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- 09/09/2021
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Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you.
Marco - 9. Chapter 9
Friday, I went to work. Anne already knew that they were going to start the trench on Monday. “Mr. Edwards was telling everyone over at the feed store about the oak furniture in your house.”
I chuckled, “Is there a newspaper in this town? Because if there is, it must be a Sunday-only issue. News travels too fast to have a daily paper.”
I couldn’t wait for 5 pm. I was anxious to get home. Mom and Dad were arriving soon, and I needed to ensure their bedroom was ready for them.
I arrived home at 5:30, and when I walked into my apartment, the aroma of spaghetti sauce hit my nose. Mom and Dad beat me home. “I didn’t expect you until six at the earliest.”
“Your mom was in a hurry. We left at seven this morning, stopping only for coffee. She even had sandwiches packed so we could eat while driving.”
“There aren’t any lights, but I do have a lantern that we can use if you want to see the house tonight.”
“We can wait until tomorrow. I’m looking forward to a good night’s sleep.”
So it was decided we would have supper and early to bed. We would tour the house tomorrow. I’m not sure my mom bought into that plan, but I think she went along with it as it was Dad’s plan.
I woke to the smell of coffee. Living by myself, I got out of bed and headed to the bathroom. I saw dad leaving the bathroom. He looked at me. “You need to wear a robe when we are here.”
I realized I was naked. That was the way I slept since high school. I rushed back to my room and put pair of shorts on. As I left my room, Mom had a cup of coffee and was taking it to their room for Dad. I knew her seeing me naked wasn’t a big deal, but Dad was right. I need not walk around naked when I had guests.
Breakfast was like being home again. I chuckled. We sat the same way as we did at home. I sat between my mom and dad on the same side of the table. I always wondered what would happen if we had a square table where we had to sit across from each other. When you are away from home, you tend to forget the little things you took for granted. Sitting in the kitchen brought to mind things we did as a family when I was in school.
I could see Mom and Dad were anxious to see the house. Mom took our plates as soon as the last fork full went into our mouths. Dad turned down the second cup of coffee. I told them we would leave as soon as I brushed my teeth. Dad was at the door, and Mom was putting the plates in the wire rack to dry. I chuckled as I left the bathroom. Dad must have opened the door as soon as he heard the water turned off. Mom was in the hall waiting.
I stopped at the feed store and picked up two more lanterns. “There aren’t any lights, so we will need these.”
Arriving at the house, I noted that the gate was removed. This allowed me to park the car inside the gate. Mom was the first one out of the car. She couldn’t wait to see the inside of the house.
Dad and I chuckled as she moved quickly to the front porch. Two boys were sitting on the steps.
“Hi guys, how can I help you?”
“My name is Billy, and this is my friend Jimmy. We were wondering if you were going to hire someone to cut the grass?”
“Yes, probably will. Are you volunteering your service?”
“Well, not volunteering, but we can cut you grass for 10 dollars.”
I smiled. I’m sure that they think it’s only the grass around the house. “So you will cut all of my grass for 10 dollars.” They nodded yes. “You do know that there are five acres of grass that will need to be cut.”
They looked at each other, and I could see that they didn’t realize the amount of grass needed to be cut. “How about this? I’ll pay you 25 dollars a week to cut all of my grass.”
They said they needed to think it over.
“Marco, 25 dollars seems like a bargain for cutting the grass on 5 acres.”
“Dad, I was thinking of buying a riding mower. It would take two days to cut all the grass with a push mower.”
I watched Mom as she tried to open the front door. She looked at me, “The door is locked.”
“Yes, it needs to be opened from the inside. I think the lock is rusted or broken. I’ll need to replace it.”
“Marco, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to replace all of the locks.”
Dad and I walked to the back of the house, and I opened the door. As I was about to enter, I was brushed aside as Mom pushed past me. “A little anxious, Mom?” Dad was laughing.
“Marco, come and turn on the light.”
“Mom, there is no electricity. That is why I bought the lamps.” When Dad and I came into the room where Mom was standing, I turned on the light, and that was when Mom saw the shelves with the food and the porcelain buckets
I watched as she picked up one of the jars and was going to open it.” \Mom, wait. I don’t know if that is any good. Here take this light, and you can explorer the house.”
She was smiling as she headed into the kitchen. Dad and I followed. The only difference, we stopped to admire the craft of the woodwork.
“The man who built this house was a master craftsman. I have never seen wood cabinets like these. There isn’t a nail in any of it. It looks like he dovetailed everything together.”
“Wait until you see the living and dining rooms. Everything is made with oak.”
Looking at the fireplaces, “You need to get the chimneys cleaned. They are probably full of soot and any debris.”
“I’ll check with Jake, and he’ll probably know someone who can clean the chimneys.”
“Where’s your mother?”
“Probably upstairs picking out your bedroom.” Dad laughed
Walking upstairs, Dad started to call for mom.
She was in one of the bedrooms. Walking into the bedroom where we heard her voice, “Mom, is this going to be your bedroom?”
“Marco, there is no bathroom up here.”
“Mom, the bathroom is outside.” Now, dad started to laugh. Mom looked at him with darts in her eyes.
“Marie, they didn’t have bathrooms when they built this house. I’ll bet there is an old fashion outhouse outside.”
“Marco, you can’t stay here without a bathroom.”
“Mom, people have lived here for many years without indoor plumbing. If they can live here, so can I.”
Dad just laughed, went downstairs, and brought one of the porcelain buckets up. He set it in the room, “This is the indoor plumbing they used.”
Mom went to hit him. He ducked and then left laughing.
“Mom, there are a lot of linens here for the beds. Can you check them and see if I can use them. I noticed several; handmade quilts.”
I went to meet up with Dad. He was outside by the pump. “Marco, I think we will need to prime this pump to get it to work.”
“How much water will we need?”
“Since the pump has been idle for quite a few years, I’d get a 50-gallon drum of water. That should be enough.”
“What if there isn’t any water to pump.”
“This rope seems okay. Let’s drop the bucket down until there is slack in the rope. Then we will pull up the bucket, and if the bottom is wet, then there is water.”
That is what we did, and when we pulled the bucket up, the bottom was wet. “You have water. We need to prime the pump.
“Have you checked out the basement?”
“I don’t know if there is a basement, and I didn’t see any way to get in if there is one. The house was built on stone, which you can see.”
“Let’s look.”
Dad and I started to check the stones. “Marco, the house was built on a hill. Therefore to make sure the house is level, the basement walls would follow the ground. Let’s follow the hill to the lowest point.”
That’s what we did. I counted eight of the stones when we were at the front of the house. We found the most rocks above ground in the right corner. Dad tried to move the stones.
“Marco, we need a shovel. These rocks are loose. I’ll bet we can get under the house.”
“I’ll bring a shovel over after lunch. I need to stop at Jakes and get a metal drum for water.”
Dad and I walked to the outhouse and the barn. “I think if I check the roof, this will make a good garage and tool shed.”
“You can get a horse for that old buggy.”
“I know nothing about taking care of a horse.”
“I’ll bet those kids do.”
“Here comes Mom. It must be close to lunch.”
“There are several quilts I’d like to take home and see if I can get them cleaned.”
“We’re ready to go back to the apartment for lunch. I’ll help you carry them to the car.”
“Marco, you need to put a bathroom in the house. Those pots aren’t that comfortable to use.”
I heard Dad laughing.
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Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you.
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