TWO #2
Stephanie picks up a cucumber to chop up. She doesn’t want gratitude from her kids. She wants them to be happy. ‘Luke really wants to go on the trip,’ she says. ‘I’ll find the money somehow.’
‘Well, as it happens, I may be able to help there and that’s why I came over.’ Gail looks at her phone, checking the time. ‘And I have to run in a few minutes.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘So, long story short, one of the partners at the firm, Jerry, nice guy, I’m sure you’ve met him.
He’s just become a grandfather for the fourth time and all he wants to do is show people pictures of the new baby, anyway he has a friend who has a friend and I’m not really sure how it’s all connected… ’ She waves her hands as she speaks.
Stephanie laughs. ‘I thought this was a long story short situation.’
‘Yeah, sorry, anyway, he has a friend who has a friend and he mentioned that this guy, the friend of a friend, just had his house burn down, in the mountains, you know they’ve just had that horrible fire up there.’
‘That was awful,’ says Stephanie as she thinks about the pictures she was scrolling through at the coffee shop.
‘Yeah, poor bloke.’ Gail grimaces. ‘Apparently, he doesn’t have a lot of money and insurance may not cover everything so’ – she takes a breath – ‘we were all talking about it at lunch and one woman suggested that he look into renting a granny flat while they wait to hear from insurance, you know like an in-law suite and I thought, “I know someone who has a granny flat.”’
‘Who are you…? Oh, you mean me?’
‘Of course I mean you.’ She turns on her stool and gestures to the garden. ‘I mean it’s just sitting there.’
‘Well, I’ve never…’ Stephanie thinks about the small self-contained building at the bottom of her garden that had actually been built for the previous owner’s mother-in-law.
It’s something they use for storage at the moment and the idea has always been for Luke to be able to stay there once he starts university so he has his own space.
‘I know it’s a pain to sort out, but if it’s not in terrible condition you can charge rent, not a lot but anything will be good.’ Gail hops off the stool.
‘Is it just one guy?’
‘No, it’s a family.’
‘How many people are in this guy’s family? It’s only got two small bedrooms and one bathroom and a kitchenette.’
‘Look,’ says Gail, ‘I just thought it might be something to consider. I can ask for all the details but I think it’s only three of them and maybe they will already have accommodation but you would be doing something nice and earning some extra cash at the same time.
I’m sure you could charge a few hundred dollars a week.
’ She shrugs and Stephanie meets her green eyes, her mind turning over the idea as she adds a few hundred dollars a week to the amount she gets from Christopher.
Just a couple of weeks would probably pay for Luke’s trip.
She could add to her non-existent emergency fund, build a security blanket.
Take the kids to something fun every once in a while.
‘But do you know anything about them? Like anything at all?’
‘If you want to do it, I can ask Jerry. But from what he said, everyone agrees that they’re a perfectly nice family. But now I have to go.’
Stephanie walks her to the door.
‘You’ll think about it?’ Gail asks as Stephanie opens the front door to let her out.
‘I will.’ Stephanie nods and then she kisses her best friend on the cheek. ‘Thanks for the pop in.’
‘Anytime,’ says Gail with a smile.
Stephanie goes back into the kitchen and walks over to the door that leads from the kitchen to the back garden.
She slides it open and steps into the garden where it’s cooling down as sunset approaches.
The grass is too long because Luke needs to mow it and the flower beds are filled with colour but looking messy since she told the gardening service not to come.
She loves spending time working in the garden herself but right now her days are taken up with assignments and studying: all necessary, like Gail said, in the long run so she can build a stable future for herself and her children.
She makes her way over to the small square house that looks like a shed at the bottom of the garden.
The windows are covered in dust and peering in, she can make out shapes of all the old furniture they have stored there but the outside seems solid and she knows that it just needs a really good clean.
If the family has lost everything in a fire, they would probably want to use some of the furniture anyway.
An extra few hundred dollars a week would make a massive difference to her. Plus, she would be helping someone out. A family who have lost everything.
Even if the family don’t take the granny flat or in-law suite, Stephanie is suddenly excited by the idea of renting it out. She can get the kids to help clean it up.
What would be great is if the nice family who have lost their home are able to move in right away. She wouldn’t have to advertise or worry about refences. It would be perfect, absolutely perfect.
Pulling her phone out of her pocket she texts Gail. I’ll do it if they still need accommodation.
Great. From what Jerry said, they’re really nice and they’ve had a bad time so you’re doing the right thing. And it will be a bonus to have some extra money, Gail responds.
Thanks, you’re the best, Stephanie texts back, adding a kiss emoji and a thumbs up for her best friend.