The Last Summer Apart

Chapter Two

Four hours, a box of Timbits, and two playthroughs of my Matchbox Twenty CD later, we pulled up in front of the cabin. Everyone loved it. There was a small front porch to the left of the door with big windows and a small cast iron table with two similarly designed chairs. Roger gathered everyone around his truck and said, “I’ll give you guys a quick tour inside and of the property, and then we’ll unload the cars alright?” Everyone nodded. He went up to the front door and unlocked it, then used a rock to prop it open.

“Okay everybody, to your left here is the living room with the fireplace, but we won’t be using it. These big windows don’t open, so it can get kind of hot in here during the day. To your right is the first staircase upstairs.” He led us past the living area into the kitchen/dining room. There were no walls separating the rooms on the main level, so you could see everything from when you walked in. “On your left in the dining table, and as for our kitchen, we have a fridge, a sink and a stove. That’s it. Nothing fancy. The sliding doors in front of you open to the backyard. The only fancy thing about this place is the dining table which...” He walked over to it and lifted up the wooden cover. “...doubles as a pool table. Perfect for rainy days if they happen. Now let’s go upstairs.”

He led us back to the entryway and up the stairs. He walked down the hallway pushing open doors to expose the insides. “First room on your right is storage, then a bedroom, then a bathroom. Then on your left, it goes bedroom, bedroom, bathroom again. Only the bathroom on the left has the shower. The bedrooms have a double bed, against the inside wall, one side table and a closet if I remember correctly. They also have windows that open so the upstairs doesn’t turn into a sauna during the day. At the end of this hallway...” He opened two glass doors to reveal a balcony that overlooked the backyard. “...we have the balcony. The second staircase that leads upstairs is this one outside, so please keep these glass doors unlocked at all times. Now follow me and I’ll show you the rest of the property.”

Roger led us down the outside stairs and onto the patio. “We have the firepit here, and two or three picnic tables on the cement part. The shed is at the end of the nice-looking grass. That’s where we keep tools, maintenance equipment and the canoes. The lake is about a 2 or 3 minute walk from the edge of our grass. Nobody is allowed to use it at night, or anytime without a lifejacket. That’s the end of the tour. Any questions?”  

Mahira asked, “I’m not getting a lot of cell service here.. Is that supposed to happen?”

Roger nodded. “You probably won’t get more than a bar, maybe two if you have a big carrier. Some people with the smaller carriers won’t get anything out here. If there’s an emergency, there’s a line in the house that will connect us to the emergency services in the nearest town.”

I cleared my throat. “Well if there are no more questions, let’s start unloading. We’re also going to have to do some cleaning. There’s no way we’ll be able to breathe with all that dust in there.” Everyone groaned. I raised my hands in my defense, “Hey, don’t make me the bad guy here!” Ethan chimed in, “She’s right guys, I don’t know about you, but I’d rather get rid of all the spiders now. I hate those god forsaken creatures.”