Part Two of the July 4th weekend. As always please feel free to comment.
I wake up and look at my watch. It's a little after 8am. I get out of bed, and head to the bathroom. I get a glimpse out the small bathroom window.
The sun is up and shining. It's a beautiful day after last night. Thank god the fireworks are tonight. We can take the blanket and....oh fuck. I look out again. Where is the blanket?
I just sigh. "Fuck!"
I grab the shorts and tee shirt I took off in the kitchen yesterday and head outside. I scan the yard. I see the backpack close to where we left it. I head down to it. The blue and black butt plugs stand out in the green grass. I grab them and the lube and toss it in the soaked backpack.
I don't see anything in the woods. I turn and look at the hedges on the property line. Our clothes are stuck in and under the hedges, but no blanket. I look again and I see it in the neighbors yard tangled up in a picnic table.
I look up at the deck. I don't see any signs of life. I walk around the bushes and start trying to untangle the blanket when from behind me I hear. "Can I help you?" With just a little edge.
I turn it's the owner of the property. I saw him unpacking his car yesterday. "Yes sir. I am sorry to intrude. I guess my blanket tried to escape last night in the storm. I was just trying to untangle it. Your picnic table was kind enough to catch and hold it for me." I say.
"Ezzie, is he ok? Who is he?" I ask.
"His name is Ronald. He seems ok he came running out because he saw you in the yard before you got to the blanket." She tells me.
He looks at me and smiles. "You're the young man we saw running for the house last night in the storm. The lightning really lit things up last night."
Oh shit. "Ezzie, did he really see us?"
"Yes Ben. He vividly remembers Beth & Karen running to the house last night."
Oh fuck. I leave the blanket and walk towards him. I reach out to shake his hand. "Hi I am Ben." I say.
"Ronald. Nice to meet you." He says shaking my hand. He is probably 5-10 years older than my parents. I would guess in his 50's. Black short hair with heavy gray growing in. Lean to Medium build. Just an average guy.
"Um, listen about last night. I am really sorry. We didn't mean to put on a show." I say.
Ron chuckles. "If it hadn't started storming so hard and so fast. We never would have seen you. My wife and I got up to grab some things off the deck and we were back in the house. We turned back just in time for the lightning strike."
I just moan. "Oh god, I am so sorry we flashed you and your wife."
He pats me on the shoulder and laughs. "It's ok. We were young once too. We had a good laugh, and then some. Come on, let me help you untangle the blanket."
We walk to the table and untangle it. It's heavy as hell it's so wet. He suggests folding it on the picnic table and trying to squeeze it dry by pressing it into the table.
He starts asking about me. I tell him Karen is Ray's niece, Beth is her friend and I have a buddy coming up later.
"Cranky Old Ray let you kids have the cabin for the Fourth?" He asks.
It kind of sounds like he doesn't like Ray. "Ezzie, does Ron like Ray?"
"No. He is thinking now. How did this kid get that asshole to let him use the cabin?"
What the hell. Let's tell the truth. "Well he didn't exactly let us. I told his brother, Karen's Dad, I would help him write up and land a new contract. Ray didn't think I could do it. By the end of the day the bet was $1000 of my cash against this weekend and Labor Day at the cabin."
Ron is roaring laughing. "I guess you showed him."
"He doubted I was smart enough to write up a good contact, and he doubted I had the people skills to land it where Mr B had failed before." I tell Ron.
Ron looks at me for a moment. Have you ever thought of selling Real Estate? I own Gold Star Realty. People skills is our thing."
"Ezzie, is he pulling my leg? He owns it? He owns it and has this small cabin?" I say.
The wheels start turning in my head. I think realtors make like 3-5% commission. That's $30-50,000 per million. He has offices all over the state. I start seeing $$$$.
Wait, something still seems wrong. If he has all this money why this little cabin.
Ezzie speaks up. "He originally bought it with the idea he could talk Ray into selling, but Ray won't sell. He has offered Ray well above the value so he could go buy any other lake house. Ron was hoping to tear down the two and build a bigger, nicer one."
AAAHHHH! Now it makes sense.
"Ron I certainly don't mean to pry, but why are you here in this little cabin?" I ask.
"Ezzie please make him tell me the truth."
"Ok Ben." Says Ezzie.
"Well you see Ben. My wife used to Love coming up here as a kid. I thought it would be nice to buy a place. I started looking and then thought I would buy these two parcels and build a new bigger house, but Ray won't budge." Says Ron.
I start thinking, and a plan is taking shape. With a little help from Ezzie this could be amazing.
"Ron, if I may ask, what has Ray turned down for an offer?" I ask.
Ron looks at me. "I rounded my last offer up to the next hundred thousand mark. That put it just a tick short of the 150% estimated sale price. He could have bought Any house on the lake."
"Ezzie, which of his offices deals with the most expensive homes?"
"That would be his North Shore office. He thinks of it as his pride and joy." She tells me.
"Ezzie, please have him agree to the offer I am about to make please. Have him think it's a win-win for him."
"I will Ben." Ezzie says.
"Ron, I would like to make you an offer. I think it's a good deal. For both of us. I think you are right, Real Estate is a good fit for me. I will get Ray to sell you his cabin for your previous offer, plus 50k for any home improvements needed before he moves in. You give me a realtor's job in your North Shore office. Not an intern, a realtor's job selling high end houses."
"Ben, if you had a license I would jump on that offer. Do you have a license?" He asks.
God I have to get better at wording things. "I can get it online right?" I ask.
"Well sure. It's a 20 hour course, and then the state license exam is done online too now." He says.