The Unrequited

Twenty minutes later Margaret fumed as she saw her brother casually wander down the steps of his townhouse. Looking like a beach bum as always, she could only shake her head. Whatever was she going to do with him. She loved her brother, and it was obvious that he was smart and successful, but to her his life seemed completely out of control. The quintessential bohemian he was everything she was not. He was messy, easy and relaxed while she was organized, perfectly styled and driven. Opening the door to her new black Mercedes, Gus laughed as he stepped in, his hair still dripping wet from his hasty shower.

"New car, Sis?"

Looking him up and down, her eyes fell on his flip flops and she exhaled loudly. "Do you NEVER wear shoes?"

"Well, I had to get ready quick as you know. I, well, I was not expecting you today."

"That was quite obvious." She smirked as she thought about his naked entrance. "I assume you are going to let your guest can see her way out? I hope you took an inventory of everything just in case she decides to pick off some of your expensive equipment while she is alone."

"Don't start!" Gus snapped as he sat down. Instantly Margaret put the car in gear and began driving down the narrow streets of the French Quarter. Fuming in silence at her not so subtle attack on Jasmine, after a few minutes he asked "So, where is this magical "house" anyway? I hope you realize that there is no fucking way you are getting me to move out to some suburban nightmare like you and Pierre live in. I won't do it."

Patting his bare knee Margaret smiled. "Calm down little brother calm down. I know there is no way I could get you to move out of the city. No, this house I am sure you are going to jump on. I saw the outside myself already and I am still amazed at the price. Hell, if Pete wasn't running for Governor I would snatch this up myself to flip, but those days are behind me now."

Suspicious, Gus saw that they were driving out Saint Charles street and wondered where on earth they could be going. This area was notoriously overpriced as a place where the truly old and big money of the Big Easy lived and highly unlikely to have anything in his price range. As the huge tree lined avenues opened up from the smaller congested inner city, the houses grew more and more grand as they traveled into the heart of the Garden District. Passing Commander's Palace, when Margaret flicked her turn signal on and started to turn down Chestnut Street his curiosity could no longer be contained.

"Come on Sis!" he cried. "I don't know how much money you think I have, but there is no fucking way I could possibly afford to live in this neighborhood!" Looking out the window of his sister's car he rolled his eyes as they drove past one palatial house after another. As one of the largest and only examples of original antebellum plantation houses in the South, this section of the Garden District was truly a gem. On both sides of the beautiful Magnolia lined street enormous Victorian and Greek Columned mansions stood guard, each having been built between one hundred and almost two hundred years ago. Like an 19th century version of Malibu or the Hamptons, rich planters spared no expense outdoing one another in constructing these monstrosities and the efforts of their desire to one-up each other were just as impressive now as it was when they were originally built.

Grinning in silence Margaret slowed the car and came to a stop. "Oh Ye of little faith!" she smirked. "How does 250 sound?"

"Down?"

"No, TOTAL. Two hundred and fifty thousand cash and the house is yours."

Gus now smirked. Margaret had to be out of her mind as there was no way that could be right. Each one of these homes would list for at least three million, and that would be for the smaller ones. Looking around, he looked for a cabin or a carriage house, something that would sell for such a low price. Seeing nothing but giant palatial houses he grew angry.

"If this is a big joke I am going to be really pissed Sis. Trust me, I had quite an enjoyable morning in progress that better not have been interrupted for some kind of wild goose chase." Glancing around once more and spotting no likely candidate for that price he added "Alright, I give. Where is this incredible deal of a lifetime?"

Pointing straight ahead Gus followed his sister's finger and laughed. There in front of them both was 431 Chestnut Street the Grand Dame of the tony neighborhood, and the original plantation house upon which all of the land was subdivided, Magnolia Grove. His mouth falling open, Gus was speechless as he took in the enormity of the property. Huge and imposing in white marble, it was obvious that the place was ancient, all of the other homes surrounding it looking like servants to the queen of a house. Ivy now choked the columns, and the front gardens were unkempt and overgrown with bushes and shrubs, but the prior glories were obvious.

Standing in front, pacing nervously was Jill Meyers the real estate agent and as she recognized Margaret's car an obvious look of relief washed over her extremely botoxed face. Turning to Gus in triumph, Margaret beamed. "So, your big Sis did ok, eh?"

"Holy Mother Mary!" Gus cried as he continued to look on in astonishment. This was not a home but an estate and his original thoughts of just humoring his sister now evaporated as he instantly envisioned himself in this house. "It's incredible Sis, just incredible!" he continued to exclaim as he got out of the car and walked towards the house. Now close up it was even more imposing as the three floors, wrap around porches and giant twelve-foot iron gates gave the whole building an almost castle like feel.

"Margaret!!" Jill cried as they approached and she shot out her hand. She, like his sister, was well over fifty but not deciding to age gracefully, desperately clinging to the remains of her youth with her too short leather skirt and far too high stilettos. "This must be your brother" she added as she gripped his hand surprisingly hard. "Quite handsome!" she winked. "Just like you said."

"Don't believe everything my sister has said about me" Gus joked as he shook her hand. "This place is amazing! I am simply floored, and... although this is probably rude, I have to ask what is wrong with it. I mean, this mansion should be on the National Historic Register, not being sold for such an unbelievable bargain price."

Grimacing at his words she forced on a fake smile as she needed to close this deal quickly. "Well Gus, this is truly a once a lifetime opportunity but is definitely a very weird situation. This plantation house has been in the very same family for well over two hundred years and that in and of itself is highly unusual. All of the Garden District came from the property of Magnolia Grove and over the years the Laveau family parceled out the property to other wealthy home owners like themselves, especially after the civil war made such huge estates no longer practical."

"Hear that Gus!" Margaret exclaimed. "This place is a historic gem. I know how much you enjoy history and knowing that one of the original old families of Louisiana owned this place made me instantly intrigued."

"Yes I can see that Sis but still... Why sell this priceless mansion for such a crazy price?" Looking over at Margaret he could feel the heat from her eyes boring into his face as she grew angry. Convinced her idiot brother was blowing the deal of a lifetime it took all of her willpower not to reach over and smack his mouth closed. Realizing this, Gus continued. "I know I am not negotiating properly by bringing this up, and certainly I am very interested, but before I uproot myself and move into this palace, I need to know what is wrong with it. People do not throw away millions of dollars for no reason. It may be the deal of a lifetime but if there is a radon problem or the house is about to be condemned or collapse I would like to know what I am getting into in advance."

The agent sighed as she realized this was going to be more complicated to explain. "When Old Mrs. Laveau passed away a few weeks ago at 100 with no children, her will was the legal mess of all times!" Looking over at Margaret she smiled. "God knows, if it had not been for Pete and his law firm the estate would have never been sorted out. Anyway...Mrs. Laveau had one living heir, a great nephew in New York. The guy has tons of money already and with the rest of the Laveau's inheritance that pile just got a lot bigger. Trust me, when this house was mentioned to him he was absolutely insistent that it be liquidated immediately for a cash only transaction and without him ever taking title. I begged him to take the time necessary to sell this properly but he was absolutely insistent."

"What is the rush? I mean, he must know that by placing those restrictions he was just screwing himself." Gus asked incredulously.

"I know, that is what I told him since I was put in charge of liquidating the property." Wrestling with the padlock on the iron gate she shrugged her shoulders. "The crazy little bastard did not even want to come and look at the property! Honestly Gus, I have no idea why he is so weird on the subject, but as the only heir it is his to dispose of however he sees fit. If he wants to throw away a gem for pennies, well...in my honest opinion if I were you I would just take this giant gift and keep my mouth shut. The new owner was quite adamant and specific in his instructions. This property must be out of his possession by the end of the week or else he is going to have it torn down. Frankly, I think the guy is nuts, but rich lunacy can be quite profitable to those around it."

Gus nodded but still was unsettled. It made no sense and part of him said there had to be a big catch to all this, but hey, maybe Jill and his Sister were right. Maybe this was just one of those fortuitous once in a lifetime freak accidents that can pay off big, like discovering oil in your backyard or investing in Apple Computer in the seventies. As the chains to the fence fell away and the iron gates swung open, his apprehension evaporated as they entered the large front garden. Instantly the overwhelming scents of Magnolia, Roses and Jasmine flooded his nostrils as they all walked through the overgrown lawn towards the front door. Looking around as they approached the house it was obvious that the place had seen better times, but with a little work and money this could truly be magnificent.

Two towering magnolia trees flanked the stairs to the lower porch and their great ancient branches created a natural cool canopy to the front of the house, the only surviving trees from the original plantation. The grounds were obviously unkempt but evidence of hundreds of years of cultivation abounded. Overgrown rose bushes, tulips, forsythia and blooming jasmine choked the grounds and created a lush cool oasis in the middle of an already steamy New Orleans summer morning. At the center of the driveway stood a giant green statue in the center of a long inoperable fountain. Decades of neglect had turned the warm bronze a thick green, but the beauty of the original craftsmanship was still there.

Stepping up onto the porch, Gus slightly jumped up and down on the stairs to test to structural integrity. Surprisingly, despite the age of the structure, the fundamental foundations seemed quite strong. Long spreading branches of ivy crawled up the columns of marble and pulling a branch away from the stone he was glad to see that roots had not damaged the stone. Looking at the porch he was enthralled as it was enormous, wrapping all the way around the house. Well over a hundred people could comfortably sit just on the first floor alone, and with two other porches above this was like having several outdoor living rooms built in. Constructed centuries before air conditioning, this house was built for entertaining and the porches were widely used in the oppressive bayou heat. Faded white wicker furniture dotted the porch with long tendrils of ferns hanging down from at least twenty plants dangling above each grouping.

"Christ this is more like a hotel than a private home!" Gus exclaimed, his mind already seeing the potential to turn this into a B&B if he decided to not use this as his primary home.

"It could quite easily. The house has over eleven bedrooms." Jill said as she fiddled with the lock on the giant double oak doors. "I have to admit; I am quite curious to see inside. No one outside the Laveau family and a few servants have been in this house for over fifty years."

The heavy click of the brass lock echoed in the still heat as the agent pushed open the door. To the surprise of all three, once the doors were opened a blast of cool air washed over them all. Walking inside, Jill flipped on the light switch and they all gasped.

"Holy GOD!" Margaret exclaimed as she caught sight of the eight-hundred-pound crystal chandelier illuminating the main hall. All around the grand entrance the house dripped in over the top baroque luxury. Directly in the front view of the three visitors an enormous red carpeted staircase led to a wide landing on the second floor. Thick oriental carpeting lay at their feet covering black and white marble tiles and mahogany side tables scattered alongside the walls. The overall décor and style of the interior was definitely heavy, bordering on oppressive, quite befitting of a typical Victorian manor house when the last renovation was completed. Countless cherubs were carved into the plaster ceiling, all hovering over two enormous life sized oil paintings of the Laveau family hanging on the walls. Showcasing the whole room were two brass statues of winged angels holding matching golden converted gas lamps at the base of the stairs. Looking on in absolute wonder at the dazzling entry hall, Gus already could easily envision Scarlett O'Hara herself descending that staircase to bid goodbye to Rhett Butler.

"Frankly my dear I don't give a damn!" he chuckled under his breath as he surveyed the room of treasures. The air was surprisingly cool, despite the summer heat and even odder, completely still and silent. No sound could be heard but the loud ticking of a Grandfather Clock that disturbed the deafening silence of the room. Looking over at Margaret and Gus, Jill smiled as she could tell from their reaction they were in stunned awe.

"As you can see, the place is extraordinary!" Jill beamed as she herself was surprised at the beauty of the interior. As they all surveyed the room eventually all eyes focused on the top of the stairs. There at the top of the landing was a nine foot round stained glass window that was the focal point for people entering the house. Despite the relative darkness of the room, the bright colors cast from the window bathed the entire hall in a dazzling array of hues of purple, green and red, the image of a magnolia tree formed by the colored glass.

"Beautiful, simply beautiful!" Margaret exclaimed as she poked Gus's arm. "See Gus, aren't you glad you came today?"

He nodded as he pulled back a sliding pocket door and looked into one of many parlors in the house. It, like the entrance hall, was ornate in the extreme with similar angelic figures hovering on ceiling and a smaller, but still impressive, crystal chandelier in the center. Green silk wallpaper still hung on the wall and despite being well over a hundred years old it had lost none of its original luster. In the center of the room was a loveseat with two matching chairs that formed a perfect sitting group for an afternoon tea while on shelves circling the room were packed with twenty or more glass figurines of dogs, all made of blue and white china.

"I bet Angeline would love this room!" Gus snickered as he saw all the small dog figurines.

"Well, that might be a bit destructive as you know she is a jumper." Margaret laughed as they both crossed over to the other side of the entrance hall.

Margaret now slid back the pocket door and literally gasped as she saw the interior revealed. She had found the dining room and it as breath taking. The room was formed into a long oval, banked by windows that would normally flood the space with light had they not been choked and overgrown with so much vegetation. Running through the center of the room was a long mahogany table that could easily seat twenty. On the buffet was a silver service of trays, candle sticks and serving dishes, all black and tarnished but obviously impressive.

"Jesus, this is like a museum!" Gus exclaimed as he looked inside. "If I do buy this place I am going to have to spend almost as much money as the purchase price just on furniture." Smiling as he looked over at his sister, his mind already seeing himself the owner, he said "I don't think my futons, bean bag chairs and band posters would do this place justice."

Overhearing this, Jill spoke up. "Well you won't have to. As one of the conditions of closing such a quick cash only sale, everything inside the house goes with the deal. The owner wants nothing from the estate."

"Holy SHIT!" Margaret uncharacteristically cursed, covering her mouth in embarrassment after her outburst.

"My thoughts exactly!" Jill winked. "I literally begged the guy to allow me to put the items up for auction at least but he was adamant. Everything has to go by the end of the week or it will be destroyed."

Gus's face could not hide his excitement now, his mouth curled into a huge smile as he felt he literally felt like he had won the lottery. Although no expert on antiques, he knew enough from what he had seen so far to know that the contents of the house alone were worth way more than the relatively paltry purchase price. He knew now for sure he was going to buy the house but like a kid on Christmas morning he wanted to explore the rest of his prize as soon as possible.

Walking through the rest of the downstairs Gus and Margaret continued to be amazed by the size and grandeur of the interior. The kitchen was huge, more appropriate for a restaurant than for the needs of a single man, but the appliances all still worked despite being decades out of date. Wandering the maze of small parlors and sitting rooms, when they finally reached the library, still stocked with hundreds of old volumes of books and centered by an enormous black ornately carved partners desk in the center of the room, Gus audibly sighed. Working from home for his business he could think of no better place to set up his office.

"Just how big is this house?" Gus asked.

"8500 square feet" Jill replied adding "But despite the size, the way it was designed really does cut down on cooling bills. As you can see, despite it being summer, the temperature in here is quite pleasant." Both Gus and Margaret nodded as they agreed, the house surprisingly cool given the season. Walking back into the entrance hall, Jill pointed up through the stairwell to the ceiling two stories up. "The cupola on the top floor floods the whole house with cool breezes when the vents are open and was sort of a early nineteenth century central air conditioning system." Seeing them both eye the stairs she added "So, do you want to go see upstairs?"

Reaching the top landing the stairs opened up into a large open upper hallway that could easily double as an additional living room. Along one side of the wall stood six doors leading to large bedrooms matched by five on the other side. Walking through each of the fully furnished rooms, Gus was amazed that each had its own private bath. "This really could be a hotel!" he whispered to Margaret as they peered into one of the enormous bathrooms, each containing large claw footed tubs in the center of the black and white tiles. Reaching the end of the right side of the hall, he crooked his head in confusion.

There, where a door to a twelfth bedroom should be, was a fully plastered wall. Giving the space an eerie appearance were hundreds of rosaries hanging from nails on the wall, the beads and crosses covering the surface completely. The three stood in silence as they stared at the macabre display, Jill's heart rate increasing as she knew this looked creepy and might spook her potential buyer away and thus blow her substantial commission. If she sold the house she was going to receive a fifty percent take on the sale but if it was torn down she would get nothing so she was quite nervous at this unexpected turn on the tour. Breaking the tension, Gus exclaimed "Well, I think the interior decoration up here may need a bit a re-work. I feel like I am back at St. Louis Cathedral as an altar boy with Father Vic!"