8
CHUCK
“It happened again.” Oscar and I were headed up north for the day to look at a few plots of land.
“It?”
“Tae had another panic attack. We were at the pizza place last week. It was loud and packed full of bodies. Thankfully, I was right there when it hit him.” Scared the fucking shit out of me is what it did. The second I saw the panic in his eyes I calmly removed him from the game area.
“Jesus. Do you think the wedding is freaking him out?”
Hadn’t considered that but it was possible. Tae definitely wasn’t fond of going to the courthouse for the license, but he managed. Maybe that was the initial trigger. I was just happy they weren’t packed that day and we were in and out in less than thirty minutes. “This is the third one in a number of years and each have been in loud, noisy crowds.” Another reason why I hadn’t opted to take him to see one of the bands he loved. Come to think of it, he hadn’t asked to see any of them either. The only time Iwas ever good with crowds myself was at concerts. Try figuring that one out.
“Samian doesn’t do well with crowds either. I wonder if this stems from our childhood. Samian was still a toddler when all that shit went down, but he’s a smart one and may remember some scary shit.” Oscar, being the oldest, harbored the most memories and regrets. “I really wish we could’ve found our grandmother sooner.”
I patted his leg. “You did the best you could. You got them fed and took care of them. You assumed the parental obligation that wasn’t yours. Both Tae and Samian look up to you and personally, I’m more than thankful for all you did for them.”
“I know they’re my brothers and not my sons, but we have a bond like you and your mom do.” I’d noticed that too when the three of them were together. Tae and Samian both sought Oscar’s approval and trusted in his judgement and I respected that. “He hated it when his case worker forced him to go to therapy when he had the first attack in juvi, but looking back it was the right call.”
“Just poorly executed. Forcing anyone to anything is never a good thing.” I’d laid hints since then, asking if he remembered her name or what they talked about. Unless something really bad happened, I’d not force the issue. In the interim I’d leave it in Tae’s hands to decide until these attacks increased in frequency. At that point, I’d have to step in. I just hoped like hell it never came to that.
“Looks like the agent is already here.” Oscar and I pulled into the first lot and Roger, the agent we’d been talking to, waved to us. “If Tae did as well as you said on your trip then building a cabin to get him away to this is the right decision.”
Hopefully, Oscar was right.
“Good morning, gentlemen,” Roger shook our hands. “Thanks for making the drive up.”
“Not a problem. This is the one with fifteen acres?” I asked and Roger handed us each a folder.
“Yes. No utilities, backs up to protected forest land so nothing will be built there. The city won’t run electricity and water this far out. A well, and I’d recommend solar, would be necessary.”
Off grid wasn’t an issue for us. In fact, it was a preference.
“Can we build multiple cabins on it?” Oscar surprised me when he asked. It wasn’t a bad idea at all though I’d have to find out where his train of thought was headed.
“Yes, you can build as many as you’d like but if they became rentals you may want to check with the county planner’s office first to see if the land has to be rezoned. I’ve included all pertinent contact information for each lot along with the property maps in your folder.” Roger was thorough and covered everything we’d need for consideration.
We walked up the ridge to get a better view. “Quite a few clearings to build cabins on,” Oscar pointed out. “Yet still plenty of pines to block the weather and keep them private.”
“True.” There were great views of the forest as far the eyes could see. “Would be quite a challenge to get concrete mixers up here to pour the foundations.”
“Yeah, it would.”
“There are quite a few that will do it,” Roger said. “For a price, of course.”
Money always talked.
We took a few photos and checked out the clearings Oscar had pointed out then followed Roger to the second property about forty minutes away.
“This one is only ten acres, and it has a ramshackle of a cabin and a not so safe barn on it. But it’ll give you a few ideas of where you can go with the land.”
“Um, yeah.” The cabin leaned to one side, clearly not habitable. “Let’s see if we can spot the foundation.” Oscar and I walked around the exterior of the failing home. “I see concrete.”
“Let’s check the barn.” A couple hundred feet away sat what was once a barn. The wood was so rotted you could see daylight straight through it. “Dirt, nothing to save here.”
“But if the concrete is good on the house, that would save a bit of cash.” Oscar had a point, though it wasn’t a large house and even if the concrete was salvageable, it would have to be expanded. All though… “It’s a good size to build a smaller cabin on rather than trying to adhere new concrete to old.”
“Brother,” Oscar clapped my shoulder. “I think we’re on the same path.”
