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THE MIDNIGHT SKULKER 13

San Diego, California

February 28, 1974

6:20 p.m.  Pacific Standard Time

“Seems like we’re a long way from ‘down town’.”

“Yeah, Mitch,” Sophie said, “It’s about twenty-three miles from there…” putting the right turn signal on, the ‘Cadillac’ took the cloverleaf at 70th street that, rounding the north-bound bend, became ‘Lake Murray Boulevard North’, “…to here.”

Four minutes from the Mission Valley Freeway, taking a left turn off of Lake Murray Boulevard, the Cadillac travelled about a mile, took a Left on Baltimore Drive to the first left to the middle of the block and a right up a slightly up-sloped concrete driveway…

“Turning the motor off, stepping from the car, “Here we are.”

Coming around the car, “My, God!” standing alongside her husband, Marsha took his hand.

“Sophie,” reaching for her hand, “this is beautiful!”

“Like I told you, Marcie, this is your home.”

A long ranch style structure with faded authentic Mexican tile roof, the house itself was light salmon coloured stucco and used brick. In the center of the perfectly trimmed lawn was a moderately large decorative tree with, from that distance — about thirty feet – the tree looked to be laden with what appeared to be black-berries.

“That’s an olive tree.”

“An ‘olive tree’, wow!” Mitchell said, “I always thought olives grew in jars.”

 “Can they be eaten?” Marsha asked.

“They’ve got to be soaked in brine and it’s a bit of a process if you want to eat ’em, but, yes, they are eatable.”

Leaning to her left, “Mitchie,” Marsha whispered, “Seems almost too good to be true .”

Whispering back, “Yeah, and you know what they say about that!”

Hearing their comments, “If you think this looks good, wait till you see inside.”

“Sophie, this place is so beautiful, but I can’t imagine how we can afford it.”

“I told you the Sawyers want a fast sale and that we priced it right.”

“Are they home now?”

“No, they’re still at work.”

“Yeah, well…” still dubious, “let’s see inside.”

“Mitchell,” Sophie said in feigned anger, “stop worrying!”

To either side of the wood and stained glass door were huge Birds of Paradise that intermixed with large bloom rose bushes and Lilies of the Valley that, in a multitude of scents and colors, grew from right and left of the doorway, from one end of the structure to the other.

Approaching the door, “This happened so quickly…” reaching beneath the doormat, “I didn’t have a chance to get out here to get a key.” Retrieving a key, unlocking and opening the door, Sophie stood aside.

The floor of the entryway made of shiny black slate, almost afraid to step on it, Marsha hesitated.

“It’s okay, go on in,” Sophie coaxed.

Her hand to her mouth, Marsha’s, “Oh my, God!” was barely heard by her husband who was but one step behind…

However Mitchell’s, “Oh, my, God!” was definitely heard by both his wife and Sophie.

The shiny black slate floor the first impression, in true California style, this an ‘open home’ looking from the doorway in the front, what appeared as a tropical yard was easily visible through the double hung doors in the back.

“Come on, let me play Realtor and show you around.”

Not much to say immediately because directly to the left was the living room and, separated by one step up and a decorative quarter wall, the dining-room.

The Lipensky living and dining-room in Schaumberg were basically in shades of green with drapes, carpeting and furniture that complemented each other with varying shades and hues of green and lime. The living-room and dining-room in this house were basically in shades of lime.

Mentally placing their furniture, “Sophie, the drapes and carpets are perfect!”

Taking the lead, Sophie led Marsha and Mitchell through the hallway to the right into first one, then through a full bathroom into a second large adjoining bedroom. Then, on the other side of the hallway, into a good sized master bedroom with a full bath and, – “Oh my, God!” – because the master bedroom, not only had easily workable colors, but also a sliding door that opened to the yard.

Sliding the door open, Marsha, Mitchell and Sophie stepped from the bedroom into the redwood fenced yard.

Beyond the ten foot wide concrete patio that ran the length of the house, directly before the bedroom was a fourteen by twenty manicured lawn with what appeared to be a fruit tree with hundreds of green, golf sized…

“What kind of tree is this, Sophie?”

“Peach.”

“ ‘A peach tree’?” Going to it, reaching up, “Besides thinking olives grow in bottles,” he said jokingly. “ I guess I always thought peaches grew in crates.”  Mitchell plucked a rock hard baby peach from a low hanging limb.

“The pool, Mitchie, just look at this pool!”

“Yeah, Marcie,” enthralled, “I am!”

“And it’s even got…”

“A Jacuzzi!”

Watching as a water propelled ‘Pool Sweep’ skirted upon the fourteen by twenty-four foot pool with three hanging tentacle like hoses that snaked along the pools bottom.

“Come on!” Sophie said, “There’s more, and I hope that one of you have a ‘green thumb’.”

Going to the north side of the house, running the entire length, from the front to the rear fence was a five foot high concrete block wall with a lower two foot high concrete block retaining wall, containing…

Coming from Chicago, “This is amazing!” Marsha exclaimed.

No less amazed, “What are all these?”

Behind the retraining wall there, indeed, was – at least to the two Chicagoans – a tropical garden containing…

“Best I can tell this early in the year…” walking the length of the four foot wide, fifty foot long miniature orchard – from rear to front – “this, I think, is a dwarf tangerine tree… uh, dwarf grapefruit… dwarf orange… and this, I’m sure is avocado and this, I think, is persimmon.”  The last ten feet a garden with a number of young tomato plants, radishes, cucumbers and what looked like green onions.

Shaking her head, “Sophie, this is so much!”

“Come on.” Entering the rear of the house through one of the double hung back doors.

The Spanish tiled kitchen with practically new built-ins, though far smaller than the kitchen in Schaumburg, was lovely and perfectly workable for a family of six. The Spanish tiled floor carried through the kitchen to a twelve by seventeen family room that, to the side, had another small bedroom with a three-quarter guest bathroom.

Sitting on the large, overstuffed sofa, “It’s a whole lot smaller than we’re used to, but… The whole thing…” Marsha exclaimed, “This house is breathtaking.”

Sitting alongside his wife, “Sophie, what do they… The Sawyers, what do they want for this place and how soon can they be out?”

©October 5, 2011 / Mark M. Lichterman