breathed deep, stretching. It smelled so good. So right.

I was cold, and found I'd kicked off the covers in the night, and I was lying there with an embarrassing hard-on. I threw on some pajamas, in deference to my guests, added a heavy terrycloth robe, in order to hide my condition down below, and made my appearance.

Karen laughed when she saw me. "I thought that might wake you, sleepy head. Why don't you wash up and then you can set the table?"

Bev was on the front porch, enjoying the early morning. I went out and greeted her, leaning down and kissing her on the cheek. "Good morning, beautiful."

She giggled and swatted at me. "I'm immune to flattery young man."

"Just stating the truth. Having you two here makes everything so perfect. The House seems like a home."

"It's nice," she sighed. "I'd almost forgotten."

"I'm going to clean up now, breakfast will be ready in a few minutes."

"Thank you. Now run along. A grown man in a robe and pajamas? What is the world coming to?"

I went as fast as I could, and was setting the table in record time. Karen was laying out scrambled eggs, toast, pancakes and bacon. A veritable feast. I got my knuckles smacked for pilfering a piece of the crispy, thick cut meat-candy.

"Wait your turn, bucko. Why don't you bring in Bev? And be careful, she's cranky in the morning."

"Who are you talking about? She's the sweetest, kindest thing."

She rolled her eyes at me, an ability she'd perfected. "Go on now. Before it gets cold."

I wheeled Beverly in and sat her at the head of the table. We consumed our feast, and I plead no contest to the claim I ate more than half by myself. I asked what they wanted to do, and Beverly made it clear she planned to relax on the porch. Karen was happy enough to explore the area, and see the sealed off upstairs.

After breakfast we set Bev up outside with a table and a pot of tea. The woman loved her tea. I also made sure she had her cell phone which miraculously had reasonable reception where we were. Then Karen and I dressed for hiking and decided to explore the woods a bit around the place.

It was nice, walking and chatting with her, exchanging bits of our backgrounds, and a love for the outdoors. We made a series of small forays, returning to The House regularly to check on Bev.

Bev was enjoying a book and the fresh air, and shooed us away each time we returned.

"If you don't leave me alone for at least an hour, I swear I won't be responsible for my actions!" she finally announced, giving us our marching orders.

We decided to hike down to the road and back, and I was surprised to find myself getting hungry after all the walking. I pointed out several of the different types of trees to Karen, who picked up on the differences quickly, pointing out various specimens on our return hike.

"What did she charge you for this, if you don't mind my asking? She's notoriously stingy, and it must have cost a pretty penny. Do you come from money?"

"Money? I come from foster homes. Six of them growing up. No, I don't come from money. I didn't realize quite how large the property was, and I was hoping just to buy The House and access to it, but she signed over the whole place."

"Now you've got me curious. What was it, the Lotto? Did you cash in on one of those internet startups? Spill."

I laughed. "I never got to make an offer. She sold it to me for a dollar."

That stopped her in her tracks. "One dollar! But...that's crazy!"

"That's what I said, but her lawyer backed her on it. The only condition was that I kept her up-to-date on the progress, which I would gladly have done anyway."

She started walking again, shaking her head. "Old Bev is full of surprises, isn't she?" We walked along in silence for a bit, before she spoke up again. "Best deal she ever made."

"How's that?"

"She was wasting away. We thought she'd pretty much given up on life, and then you came along. She could talk of nothing else each day except what you were working on, and how the house was coming. She was a delight to be with after every one of your phone calls. I've known her for several years and have never seen her happier. She deserves a little happiness. She's a good soul."

"It's been good for me, too. It's nice to have someone to share this with. She's the closest to family I've ever had, and I've known her maybe seven months. Hard to believe."

"It is hard to believe. Hard to believe you don't have someone to share this with. No special someone in your life."

"My own fault. Too driven to get through college, working and studying. Too focused on success at business, paying off my loans, working two jobs for three long years. Too fixated on this house for the last couple of years. I wouldn't have been good company."

"Thinking of settling down a bit now?"

I laughed. "Not for a while. Everything I have is tied up in The House. I'm broke, and will have to work hard to scrape together the next 100 grand it'll take to finish this place the way I want. No, I think I'll be busy a while longer."

She skipped to the side of the road and returned with one of the last fall wildflowers. "You've got to stop and smell the roses occasionally. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." She smelled the flower and held it to my nose. When I went to smell it she pushed it in my face and took off running up the road, laughing.

I caught her after a short ways, and grabbed her, swinging her off the ground. "Dull boy? You are a troublemaker aren't you?"

She struggled in my arms for a second then twisted toward me. I was shocked when she gave me a quick kiss, and almost fell when I released her.

"Impertinent boy! I'm going to tell Bev how you manhandled me." She was skipping up the road backwards, wagging her finger at me.

I jogged up next to her. "Do it and I'll tell her you kissed me."

"You're rotten! I did no such thing. You kissed me!"

"Keep it up, devil-girl, and I'll do it again."

She took off running. "You'd have to catch me first!"

Ornery thing. Karen wasn't a kid, I'd guess early thirties, probably had me by a couple of years, but I couldn't help smile at her playful antics. She had a full figure, and when she ran any red-blooded man would recognize how womanly that figure was, with a narrow waist, wide full hips, and tapered legs. Definitely worth catching.

Catch her I did, and when she turned to me I leaned down and kissed her, longer this time. She came into my arms, hugging me, returning my kiss. She pulled away, catching my hand in hers. "Ok Romeo, I won't tell if you don't. Deal?"

I was still surprised at my own actions. It took me a few seconds to come to grips with myself. I gave her hand a squeeze. "Deal."

I was nearly 30 years old, and felt like I was fifteen all over again. Holding hands with a girl at the skating ring, going around and around in circles, never wanting the evening to end. Alas, at the end of the road she dropped my hand and jogged up to The House.

"How's it going, cranky-puss?"

"Where have you two been? Leaving me alone up here for hours on end! You're just in time. If you'll help me to the restroom I won't embarrass myself."

I checked the time. We'd been gone 55 minutes.

Karen leaned down and gave her a hug. "I'm sorry, Sweetie. We lost track of the time. Let's get you inside."

Beverly reached up and patted her hand, as she was wheeled indoors. "So long as you two had a nice time."

"He's a handful, but it was nice."

* * *

After lunch Bev took a nap, and I opened up the top floors and showed Karen around. She was suitably impressed with the open layout and the work done so far. The third floor was a little sparser, with the floor and ceiling unfinished, and I'd left it completely open. She even wanted to see the attic, so we headed up the last narrow stairwell and she got her wish.

Back on the third floor, she walked around the room. "I wonder which window it was."

I hadn't thought about it, but gave it some consideration. "It looked like the worst of the fire was in the front of The House. It was probably one of the rear windows."

She had stopped at the single window on the east side of The House. "I don't think so. I think it was this one."

"Really? Why?"

"I don't know. I just do." She shivered. "Can we go back down now?"

"Of course."

Back on the main floor, she asked me what my next project was going to be.

"I'm going to start on the second floor, room by room, and when that's done, I'll get going on the top floor. I'll probably run the wiring myself, then bring in an electrician to sign it off. I'm still not too comfortable with plumbing. I guess I'll wait for the spring to bring my plumber Charlie in to finish that up. Maybe I'll be able to afford it by then."

"You've got your work cut out for you. That's for sure."

"Yeah, but you know, I enjoy doing it. It makes me happy to see it slowly come together. The House feels more alive with every board I lay, every nail I drive. Sometimes I forget I need to sleep and work long into the night."

"That's good. You're right about the house. It's like it's alive. Watching us, while it slowly heals under your care."

I laughed. "I don't mean alive like living, just, I don't know, alive."

She just shrugged. "I don't know what I'm thinking. At least it seems friendly. For the most part."

"For me, I'm surprised how cozy the downstairs feels, with all that stone and open space."

"It's nice. You've made it that way." She wandered away from me and went to Bev who was awake and letting us know it.

I had opened a few of the windows, to let the air in, and walked around partially closing them, as the day cooled a bit. I still loved the fresh air, and would take it hands down over the muggy city atmosphere. Being a couple of hundred feet higher than the surrounding area appeared to help a lot.

Bev looked good, her cheeks pinking up, her eyes bright. "It's a different world up here. A different time. You can almost forget all the bad things going on elsewhere," she said.

Karen agreed. "No doubt. I could be anywhere, not an hour and a half away from D.C."

"We've talked so much about your plans for the house, what are you planning for outdoors?" Beverly asked.

"Hadn't given it much thought. I wouldn't mind having a nice garden up here some day. I've also thought about clearing a few more trees off the southeast side. From the roof, you can see for miles. In that direction, if I opened it up, I could look out from the porch and see nothing but trees and farms almost to the river. To the south and west, I'd like to leave them as they are, blocking the view and the sound of the highway."

Karen liked the idea, and I found myself interested in her opinion. "Have you thought about clearing the area around that huge oak tree to the northeast? It could be so picturesque. Maybe put a bench underneath it?"

"Hadn't thought about it, but it wouldn't be too tough to do. A couple of days work, and I can always use the wood."

"Can I see this tree?" Beverly asked.

I'd be hard pressed to ever say no to her.

We took her out, and gave her a tour of the area, as much as we could within her transport limitations. The old oak was huge, and had successfully held its own against the encroaching wild. The lowest branches could have been trees on their own, stretching out sideways, fighting for space. In some ways the tree was much like The House. Standing strong and solitary, taking whatever time and nature threw at it, and weathering it all.