Love Thy Neighbor

Chapter 23

The last day of Hanukkah arrives and I'm kind of sad all day knowing my family is leaving early the next morning. It's been so nice having them visit. It hasn't been an easy holiday, since it's the first without Nana, but it's been warm and full of love.

Before Shawn's due to arrive, my dad asks that we all have a seat at the make-shift table. He pulls out a folder. I have no idea what this is about.

"When your grandmother died, she left her money to your mom," he says. "Her biggest asset, though, was her home."

Nana had moved in with her sister, Ginger, after my grandfather died. Ginger lived in the townhouse that their parents had bought in the 1930's. When Ginger passed away five years ago, the house became Nana's.

A townhouse may not sound like much, but this is a three story brownstone in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. The kitchen is old and funky, but the house had beautiful oak floors throughout, three bedrooms, and two bathrooms. It was probably not worth much when my great grandparents bought it, but that neighborhood is pretty happening now, and the house is undoubtedly worth a small fortune.

My dad continued, "Nana left the house to the two of you," and he nodded to me and Elsie.

Elsie frowned. "What are we going to do with a house?"

Dad rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "This is a huge gift! You and Jessica have several options, though I hope you take my advice, as someone who knows real estate."

I'm in shock.

"What are our options, Dad?" I ask.

"You could sell it now, as is, and split the proceeds and invest the money. Or, and this is what I recommend, you can fix up the kitchen and do some other work to upgrade the place. Your mom and I will loan you the money for the renovations. After it's fixed up, you get the whole place painted and rent it. You two will split the profit from renting, though you'll have to pay us back for the money we're fronting for the renovations. We will loan it to you interest free, of course. You will get a nice income from the rent. Eventually you can sell it, but it's only going to go up in value. The longer you hold on to it the better."

Elsie looks confused. "We make money either way?" she asks.

"Yes," my dad says. "But you'll make more if you hold on to it."

"I vote we go with your plan," I say after giving it a little thought. "I really can't stand the thought of selling it."

Elsie agrees.

I sign paperwork my dad has prepared giving him the authority to proceed with the work being done in the kitchen and ultimately giving him power to rent the place. Because Elsie is a minor, my parents sign for her. He's making it very easy on us, which makes sense since Elsie is still legally a child and I live far from Brooklyn.

As we're putting the the papers away, there's a knock at the door. I open it to Shawn who has flowers again.

He gives me a quick kiss on the lips and walks in and hands the flowers to my mom. He really has her bamboozled. I had to listen to her go on for over an hour yesterday about how perfect he is and how he is obviously crazy about me. I think she's already planning the wedding in her head, which is totally ridiculous.

The evening proceeds almost identically to the other one, except everyone is more comfortable now. Shawn's so relaxed and friendly and charming that you'd never guess that my family had just met him two days ago.

My dad encourages me to light the candles since we're in my house. There's always a solemn feeling when all the candles on the menorah are lit.

Dinner is delicious. This time there's leftover brisket, which makes me happy.