A Timely Vision

“Okay, Chuck. I’m Dae O’Donnell.” His obvious eagerness made me uncomfortable. “I meant what I said. You can’t have the house. But I found something I think you’ve been looking for. Would you like some iced tea with your pie?”

By that time, the new voice had brought everyone in from the back porch. Chuck shook hands with all of them and passed out business cards. “Are one of you gentlemen the owner of this property? I think you’ll find the offer of two million dollars I made Dae to be a real incentive. Do you mind if I take a look around?”

He didn’t wait for actual permission but took our silence as a go-ahead. He investigated the living room first, smiling and nodding when he saw the stone fireplace.

“Who is this man, Dae?” Gramps asked.

“Did he really offer you two million for your house?” Shayla demanded.

“He’s a real estate person,” I explained. “And yes, he offered me that much. Not in writing, but as a throw-out number to get the ball rolling. You know how real estate people are.”

“Why is he in the house instead of in the street?” Gramps wondered.

“I picked something up tonight. It belongs to him. I’m trying to get around to telling him that I know it’s his.”

“Nice half bath down here.” Chuck came out of the hall. “Any closets?”

“Dae,” Gramps warned. “Get a move on telling him.”

“Let’s all sit down for a minute.” I smiled at Chuck. “Tea? Pie?”

He joined us at the table, smiles all around at each of us, as he dug into his pie and slurped his tea. “This place is great! I might be able to go as high as two and a half. What do you think of that?”

Gramps’s face darkened, like a thundercloud ready to burst. I saw a storm coming and decided I’d better step in before he let loose. “Chuck, we really don’t want to sell the house.”

He nodded. “I understand. Things are tough. Sometimes we have to do things we don’t want to do. Believe me, I’ve been in that spot.”

“Young man,” Gramps bellowed, “I have no inclination to sell my house to you.”

Chuck’s smile faded. “But you wanted me to come in and eat pie.”

I took out the medal and put it in his hand. “I have something of yours. Something you’ve been looking for.”

“Where did you find this?” Chuck stared at the medal.

“On Duck Road coming back here through town. I wasn’t sure what it was, but I realized it was yours when you came to the door.”

He looked at me as though he’d wandered into an episode of The Twilight Zone. “How did you know?”

“It’s difficult to explain.”

Shayla made an impatient clicking sound with her teeth. “It’s not that difficult. Dae finds things, you know? She’s psychic. She knows who things belong to. Understand?”

Chuck looked even more uncomfortable. “This medal belonged to my mother. It was the first award she ever won after she became a real estate agent. She lost it twenty years ago. No way she dropped it then, and you found it now.”

“I’m glad I met you so I could give it back.” I smiled and hoped it would ease some of his discomfort, but it didn’t help. He pushed back his chair and left his pie half eaten. His eyes were wild. He looked like he wanted to say something but couldn’t. He picked up his brochures and let himself out the front door.

“You’re welcome,” Kevin called, an annoyed smile on his face.

“Aren’t you going to call him back?” Shayla demanded. “The next man might not offer you so much. I wonder what my house is worth.”

Conversation lagged after that. The pie was gone and the coffee was cold. It wasn’t long before Shayla convinced Kevin to take her out for that drink. He asked politely if Gramps and I would like to come. Both of us said no, and I waved good-bye to them from the front door.

“They make a nice couple.” Gramps came up behind me and waved too.

“You think so?”

“If you aren’t interested in him, I do. Any chance you might be interested in him?”

“I don’t think so. He’s okay, I guess. For an outsider.”

“I can’t believe you’re so prejudiced, Dae. I know we didn’t raise you to be that way.”

“He might decide to move back to D.C. someday.” I closed the front door and turned off the outside light.

Gramps let out a grunt as he pushed himself back in his recliner. “You know how to ruin an old man’s fun, don’t you?”

I sneaked out of the house early the next morning. Gramps didn’t have a charter, so he’d stayed up late and was sleeping in. It was nice escaping without eating breakfast. He’s kind of a good-breakfast nut. I love him, but sometimes our lives clash a little.

Duck is beautiful early in the morning. It’s the one time the town resembles the way it was when I was growing up. When I was in my twenties, the place went through a kind of growth spurt, like people suddenly discovered Duck was here. Since then, it has to be cold for there to be any peace and quiet. Except in the mornings. Combine that peace and quiet with a good cup of coffee and the morning paper, and I was in heaven. There was always a little town gossip too. I liked that with my coffee.