Synthia arrived mid-afternoon and brought sandwiches for us to eat before we made our way up to the apartment. I’ve got to admit I’m hungry, and they are homemade BLTs — nice and thickly packed with filling. Plenty of bacon, which I love.
Ripping out cabinets is quite satisfying, and the more we remove the larger this apartment kitchen looks. It’s a decent size and will be nice when it’s refurbished.
Dan answers his phone when it rings and looks at us with a huge smile. Once he’s closed out his call he chuckles, “Cassian is happy to help out. He’s bored, and his wife wants him out from under her feet. She’s taken a job at the local grocery store, filling shelves and the like. He’s nothappy about it, but they need money to survive, so he’s jumping at the chance to help here.”
“Okay, that’s cool. Get him on the job tomorrow. If he’s any good at general shit, we may be able to keep him as an employee once we have everything set up.” Clem looks at me and I shrug because he is the one who knows more than I do what we can, and can’t afford.
“Have you ordered the cabinets?” I ask Dan.
“Yeah, and since we didn’t discuss the payment for the apartment renovations I’ve ordered and paid for what is needed. I measured with Clem’s help, and I’m not arguing about it, Myles. We feel we want to do this or we’ll not move in. It’s as simple as that.” Dan gives me a look that shows how stubborn he is.
Clem chuckles. “Okay, you get what you want and pay for it. That’s your input for living in the apartment. Now, let’s get this shit taken downstairs. Did either of you order a dumpster for this lot?”
“I didn’t,” I admit.
Dan sighs, “Yeah, I did. It’ll be here tomorrow. I also asked a window company to take a look. No point in doing the fixing up of the place then we find the windows are no good.”
“Actually, Dan, now you mention it look at this one.” I point to the window near the sink, and we both see the mold and the condensation.
“Yeah, that.s what I thought. I bet the windows need replacing.” Dan looks at me, then Clem.
Clem shrugs, “We’ll replace all the windows in the building. It’ll come on the books and give us some tax relief. When is the window company coming?”
“You should have been an accountant, Clem,” I chuckle.
“Well, someone’s got to be able to keep account of what’s going on,” Clem states, and looks at Dan for a reply to his prior question.
“Saturday morning. I’ll make sure I’m here early. My boys are due home soon, and I’ll get them involved. Conroy was talking about buying a place that both he and Banner could use when on leave. Of course, Synthia was good with that, and going to keep it clean.”
We all worked until after 9:00 p.m. I'm tired and need a shower. I've done all I can for today, and I am excited to see Oren and Maylee. But Oren may already be in bed asleep because he’s an early to bed boy, but he gets up way too early too.
Brad is doing a fantastic job on the front of the garage. He’s taken down the old sign. Cleaned all the brickwork of the building, and is making sure everything is solid behind where the fresh sign will sit. He’s chosen a spotbetween the two buildings. Making it obvious it is all the same garage.
The doors we decided on will stay non-roller. I hate the damn things, and they are not as secure as they should be. We went with bi-fold doors, solid steel, no windows, and multiple locks. They will be completed in two weeks. Things are moving along, and the garage is going to look very different from what it was.
Our savings are taking a beating, and Maylee isn’t bothered by it. She just says that needs to happen until the garage is done. Then we save again. Clem however has said that he won’t allow me to go past a certain limit. He has the money from the house sale as well as his savings, plus Whitney's, so he doesn’t want to see us down to our last dime.
Maylee had a nice amount of savings from a house she had purchased a few years prior. She’d sold that and had the money in a high-interest savings account. It’s been a boon with the buying out of Clem on the house, and now this. But I don’t want her to feel that our marriage has drained her dry.
Saturday came and went. The window order is placed, and Dan’s sons are due home on leave. It’s nice that they have both landed on leave together. I’m sure Synthia will love having them both at home.
I’mthankful that Maylee’s blood results were good, and she’s stopped taking the pill. We are waiting for the adoption process to conclude, and I’m sure there will not be an issue. She’s a lawyer, married, we are solid and Amanda Voght was good with all she heard and saw. It’s just the waiting that is not easy to sit with.
I can’t help remembering last night and how proud Oren was when he presented us with our evening meal. It was a mix of pizzas from one place, and burgers with fries from another. There was enough to feed all of us and five more. Plenty to put away for today, much to Whitney and Oren’s delight. Honestly, those two love junk food.
With Dan’s sons now being home, and with them and Cassian working on the apartment while we are in the garage during the week, the work is moving along fast. The window company had a cancellation, so they did their job in two days. It’s blooming amazing how quickly things get done once you have the cash.
All-in-all, things are improving in all aspects of Clem’s and my life. We have found our women, and the business is booming. We have vehicles booked in for the next six weeks. Word is spreading that we are able to take on more work, and the town, as a whole, is supporting us by booking in their vehicles. We are going to pay as much as we can towardthe Valentine night Whitney is organizing as thanks to the townsfolk. We both feel it’s the least we can do.
Chapter 18
Maylee
Oren is in bed, Myles and Clem are working at the garage, and Whitney is here showing me all the information she has gathered for the Valentine event.
“I’ve spoken with Brian, and the barn is booked for the day. He thought it was a great idea and added the afternoon for younger kids. He’s suggesting a bounce house, or something like that. Plus, clowns, and other stuff.” Whitney gives me a huge smile, and I can see she’s invested in putting this thing together.
“What about food?” I stupidly ask.
