Going Anyway

This Can Work Out

Saturday, May 13

I woke up this morning at 7:00 exactly. I hate the early morning sun because I live on the east side of the condo. I'm hoping our new house doesn't put me on the east side.

Mike called me this morning while I was playing Monopoly with Ava.

"Hey, Mike," I said.

"Steven, I have some good news for you."

"Okay, what do you know?"

"The house doesn't have asbestos. It passed the examination. I will make sure the windows are fixed." That was a sudden change.

"Sweet. What about staining and stuff?"

"You will probably still need to stain the wood floors because there was carpet on top of the floors, and they haven't ever been stained. It's a split-level house, and the two top floors have wooden floors, not including the kitchen and bathroom. Also, you'll need to re-do both bathrooms and the kitchen. You'll probably need to get a new ceiling on the lowest level, too."

Yikes, that's expensive.

"Could I just put carpet down upstairs?"

"You could, but the wooden floors could be pretty nice. I mean, it's a nice house. The wooden floors are one of its better features because they were covered up for so long. This is house was loved, just not in the right way. It also hasn't been painted in a long time. You'll need to paint the interior and exterior."

Ava looked up at me, trying to figure out what we were talking about.

I laughed a little. "Okay, I will definitely look into staining the floors then."

"Yeah, I think you need to get the flooring done first, and then you can put everything you own into the house. Will you be here June 2nd?"

"That's the plan."

"Is this a for sure thing?"

I took a moment to think it over one last time. I've been thinking a lot about this, and I think remodeling this house may be a good thing for Ava and I this summer. "I will sign the papers Friday afternoon of the 2nd if possible."

"Perfect."

"Thank you for everything."

"No problem." He paused. "How are things going down there? Is the transition going well so far?"

"Uhhh..."

"Uh oh. What's going on?"

How am I supposed to explain that if I leave this school, this town may stay the way it is? It's like the weight of this town is on my shoulders, and I'm just leaving them for my niece. I know I can make a difference here, and I know I already have. And now, I'm just leaving. That doesn't sit well with me.

"I don't know," I told him. "A lot is going on right now."

"End of the year stuff?"

"Yeah." There's more to that.

"Well, you'll get through it. Just think, in three weeks, you'll be up here."

I swallowed. "Yup."

When I got off the phone with him, I gave Ava a smile. "Well, we have a house."

She licked her lips. "Is it big?"

"It's bigger than this place, and we'll get a bigger yard, but we have to work on remodeling it. You, my friend, get to help me paint." I tried to sound positive.

This can't be that bad, right?

She folded her arms. "Ummm, no."

I mocked her by folding my arms. "Ummm, yes." Then I squeezed her shoulder. "It will be fun. I promise. Whenever we go to a hardware store, you complain about how you wanna paint your room. Now is the time."

She lit up. "Really? Can I paint it pink?"

"Sure."

"Okay!"

Maybe this can work out.