Park Slope, Brooklyn, March 13, 1971
Peggy and Stan stood on the sidewalk looking up at the townhouse. The house had clearly had seen better days, but it did not lose its charm, and it could probably be returned to its former glory. But that would take a lot of work, and who knew how much money. And the neighborhood was still very much "in transition", which meant years would still have to go by with brave souls renovating and praying that their investment would pay off, and praying that the "riff raff" would be driven out.
This had already been a long, irritating day. They looked at houses and apartments in South Brooklyn since about 9 in the morning and saw nothing but "fixer-uppers". Peggy had been through this before. And she didn't feel like going through it again.
Peggy began, "Stan, really…I don't think we can take this on." Peggy then swallowed hard and clarified. "I don't want to take this on."
"Let's just take a look, we really can't assess it until we go inside." Stan continued. "I'm sure that this could be great again."
'Oh, no'...Peggy thought. He sounds just a little too excited about this. She knew that she did not want this at all, and didn't want him to get any mixed messages. She had made this mistake with Abe, letting herself get talked into his daydreams, and was left in a holy mess.
"No, Stan. I've assessed it plenty, I have lived this, in case you forgot. Look around. Yes, there are brownstones. But take a good look around. There are drug dealers on the corners, half the buildings here are delipalidated. Abe talked me into this kind of crap once. I'm not doing it again, and certainly not with a baby."
"Really?" Stan is looking at her. He didn't think it looked so bad. Their real estate agent, Regina, was standing nervously beside them.
"Yes. Really. I just can't. I don't want to be in a neighborhood like this." Stan knew she was adamant now.
Peggy then turned to Regina. "Listen very carefully. I don't want to be here. I will not buy anything here, I will not raise kids here. Take us to a decent neighborhood. The Heights. No more Park Slope, no Boerum Hill and nothing else 'in transition'. Understand? We are not transitioning. We are not 'pioneers' or whatever the buzzword is. We want a nice house in a nice area. Don't worry, we can afford it. And that means you'll get a bigger commission."
Stan was laughing uneasily now. "Take it easy, Peggy. You don't have to do anything you don't want to." Then he whispered to Peggy "Back off with the bitchiness a little."
Then he turned to Regina, a woman of around 45 or so, it was obvious that she became a little rattled by Peggy.
Stan immediately wanted to do damage control. He was used to Peggy's snippy delivery, but the rest of the world was not.
"Look, I'm sorry. We're sorry. Peggy... well, the two of us, we're having a baby. I wasn't using my head. We do need to be somewhere, um, established."
"No, I'm sorry. I just thought, well, lots of couples like you, your age, are looking in this area...renovating.." Regina told them sheepishly. "I do know of a nice house in Brooklyn Heights, on Orange Street, "Bride's Row".
Stan smiled at Peggy. "Ya hear that? Bride's Row...and you're a new bride! It's meant to be. No crappy neighborhood for my bride!"
"Ok." Peggy calmed down. She felt a little embarrassed for her outburst. Once again she addressed the real estate agent.
"I'm sorry. It's just, I bought a building on the West Side. It was a nightmare. I won't live through that again."
Regina smiled at her. "It's fine. I understand. But the Heights can be pricey, I must warn you."
"Let's take a look. We can discuss financing after." Stan quickly told Regina. He didn't want Peggy to be set off again.
Regina fished through her bag, and pulled out a paper. On it was the synopsis of the house on Orange Street. She handed it to Peggy. "See if you think you'd like this."
"Classic 1850's brickface townhouse in impeccable condition. This North Heights, 'Brides Row' one family has it all! Charming garden level with intimate but formal dining room and great eat-in-kitchen overlooking the back yard. Extra sunlight is available both front and back as the house is flanked on both sides by gardens; the original windows on the Parlor level are Floor to Ceiling high. The Parlor level is further graced by pristine original plaster details, perfect original wood floors and matching white marble mantles. The rear Parlor is complete with a wood-burning-fireplace. One floor above you find the Master Bedroom with leafy views, a full windowed bath and library overlooking the southern gardens beyond. The top floor has three additional bedrooms, an art studio and a full bath. Additional features of this building include: Pristine original detail throughout, Very quiet and sunny location, Modern kitchen and baths, Original floors and ceiling moldings in perfect condition. Recently restored staircase, 1 of 5 historically significant Brides Row houses, Secluded and sunny garden, Beautifully restored facade, new gas heating, central air conditioning."
Peggy read the description, and looked quizzically at the photo of the house, which was not quite clear, being a black and white photocopy. Stan stood reading over Peggy's shoulder.
"Why is it called 'Bride's Row'?" Peggy asked Regina.
"Well, as far as I know, the row of five continuous brick houses, numbers 22 through 30, were built for the Walton family, I think for the grandchildren of William Walton. The Waltons were a very prominent New York family in the mid 1800s. I believe they were merchants." Regina explained. "Later, it was said that Henry Ward Beecher, you know, the brother of Harriet Beecher Stowe, he was said to live in one of the Bride's Row houses. He was a pastor at Plymouth Church, on the corner of Orange and Hicks, the church was a station for the Underground Railroad."
Stan was impressed, he loved this kind of stuff, but couldn't help wondering if all this colorful history would also translate into a hefty pricetag as well.
"Can we see the house today?" he asked her.
"Let's find a phone and I'll see if we can arrange it."
The three of them got into Regina's car and made their way over to Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights. Already things seemed to be looking up. The houses in the Heights were old, but all intact, and the commercial area seemed bustling. Regina turned to Peggy and Stan, "I'm just going to run into the coffee shop for a minute and make some calls. Do you mind waiting a few minutes? You can keep the car running so it will stay warm."
"No problem" Stan replied. Regina scurried into the coffee shop. The car seemed very quiet, even with the engine running.
"Ok, Pegs, what do you think this is going to run us? A three story historic townhouse. This does not sound like it's gonna be cheap."
Peggy began, "Look, a while ago I met with a headhunter. He told me to hang in with McCann for about 3 years, and then I could move on and probably make four times what I'm making now. Let's look at it, between the two of us we have a great down payment. We'll be fine."
Stan was a little surprised. He knew she was good, and would always do well, but he hadn't heard this before. For a moment this piece of news was intimidating, but he tried to let the moment pass. They were together, after all. But, why hadn't she mentioned this? Did she think he would react badly?
"Well, then ... I guess it's a great thing that I hitched my wagon to your star." he said, a little sarcastically.
"Stan, come on. We're both doing well. Both of us will get increases." Peggy explained.
"Yeah, but it looks like YOU are going to be the major earner here. I guess it's up to you. I'm just along for the ride." Stan told her.
"What? Come on. Stan, don't be like that. Don't make me feel bad for being successful. You've never done this. Why are you doing this now? This is for US, for OUR family." she was pleading with him now.
"I don't want you to feel bad. God, no. I don't know. I don't know what it is. I'm not insecure or jealous...it's not that at all. It just dawned on me now though. You really ARE the star here." he told her, still a little awestruck at the realization of it.
"Stop it, Stan..." she told him.
"No baby, listen to me, I'm cool with it, all of it. Really. I just can't believe... At times, I can't believe you're with me. And right now is one of those times." He pulled her to him in the backseat of Regina's car. "You have no idea how proud I am of you. Or how much I love you. I'm just so grateful that you chose me. Or that I managed to convince you to choose me." He let out a chuckle, but this was enough to get the waterworks going. God, how Peggy hated this aspect of the pregnancy hormone overload.
"No crying now" Stan whispers in Peggy's ear. "This is a happy time, ok Boss Lady?"
"I'm not the Boss Lady. And I didn't need convincing. I just needed to wake up." Peggy wiped her eyes.
Regina returned to the car and jumped into the front seat. "We can see it in a half hour!" She was very animated. You know, it's about a block from the Promenade! How wonderful is that?"