Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Day 47: House Hunting

The house was yellow. It sat just up an incline, surrounded by tall oak trees. A rocking chair front porch hedged by azeleas that would bloom crimson and white in the spring. Carol, The Realtor, opened the box on the front door and stood aside to let me in. Directly in front of me was a wide staircase with a wooden banister. Turning to the left, I noticed that the carpets were faded and shabby, but the windows were tall and wide, with sunshine pouring in the south facing windows. I could imagine our Christmas tree, standing in the corner. Moving into the kitchen, I tried to picture our dishes in the dark brown cupboards, and wondered if I could paint them a clean white.

The Realtor trailed behind me, making comments about the neighborhood and the schools. She seemed oblivious to the 10 month old in my arms, our only child. The thought of buying this house, with it's attached school district and high school, made me feel like a kid pretending to be older than she was.

Running my hand over the banister, worn to a comfortable sheen, I wondered to myself "Is this our house?"

House hunting. What an experience. Trying on homes for size. Making a decision about the biggest purchase you'll ever make in less time than it took you to decide on and purchase a hair dryer at Target. And you don't just buy the house--you buy the neighbors next door, with their barking dog and tendency to throw their cat litter over the fence into your yard. You buy the noise of the bypass a mile away, and the former owner's preferences for trees and shrubs.

Note: I want to turn this into a story--I was just getting my thoughts out there, for tonight. I'm too tired, I'm afraid, to actually come up with a plot. I'll be working on it for tomorrow, though.

3 comments:

Erin said...

i like where you are headed with it. i want to read more... maybe when you are not so tired... so that would be in about 10 years, right? :)

Anonymous said...

I likes it! "Please, sir, can I have some more???" Denise

joettafort said...

I really liked it. As a real estate agent, I ask my clients to speak their thoughts aloud as we view each home, so I can get to know what they're 'really' looking for. Most stay pretty quiet, and just ask what else there is to see. Your question, "Is this our house", really caught me. I always keep in mind what a big deal this decision is for people.