Ok, so I admit, the last chapter wasn't one of my best. Sorry, and I'm also sorry for the big gaps in my updates. I'm slow, but I hope you enjoy this chapter. It'll be the final chapter before the epilogue, so I hope you continue to enjoy! Thanks for all your great reviews, you rock!
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One generation plants the trees; another gets the shade.
Chinese proverb
"Sidle" Sara picked up her phone.
"Hey it's me, Greg, I've got some sad news for you." Greg tried to sound somber.
"Is everything ok?" Sara began to panic.
"Well, you see, I talked to Catherine, and she told me which four houses were for sale, so I went to check them out." Greg had to try harder not to laugh.
"Ok," Sara replied confused.
"And I looked at the first one, and it was smaller than your apartment. Then I went to the second one, and yeah, we'll just say your cleaning OCD would not be able to handle how dirty this one was. And the third one, well, 'fixer-upper' would be an understatement." Greg paused.
"Well, what about the fourth one?" Sara was getting impatient.
"Oh yeah, the fourth one." Greg paused again, this time for effect. "Yeah the fourth one, it's for sale by this older couple that built the house but are moving out east to be near their new grandson."
"So what's wrong with the house?" Sara was confused.
"There's nothing wrong with the house. It's perfect!" Greg could finally release his excitement.
"Are you serious? What do you mean? What is it like?" Sara was getting excited.
"It's perfect, it has a porch, and a big back yard, and a deck." Greg quickly replied.
"Well what about bedrooms, and bathrooms, did they say how much it costs?" Sara was excited but realized she needed to know more.
"There's four bedrooms, and 2 ½ bathrooms, and it's in the price range. You should come over; the Kenzy's are really nice. You'll love it." Greg was so excited he would have driven back to Sara's apartment and carried her to the house if she didn't come immediately.
"Ok, I'll be there in a little bit, just let me get Sadie ready, where is it?" Sara asked.
"It's the ocean blue house four houses down from Catherine's." Sara packed up Sadie into the car and speed off to meet Greg. She parked behind Greg's car and took a moment to look at the house. It was big. Bigger than she ever imagined she'd live in, but the last week had shown her a lot of things that she'd never imagined but had been true blessings. Sara got Sadie out of her booster seat and carried her down the driveway to meet up with Greg. Sadie wiggled out of Sara's arms and ran to Greg.
"Pooh!" Sadie said as she jumped into Greg's arms.
"Pooh?" Greg asked Sara confused.
"That's what she wants to call you. She's calling me Memaw." Sara just shrugged her shoulders.
"Memaw?" Greg chuckled. "That sounds like something I'd call my grandma."
"I think it's sweet, and unique." Sara stated before whispering into Greg's ear, "And if you make fun of it I'll kick your ass."
"Ok, point taken. Come on, let's go see the house." Greg grabbed Sara's hand while holding still holding Sadie. An older lady opened the door and welcomed them in.
"You must be Sara," she held her hand out for the women, "And you must be Sadie." The older woman ruffled the little girl's hair. "I'm not sure what your husband told you, but my name's Martha Kenzy, and we've been looking for a good buyer. My George and I built this house 40 years ago, and we've lived here ever since. Raised our four kids here, too." The older women spoke with a smile. Greg worried that Mrs. Kenzy mistaking him for Sara's husband but he was surprised to feel Sara give his hand a squeeze.
"Oh, you two must be the young couple Martha was talking about." A burly man that resembled an over sized teddy bear joined the group. "I'm George Kenzy," the man held his hand out to Greg and Sara. "I remember when our oldest daughter was your age. It seems like yesterday, now she's probably older than your mom!" The man smiled at Sadie. Sadie giggled. The Kenzy's proceeded to show Sara and Greg the rest of the house. Sara realized that Greg had been right. The house was perfect.
"It's getting late, dears, would you like to join us for dinner?" Mrs. Kenzy offered Greg and Sara.
"Don't worry, Martha always makes too much for the two of us. If you join us, I won't have to eat spaghetti for the next week straight." Mr. Kenzy joked.
"Is there meat in it?" Greg asked well aware of Sara distain for meat.
"Oh no, don't worry, George took one to many trips to McDonald's during his time on the force. And now his cholesterol is sky high." Mrs. Kenzy replied. Both Sara and Greg were amused by the older couple's gentle banter.
"You were on the force? We're both CSI." Sara spoke up.
"That's wonderful, do you work much with Jimmy?" Mr. Kenzy asked.
"Jimmy?" Sara asked confused.
"Oh yes, Jimmy… hmm what was his last name… oh yes, Jimmy Brass. We use to call him Jimmy John as a newbie to Vegas because we made him go on all our Jimmy John's runs." Mr. Kenzy revealed. They all laughed.
"Yeah, we work with him often, Catherine Willows too, she lives just down the street." Greg added.
"Oh, she's a CSI? Ok good, a pretty young thing like that, I was hoping she wasn't driving back from working in some strip club. We see her driving home every morning when we walk." Mrs. Kenzy added. Greg and Sara tried to hide their smirks.
After the meal, the Kenzy's gave Sara and Greg the seller's contract and their contact information to look over. Sara willingly took the paperwork and promised to get back to the couple within the next few days. Sara, Greg, and Sadie left feeling excited and happy.
Sadie slept for most of the ride home, but once they were back at Sara's apartment, she quickly woke up and asked.
"Can I watch Nemo?"
"Again?" Sara and Greg asked in unison. Sadie nodded her head; Sara shrugged and set the DVD up for the little girl. Sara knew the little girl would be asleep in minuets. Greg was happy for the diversion, there had been something on his mind for most of the afternoon, but he wasn't sure how to approach it. He looked at Sara and was about to speak when she spoke up.
"So what's going on? You've been quiet."
"Well, I was thinking. I saw how much you love that house, and it would be perfect for you and Sadie, but I know how hard it is to buy a house, and I want to help. I've got a pretty good amount in savings, so if you want, I can help with the down payment or something." Greg rambled off. Sara was stunned.
"Wow, Greg, thank you, I really appreciate it, but I think I can handle it. You know I occasionally do some over time and have that saved up." Sara said with a laugh. Greg joined her. As the laughter died, Greg leaned in and kissed Sara passionately. Momentarily lost in the kiss, Sara pulled back when the need for air became too strong. Breathing heavily, she looked at Greg and said.
"I don't know exactly what we are or where this is going, but I have Sadie now, for good hopefully, and she's going to come before anyone else." Sara stated hoping that Greg wouldn't see it as a rejection.
"I wouldn't expect it to be any other way." Greg stated. With that Sara's fears dissolved. She stood up and covered the now sleeping Sadie with a blanket and turned to a confused Greg. She held out her hand.
"I'd like to see where this goes, but my bedroom is much more comfortable than the kitchen." Greg stared at her in awe for a moment before quickly following Sara to her bedroom.