Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 55395 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 277(@200wpm)___ 222(@250wpm)___ 185(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55395 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 277(@200wpm)___ 222(@250wpm)___ 185(@300wpm)
They thought they’d be in the clear, since he didn’t come back for months this time. Then one day, he re-appeared, hurt Vivian and the girls, wreaked havoc on the house, until finally, Troy called the cops one night after hearing screaming. The abusive piece of shit was taken away in handcuffs, and all Eleanor knew is that Vivian and the girls up and disappeared in the middle of the night. Eleanor tends to believe she received help from the women’s shelter and is in the wind, especially since the man who beat on her and the children didn’t stay behind bars long.
I felt terrible after hearing the story. No longer was I upset about the house but at the way Vivian and her children were treated. I make a mental note to include a sizable donation to the local women’s shelter when life settles down. What reason is there to have all this money that’s been left behind with nothing to do with it? I’d rather see it be spent on the greater good. We then proceeded to write a list of what would need to be done to make the house livable. I’m okay with living there once the basics are done, you know, like a livable bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom.
When I first planned to come down to Florida, I initially thought I’d throw a blow-up air mattress in the car and figure things out when I got here. Naomi clucked her tongue, telling me in not so many words that my idea wouldn’t be the greatest, especially because there was no running water and power. Furthermore, turning it on while no one is at the house could make for another sticky situation in case there was a leak or an electrical fire. Here I am, thirty-five-years old, and didn’t even think about that. Clearly, I’ve never owned a home on my own before. Even while being Dad’s caretaker, nothing really happened at the house apart from needing a new hot water heater.
Needless to say, I saw the error in my ways and quickly found a place to stay. There were hotels to choose from, except they were further away from my house, not to mention they were a bit pricier than I wanted to pay. My goal was to come down here, get the house ready, working night and day to do so, and only need a place to lay my head at night. I guess that’s out of the question, but the good news is the bed and breakfast I booked isn’t near as steep as a hotel, plus it comes with breakfast. The older couple who owns and operates the establishment is an added bonus; they’re warm and welcoming. They also let me book my room until I no longer needed it and gave me a sweet deal for it, too.
“Hello, this is Joss with Jagged Edge Construction, how may I help you?” I finally grew a pair of lady balls and dialed the number on the sheet of paper Eleanor wrote on along with my list of to-dos. There’s a construction company, a yard maintenance company, and also the water and electric companies she had on hand. I’m forgoing the yard one for the time being. I can use my own elbow grease and dive right in. The math started mathing when I calculated the price of yard tools versus hiring the work out. Yes, it would be a whack at first, but I’d have it until they bit the dust or I got tired of dealing with the yard. I can’t honestly say that will happen. In North Carolina, when the nurses would sit with Dad, I’d take a full two hours to mow, weed eat, hedge the bushes, and pick the weeds out of the flower beds.
“Hi, I’m calling to see if I can schedule an estimate. You were referred to me by Eleanor Steele,” I name-drop exactly like she suggested. I’m desperate here, and it’s not like there are a whole lot of options in this small town. Eleanor even warned me that should I need to go outside of this area, to let her know the company name first, and she’d run it by Troy to be on the safe side.
“Let me see what we have available. In the meantime, can you tell me your address?”
“Umm, hold on just a minute. I know the street name but can’t remember the exact house number.” I get flustered for a second, feeling caught off guard when I for sure thought my ducks were in row.
“Take your time. There’s no rush,” Joss says on the other end of the line, calming me down a little bit. “The scheduling system likes to lag, so it all works out.”
I quickly turn the page in my notebook. “There it is. Fifty-nine thirty-five Fawn Ridge Road in Whispering Oaks.” Good grief, I could have looked that up in maps app had I put my speakerphone on.