The Problem with Dreams

Chapter 34 - The Water Test

Saturday morning started early at the farmhouse. Greg got up extra early to attend the earliest service possible at the synagogue, in order to be home early to move. Susan took Jessie and Zack to their early morning soccer games, and by mid-morning they were all back at the house, ready to spend the rest of the day moving the remaining office furniture. Once again Richard came to help, taking Susan totally by surprise when she opened the farmhouse front door to find him there.

"Hello Richard! What are you doing here?"

"Greg mentioned you were moving his office today when we were at the studio yesterday," Richard related. "I came to help."

"Did he ask you?" Susan asked curiously.

"No, I volunteered ... and Marion insisted. She didn't think you should be lifting things," Richard told her.

"And I fully agree," Greg said as he came up behind Richard. "Thank you for coming. Zackary and I need help bringing our storage cabinets down from the attic."

"They'll probably be easier to move if you take them apart first," Susan suggested.

"Which we are doing ... in part, but we can still use Richard's assistance," Greg insisted.

"I'm ready to help," Richard assured him and together the two men made their way up to the attic with Susan trailing behind.

As Greg promised, the cabinets were already unloaded, their contents packed in boxes, and they'd been partially taken apart. Each section stood ready and waiting to be carried down the stairs. Susan stood to the side while Zackary carried one down, then Greg then Richard. They did that twice more with Susan and Jessie mostly staying out of the way, although Jessie appointed herself stair monitor, telling them when they reached the bottom with each load. The cabinet sections by themselves filled up the back of the SUV, and they took a load over, with Richard carrying Greg's desk chair in the back of his own car, and Susan taking a couple of boxes and parts for one of the cabinets in the back of the Mustang. Once at the cottage, they unloaded the cars in reverse before going back for more.

"Where do you want these, Susan?" Richard asked after their second trip as he came into the cottage with his arms full of the few boxes they'd brought in this load.

"Put them by the end of my desk for now. We'll probably need to get Greg's desk in place and the cabinets set up before we can do much more with them," Susan said.

"Most definitely," Greg said as he came in carrying one of the cabinet sections. "Can you help Jessie, Susan? She's trying to roll the chair over the path."

Susan went out to help her daughter, moving the chair out of the way for those carrying pieces of their furniture, before continuing to push it along the cobblestone path. The men and Zackary all made two trips each before for they reached the cottage steps with the chair, and Zackary helped them lift it up though the front door. When Susan turned around, Richard and Greg were coming towards them carrying the light weight but awkward Ikea worktable style desk between them.

"Out of the way Jess," Susan said as they pushed the chair off to the side.

That was the last piece of furniture in that load, and soon they were ready to go back for more.

The second load consisted mainly of the boxes containing the contents from the storage cabinets for their office, and with Richard helping, loading and unloading them went very quickly. After only one more load, everything was there and they spent the rest of the afternoon putting it back together and helping Greg to unpack while Susan made them a late lunch.

"Isn't this a different sofa than the one you had for the party?" Richard asked as he surveyed the arrangement around the fireplace when they took a break for lunch.