BOW Life Goes On #13

San Diego, California

February 28, 1974

6:20 p.m. Pacific Standard Time

Turning the motor off, opening the door and levering her rotund body off the seat…

“We’re here.”

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

If you’re wondering, that’s an olive tree.” Sophie said as, removing ring of keys from her purse she started up the driveway.

“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 things that are too good to be true .”

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

Still outside admiring the exterior.

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

“I told you the Sawyers want a sale to the right people. You’re the right people and we priced it right.”

Looking g at the neighboring houses in this obviously upper end middle class neighborhood…

“Yeah, well…” still a dubious about the cost “...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, jasmine 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, retrieving the right 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 rear of the house.

“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 for us!”

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 and pool.

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

Beyond the twelve 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’?”

“Besides thinking olives grow in bottles...” Mitchell said jokingly “...I guess I always thought peaches grew in crates.”

Reaching up, Marsha plucked a rock hard baby peach from a low hanging limb.

“The ‘pool! Just look at this pool!”

“Yeah, Marcie...” enthralled “...I am!”

“And it’s even got…”

Visions of he and his wife home alone swirling through his mind…

“A Jacuzzi!”

Watching as a water propelled ‘Pool Sweep’ skirted upon the fourteen by twenty-eight 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 redwood rear fence was a five foot high sand colored stucco coated concrete block wall with a lower two foot high plain concrete block retaining wall, containing…

For two near lifetime Chicagoan's...

“This is ‘amazing’!” Marsha exclaimed.

Sophie…” no less amazed “...What kind are all these?”

Between the upper and lower retraining walls there was – at least to the two Chicagoan's – a tropical garden containing…

“Best I can tell this early in the year…”

Walking the length of the four foot wide, sixty foot long – from rear to front –miniature orchard…

“This, I think…” Sophie said “... is a dwarf tangerine tree… uh, dwarf grapefruit… dwarf orange… and this, I’m rather sure is avocado and this, I think, is persimmon.”

Marsha wondering, How does all this stuff get watered?

The last ten feet a vegetable garden with a number of young tomato plants, radishes, cucumbers and what looked like green onions.

Mitchell still thinking ‘sex in the Jacuzzi’.

“Sophie…” Marsha said in a positive tone “...this is ‘so’ much!”

“Come on...” entering the rear of the house through one of the double hung back doors “...there’s more yet.”

The Spanish tiled kitchen with practically new ‘built-ins’, though smaller than the huge 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.

Returning for another look at the living room.

Sitting on the large, extremely comfortable sofa. “This whole thing…” Marsha exclaimed “...this house is breath taking.”

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

“Hold on.”

Moving a side chair and placing it before the coffee table. Her briefcase at her feet. Leaning forward, her elbows on her pudgy knees. “There’s a few things I haven’t told you.”

Glancing at her husband.“Sophie, what haven’t you told us?”

“This morning, when I called Alice to talk to her about your

qualifications I was able to get a lot of information that… Why do you think I was so sure that this...” flicking her wrist in the air “...house was your home?”

“Is that very ethical?…” Mitchell asked “...getting that kind of personal information?”

“Eh…” dismissively turning her hand back and forth “...’borderline’.

“But In case you hadn’t noticed, I’ve a way of getting under peoples skin…”

“Yeah…” Mitchell concurred “...we noticed.”

“Yeah...” growing fond of Sophie, Marsha added “...but in a nice way.”

“T hank's… Anyway, when I spoke to Alice I told her about this house, and asked if she thought you kids could qualify for an eighty percent loan and Alice…”

“ ‘Eighty percent loan’?”

“Yes, that means that you’d have to come up with twenty percent as a down payment, and also qualify for the monthly payments.

“That’s when Alice told me what your home was listed for and that she thought you’d get pretty near, if not ‘exactly ‘what you were asking… Also, that she had you pre-qualified for a home up to ‘one-fifteen ‘ at five percent interest.

“So that’s why I know you’ll qualify for this place.”

Quiet, absorbing what Sophie had told them.

“You like this house?”

“ ‘Like this house’? Mitchie, I love it!... You?”

“Yeah, me, too!”

Knowing when to keep still. Knowing when the salewas made. Opening her brief case. Removing a five part NCR – No Carbon Required – ‘Deposit Receipt’.

“The Sawyers listed their home at one hundred, ten thousand, and we both know it’s really worth much more, so I suggest you go in at full price.”

“ ‘A hundred-ten’? That’s what we got for our place.”

Not having ‘that’ information,.“Really?” Sitting back, “Ten thousand more than your ‘asking’! That’s great, you two!”

“Yeah, it really is great.” Looking at Marsha “So, do we go full price here, baby?”

“Yes… ‘Yes’, Sophie, we’ll go full price for this… for ‘our’ home'.”

“So, that’ll be what?” Mitchell questioned, “About twenty-two grand for the down Payment?”

“Yes, and about another seven hundred for escrow and closing costs… Figure about ‘twenty-seven thousand’ to cover everything; including Alice’s commission. And your lender they’ll talk to you about adding monthly pro-rated insurance and property tax when you’re filling out your loan ‘docs’.”

Calculating: “That’ll leave us about ‘seventeen thousand’.”

“That’s good, Mitchie. It’ll be nice to have some money in the bank for a change.”

“Okay, then. If we’re all agreed.” Pen in hand, Sophie began writing, ‘Mitchell’…” stopping, she asked “...what’s your middle Initial?”

*****

Both having signed in two places, placing the document into her briefcase.

“It’ll be okay if we go along when you present it?”

“Well, not then. You’ll wait in the car while I go in and present but then, remember, before the sawyer’s sign it, they’ll want to meet both of you in person.

Looking at Marsha. “Okay?”

Nodding affirmatively. “Yes.”

“Mind if Marsha and I take another quick look around?”

“Sure! Let me turn the back yard lights on first, then I'll wait for you here.”

Becoming dark outside. Having an idea where the switch was for the yard and pool. Going outside, Sophie turned the lights on.

In the growing darkness the yard and pool took on an illusory ‘fairyland’ like appearance.

Standing just outside the double hung kitchen doors both husband and wife ‘marveled’ that in thirty days this would become their home...

Unable to hold back, their arms about each other, their lips tightly pressed upon each other’s…

“Marcie, I love you, and ‘cannot’ wait until we’re here.”

“Me too, Mitchie, I love you, too! Oh, my, God, this is so beautiful! This is so much more than I ever dreamed.”

Standing, arms about each other’s waist… Looking… Just looking...

“Oh, God!”

At the fairyland of tree wound lights, and spotlight-lit trees and shrubbery… And the shimmering, translucent blue pool.

Next BOW Life Goes On #14