Marco - 6. Chapter 6

On the first of the month, I received a package from Mom. It was food my mom made, and she did include cooking directions. Life became routine, and I started to run in the morning. I missed playing soccer. I needed some sport in my life, so I began to run, and I joined a gym.

Mom and Dad came over once a month, and I spent the holidays with them. That also gave me a chance to catch up with Karl and his family. He did have a son, and true to his word, the son’s name was Karl Marco.

Running allowed me to get to know the town. A park had swings and a see-saw for the kids, a pavilion with tables and charcoal grills. There was a pond and paths for walking or running. I started out running from the apartment to the park, and then I would run through town. Each time I took a different route through the town.

One of my routes took me past an old house that was on a hill. The place looked like it hadn’t been occupied for several years. There was an old fence with a rusted padlock. Every time I passed that house, I had to stop and look. It felt like it was waiting for me.

Back in my office, “Annie, when I run in the morning, I sometimes run past an old house on a hill surrounded by a wire fence. Who owns that place?”

“That must be the Wight place. They say it is over 100 years old. Mrs. Wight died about seven years ago. You can read about it at the Library.”

On Saturday, I did just that. The house was built in 1814 by Ephraim Wight. He and his wife were from England. Arriving, he bought 100 acres of land, which he farmed. When he died, his wife and his children took over the farm. There were two girls and one son. The girls married locally, but the son went back to England to marry a relative. The paper I read wasn’t specific about the young girl, except she was a distant cousin. They had two children, both boys. One returned to England, and the other stayed here, the youngest, and he eventually inherited the farm. He married locally, and they had one son.

Monday, I told Annie what I had read. “Annie, was the Wight’s an important family? There was a lot of information about them at the Library?”

“Yes, they were. When they arrived, this area was just cattle ranches. The nearest store was a Farmer’s Grange about 40 miles away that served an area of 100 square miles. Once a month, the ranchers would make a trip for supplies. If they needed anything that wasn’t readily available, they had to order it. When Ephraim came here and started to farm, the ranchers didn’t need to go to the Grange as often. He supplied them with vegetables, and they provided him with meat.

He was a fair man. He convinced the ranchers that they should invest in a Grange here. He told them he would donate the land if they build a Grange. He did, and they did. With the Grange being built, other people came. He gave them land to build on. He kept about 5 acres for himself and his family. This town owes him their start.”

I had no idea the importance of this man to this town. I wished I had known him. “Annie, who owns that land now?”

“The county.”

At lunchtime, I walked to the county building to check on that property. I met with the county clerk, “Dave, what is the status of the old Wight property?”

“Let me look, Marco.” I waited until Dave returned with a ledger. I watched as he leafed through the ledger.

“Marco, taxes haven’t been paid for the last seven years. Since the Wight’s were well-loved by the community, The County Commissioners didn’t push to put the property up for sale. There is a rumor that there is one relative still alive. Are you interested in the property?”

“Yes, I’d like to buy it. There is something about that house that seems to talk to me.”

“Well, don’t let that get out. People will think you’re crazy. Let me talk to the commissioners, and I’ll get back to you.”

The following Monday, Dave called and said he wanted to see me. “Marco, the commissioners have a deal for you. Let’s meet for lunch.”

We agreed to meet Tuesday for lunch at Angie’s Cafe. I was excited about the meeting. I hope that the commissioners would agree to sell me the property. That night I didn’t sleep well. I was excited, but I also didn’t want to get my hopes up.

Tuesday morning, I told Anne about having lunch with Dave. I also told Mr. Trate that I would be having lunch with Dave of the County Commissioners office, and I would be back late from lunch. I don’t think Mr. Trate cared. His mind was on retiring in a few months.

Walking into Angie’s Cafe, I saw Dave sitting at a table chatting with the waitress. “Must not have been busy Claire to spend your time talking to this civil servant.”

“Hi, Marco. Look.”

She held up her finger, and there was a diamond ring on it. “Congratulations, Claire, who is the lucky guy? I hope he is deserving of you.”

Clair nodded her head toward Dave. “Oh Clair, I feel sorry for you if it’s Dave. I heard he's married to his job.”

“Hey! I’m married to my job as long as it involves Clair.”

“Well, congratulations. You have picked the best-looking girl in town.”

I sat down, Clair took our order. While we waited, “What have the commissioners decided?”

“They will sell the property for the back taxes provided you install electricity, water, and sewage.”

I thought there is a well for water, and I supposed he had a septic field for waste disposal. Why would I need to install sewage and water to the house? Then I realized that the water and electricity would provide revenue to the county. Sewage is always calculated based on water consumption. Now I understood the offer. The back taxes would be low since the evaluation of the house without these amenities would be low. “Okay, Dave, I’ll agree to make those changes. I would like the sewage piping, water lines, and electrical cables installed below ground. Is that possible?”

“I don’t see why not. I’ll check this afternoon and let you know.”

Finishing our lunch, I returned to the office. ”Marco, you’re smiling. I assume lunch went well.”

“Yes, Anne, I am now the owner of the Wight property.”

“When will you be moving?”

“The condition of the sale was I had to install sewage, water, and electricity. So I won’t move until all of that work has been completed.”