The Renovation (Part 2)
[Vancouver Aquarium. 11:43 am]
Mal's POV
After leaving the house, I decided to do what Evie suggested: go to the aquarium. Might as well. What else am I going to do today? Before walking up to the admission building, I stopped and admired this statue of what looked like an ancient whale. Afterwards, I used the debit card Evie gave me to pay for my ticket.
I walked into this building and immediately saw this massive globe of our planet. However, the globe was displayed upside down. Curious to know why, I saw that it was displayed like that to show the Arctic's shrinking ice caps. The building was set up like a circle. With different entry ways leading to different parts of the aquarium. I walked into one entryway and saw many tanks housing marine life that can be found on the coasts. But as I was reading a display sign about different kinds of starfish, I felt my phone vibrating. I took it out of my jacket and saw it was Dylan calling me. I hurried to a different part of the area where there weren't many people around and answered the call.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Mal, it's Dylan."
"Yeah, hi. What's up?" I asked, wanting him to hurry up and talk to me so I could get back to these starfish.
"We found a problem with your hvac unit." Dylan said.
"My what?" I asked.
"Heating, ventilation and air conditioning unit. A few guys were starting to set up your gazebo platform when a loud noise was heard coming from it. We checked it out, and we believe it will need replacing."
"Okay, how much is that going to cost?" I asked.
"About ten thousand dollars."
Fuck me. Paying for new plumbing and a support beam is bad enough. But now this is top of the list of unexpected expenses. Well, that's what happens in a remodel. At least mold or anything else harmful like asbestos hasn't been found. Because that would really be costly. Luckily that was searched for when Evie bought the place.
"Okay, go ahead and do it. It needs to be done, so go ahead and do it." I said.
"Okay, Mal. Don't worry, it'll be worth the cost. You'll be getting a new furnace and ductwork included with the cost."
"Alright sounds good. Thanks for letting me know." I said.
"Of course. Goodbye."
"Goodbye."
I hung up and was about to put my phone away, when I decided to just keep it out to take pictures. Honestly, I don't even know where our furnace is. But it might be in the laundry room. I took some pictures of the starfish and continued on through the aquarium, taking many photos, and spending a lot of time looking at the exhibits of fish, sharks, octopus and penguins. The aquatic world is indeed fascinating. They say we have only explored five percent of the world's oceans. Which is hard to believe, since there is a lot of recorded marine life, but I guess that's just how it is.
I made my way outside to a bay on aquarium grounds where I saw some sea lions. And I have to admit, they were cute looking. I could tell their faces would make Evie fall in love with them. I took some pictures of them and even snapped a perfect photo of a seal looking directly at me. I walked back inside and walked down some stairs leading to the lower level. There wasn't much, just an underwater view of the sea lion exhibit. But there was a gift shop, where I bought a small plush sea lion for Evie. There was also a frog exhibit there as well which I checked out. Very cool. After that, I left the aquarium feeling quite happy. That place was pretty cool and it's a place I'll visit again, but with Evie.
[Mal's hotel room. 2:27 pm]
Mal's POV
After buying lunch from a restaurant, I returned back to the hotel room, feeling quite exhausted from all the walking I did at the aquarium. After I ate, I laid in bed, meditating. Relaxing myself, which felt really nice. Until I was disturbed by the sound of my phone vibrating on the nearby table.
"Oh, now what?!" I asked aloud.
I braced myself for the news of another unexpected cost. But it wasn't Dylan who was calling. Nor was it Evie. It was Carlos.
"My little brother." I said as I saw his name and number on the screen.
I haven't talked to him and the others in so long, he's probably worried about me and Evie. Without any further hesitation, I picked up the phone and accepted the call.
"Carlos, my little brother." I greeted.
"Mal, my big sister. It's been awhile." Carlos said.
"I know. I'm so sorry. How are you? How is everyone?" I asked.
"I'm good. Jay's been doing good as well, and so have the girls. We've all been busy with school, but I was thinking about you and Evie last night and realized we haven't talked in quite awhile. I just want to make sure everything is okay with you and Evie."
"Yeah. I'm sorry, Carlos. Everything is fine. Evie's been doing great and so am I. In fact, much has happened since we last talked. Which was…?"
"When you and Evie were buying your home."
"Right." I said.
I felt so bad.
"We got Evie's texts of the pictures she sent us of you two going fishing. That seemed cool." Carlos said.
"It was. Looking back, it was." I said.
"Evie said you were both going to sell the fish. So what did you use the money for?"
"That's what I have to catch you up on. But I need you to keep it a secret for now from Evie. Don't tell her I told you this. Because right now, I'm having something done for Evie while she's away." I said.
"Away? She's not with you?"
"Listen, Carlos." I said.
"Okay, Mal."
"After receiving the check for the fish, along the way back to our place, Evie needed to fill the car with gas. So while she did, I bought us a few lottery tickets. Some scratcher cards and a ticket for a two million dollar drawing. And guess what?"
"You won some money?"
"Not just some. A lot. We didn't win anything on the scratcher cards. Instead, we won the two million dollars."
"What?! No way!" Carlos exclaimed.
"Yes, way."
"Whoa! You two are rich! So what are you going to do with all that money?" Carlos asked.
"Here's the part I need you to keep a secret from Evie if you decide to talk to her. Promise me you'll keep what I'm about to tell you a secret."
"I promise, Mal. I will keep your secret. You can trust me." Carlos said.
"I know. I just want to make sure. Evie is away right now for a business trip with her boss in Paris, France for the remainder of the week. I'm using about two hundred thousand dollars of the lottery money to have our house remodeled to look new and luxurious while she's away right now."
"Wow. Mal. That is...I think that will be the nicest thing you've ever done for Evie." Carlos said.
"I think so too. It's the final step from my dream." I said.
"Evie's in Paris, huh? Wow. Things have really turned to the best for you two. I'm really happy for you both." Carlos said.
"Thank you, Carlos. I miss you. And I miss Jay, Lonnie and Jane. I really do."
"We all miss you as well, Mal. But know we'll always be family. No matter how far away you both are."
"That's the spirit of a true family. But tell me, how have you all been? How are things at Auradon Prep?" I asked.
"Can't really say back to normal. A few weeks ago, they gave up looking for you and there are wanted posters of you, but missing posters of Evie. Jay, Lonnie, Jane and I have to walk around, pretending to be a little sad to keep up the act of not knowing where you two are."
"I'm so sorry we're having you do that." I said.
"Don't be. We're more than happy to. We will never tell where you two are. They asked us occasionally, but we fooled them so good, they stopped."
"What about you-know-who? How is she doing?"
"Oh her. I have to say, she is no longer the same person you knew." Carlos replied.
"What? Really?" I asked.
"Yes. Audrey has been kinder to me and Jay. Not "wanting to hang out with you" kind, but kind. She says "hi" and "how are you today?" to us. She begged Lonnie to accept her back into her life and the same with Jane. And they did. She's depressed though. Knowing that Evie is gone and nowhere to be found. I think she's mourning the "disappearance" of Evie, and doesn't want to lose anyone else."
That was hard for me to believe.
"Wow. I do feel a bit bad for her." I said.
"We kind of do as well."
"But I'm afraid us leaving so suddenly is because of her. It was probably wrong of me to attack her, but she left me no choice. We had to leave because of her."
"Indeed. That's how we feel as well."
"Yeah." I said, sighing after.
"Well, I'll let you go, Mal. But call more often, okay?"
"I will. I promise." I said.
"Okay. I love you, Mal."
"I love you too, Carlos. Bye."
"Bye."
And with that, our call ended.
[Mal and Evie's home. 5:00 pm]
Mal's POV
It was now time to see the finished home. I eagerly drove back to our house so see what it looks like. When I got there, I immediately saw the new trees in the front yard along with some new bushes and some stake lights I ordered lined up along the walkway leading to the front door. I also saw the fresh coat of paint on the house as well. I parked in the driveway and saw Dylan standing at the entrance of the walkway.
"Hello, Mal." he said after I got out of the car.
"Hi, Dylan. Wow, this looks amazing." I said.
"Thanks, but wait until you see the inside." Dylan said.
"Is it done?"
"It's done."
I squealed in excitement, feeling anxious as I followed Dylan to the front door. He opened the door for me and stepped out of the way.
"After you." he said.
I walked inside and gasped. The walls that were a cream white were now a brighter white. The stair rails were changed to be gray, once more resembling a castle material. And the carpet on the stairs were removed and replaced with the gray hardwood flooring. As I was slowly taking it all in, Dylan turned on some more lights around so I could get a better look at everything. After walking past the foyer, I saw the living room and just past that was the new open concept kitchen that I had dreamed about.
"Oh my god." I said.
Gray cabinets and marble countertops. I looked in every drawer and opened every cabinet door and was just lost for words.
"Your girlfriend is going to love this kitchen. What's her name?" Dylan asked.
"Evie." I replied.
"Evie. Evie is going to love this. Is she the cook?"
"She is. She knows how to cook."
"Then I'd say this kitchen is a chef's paradise." Dylan said.
The backsplash in the kitchen was beautiful. It was dark stone rock, stacked on top of each other and was covering the whole back wall of the kitchen where the majority of the cabinets were along with the stove and range hood. In front of that was the big kitchen island that was gray and with a marble countertop. To the left of that was the rest of the cabinets that lined up about half the wall. The bottom cabinets had a large farmhouse sink with a rustic fixture with it. And down a bit to the left of it was a place for the refrigerator. The other half of the wall was the dining area.
I walked around the wide kitchen island and saw an empty square space in the island.
"That is for the dishwasher. We rerouted some pipes to go here for it. Since the wall we took out originally had the dishwasher hooked up there, we had to put it somewhere." Dylan said.
"And putting it here is incredible." I said.
I walked to the dining area and turned around so I could get a view of the whole kitchen. I smiled at the thought of imagining Evie cooking there wearing only a blue shoulderless dress with her silver tiara.
"Let's go see the bonus room, bedroom and bathroom." Dylan said.
I looked in Evie's room and loved the new flooring with the built-ins in the walls. Lots of storage space for Evie's sewing material and supplies. I then followed Dylan to our bedroom. When I got there, I looked at the wall where our bed is going to be and saw the stone rock wallpaper that looked so real. I chose that at the home improvement store and knew exactly what to do with it. It makes the perfect accent wall. The rest of the walls remained white. I walked into the bathroom and the wall where the vanity and mirror also had the same stone rock wallpaper.
"You know, Evie has a thing for castles." I said.
"Then everything we've done will make her feel like she is living in one." Dylan said.
"Exactly what I wanted."
"Let's check out the porch and backyard." Dylan said.
I nodded and followed him. I checked out the half bath located by the kitchen. Then I followed Dylan to the laundry room where the back door is. He let me walk out first to see the new four seasons room that has screens on the outside of the windows.
"Wow." I said.
"Impressive, isn't it? These metal screens won't rust from rain or snow for a very long time. It's material that's built to last. Plus it has excellent privacy too. You can easily see out. But you can't easily see in. Not unless you get super close to it." Dylan said.
Evie and I can have sex out here and no one would be able to see. Not that they could easily anyway, since the houses have some distance between them. But this is nice.
"Look to your right." Dylan said.
I did and saw the fully operating hot tub.
"You got yourself a nice model. It's quiet, has LED lighting inside, and has a multi operating system for the control of the jets." Dylan said.
"It is indeed nice. Evie will be most surprised." I said.
Dylan walked me to a door leading to the outside of the room. The exit is in the same place where the stairs are to leave the porch. Across the pebbles of rocks, was the grassy backyard. And not too far up ahead was the newly finished gazebo. Twelve foot by ten foot made of steel, but looks to be made of wood, standing over a newly built gray brick platform that was fifteen foot by fifteen.
"Absolutely amazing." I said.
"Think of the parties you could have here." Dylan said.
"The parties I could have with my whole family." I thought.
Tears were in my eyes as I was thinking everything I had just seen.
"Dylan, you and your team are absolutely amazing. Thank you so much for doing this for me." I said.
"It was our pleasure, Mal. I wish you and Evie the best." Dylan said.
"Thank you."
I gave him a hug as a sign of my gratitude. We then walked back inside to the front door.
"See you tomorrow?" I asked.
"No. I'm afraid not, Mal. I just specialize in construction and my job is done. All that's left now is to furnish and decorate your home. And that's out of my league really." Dylan replied.
"Well, thank you again so much." I said.
"You're welcome, Mal. Again, I wish you two the best, and give Evie my regards." Dylan said.
"I will. Thank you. Goodbye." I said.
"Goodbye." Dylan said.
I opened the door for him to let him leave. I then watched him get in his truck and drive away. After he left, I walked out to the driveway and admired the nice front of the house. When Evie returns, she'll immediately notice the new plants and paint.
"Oh, Evie. I cannot wait for you to get back home." I said.
[Mal and Evie's home. 10:00 am]
Mal's POV
The next morning, I got up and dressed, checked out of the hotel, and arrived back at the house for the final time. A team arrived with a large truck that had the furniture and decor that I had ordered from a local store. A woman, Alison, was the leader of the team, while also an interior designer. She knew exactly what looks good where and what looks good with what.
It took six hours to completely furnish the home with our belongings from the storage container plus ten thousand dollars worth of new furniture and decor. As well as some other things. In the two bedrooms downstairs, there's a full size bed as well as a dresser and a nightstand as well as some wall art. In the foyer, there's a bench by the door as you walk in with a white area rectangle rug in front of the door. And on the wall leading to the bedrooms, there is a large mirror for Evie. And up on the ceiling, there is a silver fancy chandelier. And on the wall by the stairs, I bought and set up a fish tank. A freshwater tank with rocks and decor that has three angelfish swimming around. Fish wasn't a good topic at Auradon, but it brought us good luck in Vancouver.
The living room and kitchen is amazing. The couch Evie and I bought along with the loveseat sits on a stylish gray and white rug. A fabulous entertainment center complete with a fifty five inch tv is set up on the wall in front. On the wall beside the couch and loveseat, are some picture frames with printed photos of me and Evie, along with the photo of us and our family when we were on the yacht before we left Auradon. You know what the kitchen looks like, but it's now complete with the appliances, as well as some decor and lots of cooking and baking supplies.
A long rectangular table with some storage cubbies is placed in the laundry room for more storage and a better place for folding clothes. And out the backdoor to where our four seasons room, there is a swing couch perfect for Evie and I to cuddle in. As well as a small chair and a table. In the area underneath where the gazebo is set up, there are four lawn chairs and a fire pit in the middle.
Back inside upstairs, Evie's sewing room is fantastic. As you walk in, to the left, there is an L shaped desk with a desktop computer that is all set up for Evie to use. On the right of the desk is a filing cabinet. Across the room at the back wall, is her sewing station. A large rectangular table that sits at the left side of the wall with her sewing machine placed on top, with a desk not too far from it at the right. There are a few storage organizers placed along the other walls with the built-ins placed on the right wall as you walk in. Each of them filled with material.
And lastly our bedroom. Our bed is still the same, but there is a small round ottoman in front with two nightstands on both sides at the head of the bed. A lamp is placed on both nightstands along with a small fake plant. Two dressers are placed on each side of the room. And on the wall above Evie's dresser is a large round mirror. There is some wall art and a reading nook setup by a window for me. As well as a small couch on the wall by the bathroom.
There are many places in the house for me and Evie to cuddle and make love in. And now the next thing is for Evie to return home. But not before one last thing. Yes, even after all that, there is one more thing to do. But it doesn't involve the house. It involves me.
My purple hair is going. I'm having it changed, and I know exactly to what. I went to a nearby hair salon and paid seventy dollars to have it completely changed to my choosing: light blonde hair. I thought about leaving some purple in, but for now, no purple. After I left the salon feeling very satisfied, I went to the mall to find some new outfits, as well as a dress to wear when Evie returns. You know how Evie's been planning surprises for me? Well, it's my turn to plan a surprise for her. And I know exactly how to play this out.