The Lottery - 2. Chapter 2

“It was about 10 o’clock that night when Mr. Wilkins called, “I’ve spoken to the owners. They suggested they would like to split the difference.”

“At the end of the third day, I owned a farm. I went to Alexandria to contacted an architect and a company to install a chain-link fence around the property. The property was fenced, but I wanted a security fence. The architect firm assigned one of their junior staff to work with me on modifying the farmhouse while still trying to keep some of the rural charms. At the end of 9 months, I had my sequestered farm. The chain-link fence was installed with a gate that had an automatic opener and closer. I replaced the septic system with a larger one, including a larger drain field. I added a formal dining room, utilizing the space above the dining room to build my bedroom with an en suite bathroom. On one end of the dining room, I had a glass conservatory built leading to a swimming pool with a pool house that included the pumps and filters and a storage area for towels and lawn equipment. I also had two showers installed on one end of the pool house.

“Now, I was ready to put my secret plan in action.”

“I drove to several car and truck dealers in Wytheville. I need a specially designed van. I wanted a food truck. On the internet, I found a company that handled units by Custom Concessions. I showed the unit to several dealers. The Ford dealer said he could get me a unit but suggested I get the 14-foot unit. He said the price differential was wasn’t that much, and I’ll appreciate the extra length. I bought the 14-foot unit; the salesman said it would take a few days to have the unit delivered and prep. He’ll call me when the unit is ready to be picked up. This allowed me to register the unit and have it listed on my insurance. Now I had to figure out a way to pick up the unit and not drive my car.

I had been talking with Mom and Dad, telling them about the farm. Mom called and said Dad and her wanted to visit if that was okay. I sent them plane tickets and told them I’d meet them at the airport.”

Mom and Dad stayed for three weeks. During that time, I cleaned up the chicken coop and repaired the chicken fence. When we were in Alexandria, I contacted the architect who worked on the house. We set a meeting for the week after Mom and Dad would leave. I wanted to start working on converting the barn into a dorm.

Spending time with Mom and Dad was my priority while they were here. That didn’t mean I didn’t work on my special project. Dad asked what I was going to do with the food truck. I explained my project, including the barn renovation. I had his and Mom’s support; they even volunteered to help source the foods I would need.

While Mom and Dad were visiting, I needed to go shopping, “Mom, there’s a store in Woodlawn about 23 miles from here. I think they might be the store I’m looking for to supply my food truck as well as my home. I’d like you to come with me. I could use your input.”

The store was a country store that appeared to sell a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables, probably from the farms in the area. I asked about meats, they said they have some, but their inventory depended on when the farmers were butchering. I did manage to get a couple of pounds of sliced ham and cheese. Mom went and picked up some buns and fruit. “Mom, a bushel of apples?”

“Yes, they keep well and are nutritious.”

I would need to get pint cartons of milk. At the dairy section, “I need several pint cartons of milk. Do I need to pre-order?”

“No sir, but if it’s a significant amount, you can give us a call a few days before, and we’ll have it ready for you.”

I thanked him and proceeded to the checkout register with Mom. Now, as soon as the food truck arrives, I’ll be ready to make my DC run.

Arriving back at the farm, dad helped to unload the car. “You know you may need a pick-up for your shopping. This car is pretty full, especially with the bushel of apples.”

“A few days before Mom and Dad had to leave, the food truck arrived. I parked it at the farm. I would load it and planned on making a run right after Mom and Dad left.

Driving Mom and Dad back to the airport, we talked about my farm plans, particularly the barn. “Jeff, if you want to convert that old barn into a dorm for the street kids, I think you would be better off razing it and building a dormitory. I noticed that the barn was in bad shape, many of the wooden floorboards were rotten, and the roof had a lot of holes. You’d probably pay more for a refurbishing than a new building.”

“I have a meeting with the architect later this week, I’ll discuss that with him.”

I gave a lot of thought to what Dad said. He has good judgment, and he spent a lot of time walking around the farm. He probably knows that barn better than I do.