When they first stopped by Stephen thought little of it. The workers and there large cranes, dozers and half a dozen other vehicles. He had just assumed they had gotten the wrong address and ended up on his plot of land in the middle of nowhere. They asked for some Asian sounding guy and when he announced to them he had no idea who that was, they very politely left. But, this was the second time this Autumn that the teen was awakened by the knocking on his door and the sound of heavy machinery.
Rolling out of his bed and rubbing his eyes he looked at him self In the mirror, wearing red lounge pants and a white stained tank top, he looked like he barely made it how from a golden mile bar crawl. His face was pretty average but, he himself thought he was rather stunning, messy and unkept auburn hair, jutted out in various directions. He had a very rounded face devoid of body fat, with a short nose to match. In muscle tone he wasn't lacking. His years of high school athletics left him with a fair amount, but, his lack of any sort of facial hair made him feel... less than masculine. After egotistically watching himself in the mirror another more firm knock snapped reality back into focus. Scrambling for a robe, as to look somewhat civilized. He found a brown one with marks that looked hand quilted and threw it over his shoulders. Turning the doorknob he took one last look at his room seeing scattered laundry and other things he neglected to put away.
He thought to himself that he needed to come up with time to clean up the house. Maybe Jamie could have cleaned up a bit before leaving. Steven didn't blame him though his family was so far away. he had to leave immediately to get there for his grandfather's funeral proceedings. He knew how hard it could be to deal with a death in any family.
But for now, Steven had the entire cabin in the woods to him self. It had been in his family for generations before being sold to the local real-estate company. Steven had to fight for the deeds and buy them back. It wasn't too bad but, he needed Jamie's help to get the money they required. Once they paid off the debt it was theirs and it had been ever since. Upon settling into the cabin they noticed the 110 acres of land they got as part of the deal was almost entirely forest, perfect getaway from modernization and its polluted effects.
He dashed down towards the stairs and slid down the banister towards the door narrowly avoiding the large black mass of fur in the entryway.
"Some dog you are, didn't even warn me about the scary people outside." He said to it.
The mutt opened droopy eyes and sat upright to gaze upon his master as he opened the door. Light flooded more openly into the entryway as did the sound of bird song and squirrel chatter.
Stephen didn't get a chance to take in this beautiful morning, instead he was met by the sight of a pudgy man in a blue suit and tie. Brandishing a hard hat upon his head.
"Good morning mr. Daron. I've very glad to see you again." In a stern yet, uncommanding voice.
"It turns out that after checking with my bosses we have the right address. And have already began work on construction the main building a little higher on the mountain here." He said sharply as if had practiced saying it over and over.
Stephen was all he could do was blink in surprise, "You What?" He questioned unbelievingly.
"Don't worry, our coordinator will talk you though this." He announced stepping back at a brisk pace.
As he stepped back a long limousine opened it's door to reveal a shorter woman with a short blonde cut and and a business suit that changed to a skirt further down. She had glasses the balanced on the bridge of her nose and a young welcoming face. With a smile and clipboard in hand she walked toward Stephen.
She extended her hand and promptly grabbed his and shook vigorously. "Hello Cathy Heather. U.S.-Japan relations advisor. If I'm not Mistaken you must be Stephen Darion."
"That's me," he spoke whilst prying his hand from her grasp.
"so could you please explain to me why the government is constructing something on my property? I have a feeling that's a violation of my rights..."
"No it's not silly," she teased." Not as long as you sign this contract allow us to build on this land."
"Why would I do that?"
"Well ya see, the United States and Japan have a agreement to allow several of the cultural programs to diffuse on each other's borders. So if you'd be so kind to allow us to build on your land and become the landlord for the time being, you will be compensated equally for any repairs and additions required for the tenants."
"Wait, so what are you building?"
"Another house for the exchangee's, it will look very similar to a your house here but a bit bigger."
"And what is my association with this building other than me being the landowner?"
"Well, you're gonna have to fix most anything that by breaks and ensure that the tenants have a good stay for the time being. That's all you'd be obligated to do by contract. Anything else would be out of the goodness of your heart."
"How much will I be compensated for this exactly?"
"Well you'll be paid financial for all procedures-"
"How much per month are we talking?"
"10,000 on a monthly basis."
Stephen was drawn back. 10,000 a month for letting them build on his property? And all he had to do was take care of the house they lived in? This was the offer of a lifetime. So what more could he do than say...
"Where do I sign?"
And that's were our story begins.
