The Road to Redemption

by Stephen Morris

  The contrast between both families could not have been greater. John’s father was dressed in an old brown checked sports jacket, with dark brown pants, a green tie and tattered brown shoes. George, John and Peter had on smart business suits. In that way John certainly looked more like he belonged with Audry’s family, than with his own.

  John’s father tried to shake hands with George, but George just brushed him aside, saying,

  “Lets just get this over.

  Chapter 4 Moving Up

  John was becoming very successful and was really moving up. He was always on the lookout for a good buy in real estate, which usually involved a desperate seller or an old person, who didn’t know what their home was really worth.

  Although ambitious, John had some morals underneath it all. He did not take advantage of old people, even though opportunities came up from time to time. In one instance he had to advise an old woman, who could not manage any more and was about to go into a nursing home. Her husband had died some years earlier and she didn’t have any close relatives. She was slipping both physically and mentally, having lived by herself for the last 10 years. John felt sorry for her and made sure she got a good price at Auction.

  However, in another instance a home came up for sale, where the owner had bought a new home, before he had sold his old home. He was now in deep financial trouble. To end up like this, he had taken out bridging finance for the full value of his new home, plus he still had a mortgage on his old home. The market had turned, due to interest rate rises and he was unable to sell his old home. What was even worse was the “new home” was actually a period home, that needed renovating.

  John felt no sympathy for this guy. He had been greedy and disobeyed a golden rule of real estate; never buy before you have sold. John knew of only one customer who had got away with this. It was a Jewish guy, who had bought his new home before he sold his old one, but that was during a booming market. In 99% of cases safety is the best policy, and the rule is, always sell before you buy.

  John had the guy with bridging finance at his mercy and was able to buy the second home from him, at a very discounted price. The guy was forced to go back and live in his old home. John then set about renovating the home. Having been built in 1900 it was a federation home with a large veranda, intricate woodwork and decorative lead light windows. Inside it had high patterned ceilings with roses around the lights, timber archways and fireplaces in the lounge room and main bedroom. Over the years some features had been taken away and the beautiful kauri pine timber floors, had been covered with a tacky carpet.

  Audry had convinced her father to lend them money towards buying the house. Her father George had visited the house the day after they bought it. His first comment was,

  “Why did you buy an old dump like this? It doesn’t have an en-suite off the main bedroom and why would you need a fireplace in the bedroom? I thought you were a real estate agent and knew what you were doing.”

  John tried to explain to him that it was a character home and that was the style when it was built. He also tried to explain that there was a big market for this type of home when renovated. However George was having none of it.

  “These place should be pulled down. They are past their use by date,” criticised George.

  This made John’s blood boil. George had no respect for Australian heritage. He managed to keep his cool but countered with,

  “Every one to their own George, you will see what we can do with it.”

  “Demolish it,” said George. As usual getting the last word in.

  John did some immediate renovations to make the home more livable. These included taking up the carpet and having the floors polished and renovating the kitchen and bathroom in the traditional style. He and Audry then moved in to make it their first home with baby Claire. Having moved in they were able to keep renovating, including renewing some of the external woodwork and painting internally and externally. They used tradesmen for the more difficult work. John had lots of contacts with good tradesmen from his time as a property manager, when he had been responsible for repairs and maintenance on rental properties. For the painting, they carried out the work themselves.

  The home was starting to regain some of its original character. Next John got to work on the garden, which had been neglected for many years. His skills from the old days came in handy here, but unlike in the old days when he had felt he was working for peanuts, this time, he had a goal. He was increasing the value of his property, this time the profits would come to him when he eventually sold it.

  John and Audry lived in this federation home for five years and had their second child Sam here. Audry and the children were very happy to live here and even George became less critical when he saw the final fully renovated product, although he still had to get the last word in when they invited him over,

  “It still doesn’t have and en-suite and the dining room is too far away from the kitchen,” he quipped.

  John didn’t bother responding to this. He knew they had done a fine job on the house and had substantially increased its market value. What is more, the increase in value would be tax-free when they sold, as there is no capital gains tax on the family home, in Australia.

  However John was never satisfied and had to move on. In spite of Audry’s protests he sold the house. They got double what he paid for it, even after taking the cost of renovations out of the equation.

  This was how John had acquired the money to buy his present home. Of course this time the home had all the mod cons that George had criticised, as lacking in the federation home.

  Chapter 5 Alice and the Leaves

  Back to the present. John was in the kitchen of his lovely modern home, where he had just finished cutting the roast.

  “I’m just going to tidy up those leaves and return the rake to Alice.”

  “OK Hon, while you’re there could you ask Alice if she could bring a bowl for the salad tomorrow night? Don’t be long dinner will be ready shortly.”

  ”OK.”

  Audry enjoyed entertaining and had invited Alice and her husband Bill over for dinner along with her old friends, Elizabeth and Peter, who were now married. She had stayed friends with Elizabeth who was now part of the regular Thursday tennis group. Like Audry, Elizabeth had let herself go a bit after having three children and put on quite a lot of weight. Peter was from a wealthy family and had some sort of senior position in a bank. John found him very boring and had never really questioned him much, about what he did at the bank.

  On the other hand Alice was a totally different kettle of fish.

  She was into fitness and power walking. John would often toot to her when he was driving to work, as she power walked down the street, wearing her cap and training tights. He could certainly see where young Susie got her looks. Not only was Alice beautiful with ample firm breasts, but she wasn’t afraid to show her athletic body off to the full either, with the tight clothes she wore. I wonder what she will be wearing tomorrow night thought John?

  There was one other person of course, Alice’s husband Bill. He worked as Sales Manager for a sporting goods company. He was a nice fellow but had not managed to disguise his working class origins, like John had. As with many middle managers, Bill’s job required him to work long hours and undertake a lot of interstate trips, to keep an eye on the branches. At least he understood sales and could engage in some interesting conversation, thought John.

  After raking the leaves and putting them in the green recycling bin, John wandered across the road to take the rake back. Alice answered the door,

  “Hi,” said John, “Just come to return your rake. Where’s Bill?”

  “Still at work,” replied Alice with a rather resigned look on her face.

  “Yeah, well at his level they all have to put in the hours these days.”

  “Would you mind taking the rake round the back?” asked Alice “I’ll meet you at the shed.”

  John walked around the side of the house.
Like him Bill kept his garden in good order. But not quite as good as mine, thought John and also it’s not as big.

  Alice came out bare footed and met him at the shed. She had her dark hair tied back and like her daughter was wearing shorty shorts, frayed around her thighs, that showed off her well toned legs. She was wearing a loose blouse and obviously no bra. Even though she had no make-up on, she exuded an exotic sexuality. Yes this is the finished product, thought John. Susie will look like this soon.

  Why can’t Audry look like this? He had tried to get her to go power walking with Alice but she had only tried it once. Alice had been far too fit and left her way behind, so Audry didn’t want to do it again. She always claimed her tennis and housework was all she needed to do, but from what John could see it wasn’t working at all.

  John watched as Alice propped the rake against the side of the shed. From behind her he marveled at the same tight arse as Susie’s, although hers was fully rounded out as a mature woman. For a moment he wondered whom he fancied most. No, it was no contest, Susie might be a sexy little thing, but Alice was the full product.

  “Audry wants to know if you could bring your salad bowl over tomorrow night?”

  “OK, What time would you like us there?”

  As she said that Alice swung around still bending over giving him a full view of her ample firm breasts.

  “I’d say about 7:30, no need to bring anything other than the salad bowl.” His voice was quavering.

  She gave him a look as if to say I know what you’re thinking. It was the same look that Susie had given him when she had brushed against him. Like mother like daughter he thought.

  Alice and Bill had moved into the street about two years ago. There had always been a strong attraction between John and her. Although nothing had happened, he was sure that Audry had sensed this attraction between them. That's why she told me not to be long, he thought.

  “See you tomorrow night then,” Alice purred, as she placed her hand on his shoulder and gave him a very warm, lingering kiss on the cheek.

  He automatically put his arm out around her waist and could instantly feel her tight athletic body. He felt the lump again in his groin. He was definitely going to have to do something about this. Perhaps tomorrow night.

  Chapter 6 Saturday Night

  Right on 7:30 the doorbell rang.

  “I’ll get it,” said John.

  There right in front of him was Alice looking drop dead gorgeous, salad bowl in hand with Bill behind her. John was sure she must have seen his jaw drop. She had her long dark hair down, gently caressing her beautiful bare olive shoulders. Casting his eyes down he could see she was wearing a tight black, strapless mini dress that left little to the imagination. I’ll bet she hasn’t got anything on under that, he thought.

  “Come in,” he somehow managed to blurt out.

  Again, Alice gave him that warm kiss on the cheek as he put his arm around her. Yes I’m sure she’s got nothing on underneath. Her body was both firm and soft at the same time and it was all he could do to let go of her out of his arm. His groin started to harden again.

  “You can go home Bill,” he joked as they shook hands. “Just leave Alice here.”

  He was trying to keep things light, as it was obvious to anyone with half a brain how gorgeous Alice looked, but there was more than a grain of truth in this.

  Alice went to the kitchen to give Audry the salad bowl while John poured Bill a beer in the living room. From the kitchen he heard a sort of squeal. It was Audry telling Alice how beautiful she looked.

  He had just finished pouring the beer, when Alice floated back into the living room, looking like something out of a dream. John could see from a quick glance, that Bill was also admiring her, even though he lived with her and saw her every day.

  “ White Wine?” inquired John

  “That's fine,” replied Alice

  Next Audry came in looking a bit flustered and quite frumpy, even though she had on one of her best dresses. She was having a problem with the dinner and it would be a little late. John poured her a wine which she took and hurried back to the kitchen.

  “How are things at work Bill?” asked John casually making conversation.

  “Not so good, I’m going to have to go to Brisbane all next week and may have to let some people go.”

  “I know how it is,” said John. “Things are also quiet on the real estate front. I had to let two people go just last week.”

  In fact John didn’t really know how it was. Real estate is a tough business and people change agencies all the time. There is no such thing as a permanent job. In Bill’s case however, most of his employees had been with the company for more than five years. They had families and mortgages. It was going to be hard letting some of them go. One thing he was going to do however, was to do all the redundancies on one day, probably Thursday. There is nothing worse than putting staff off one at a time. This is extremely bad for staff morale, as in these situations; staff keep looking over their shoulders, wondering if they are next. Better to do it in one foul sweep, so everyone can get over it and get on with the job.

  Just then the doorbell rang. It was Elizabeth and Peter. The usual greetings were exchanged and they entered the lounge room.

  “Hi Bill,” said Elizabeth giving him a peck on the cheek.

  “Alice you look,” Elizabeth hesitated “Well,” she spluttered barely able to control the jealousy in her voice.

  “And how are you, John?” giving him the socially necessary, but cold peck on the cheek.

  Elizabeth, like Audry’s father, still looked on John as an upstart and not good enough for Audry. There was no love lost between her and John. They basically tolerated each other for Audry’s sake, but had never really sat down and had anything like a meaningful conversation. Still, Elizabeth had to admit that John had provided Audry with a nice home. In fact it was better than her’s and Peter’s, even if there were a couple of touches, like ornaments that didn’t quite match, that exposed John’s working class upbringing.

  “Audry in the kitchen?” Elizabeth asked.

  “Yep.” And with that Elizabeth toddled off to the kitchen, while John poured Peter a beer.

  Peter started to crap on about how wonderful his bank was. What a boring fart, thought John. His eyes kept glancing over at Alice who had positioned herself, leaning against the corner of the mantle piece, near the fireplace. He looked her up and down, while he pretended to listen to Peter ramble on. She had on matching black, high-heeled platform shoes with narrow straps across them. These showed off he beautifully toned legs and calves to the maximum. With one arm on the corner of the mantle piece, her dress moved even higher up her legs. Wow she was really something. She caught him looking a couple of times and just gave him the hint of a smile, then looked away.

  After a while Elizabeth and Audry joined them. Evidently the problem in the kitchen had been overcome. The talk went on and on with John still sneaking glances at Alice. He was sure Audry and even Bill, had caught him once or twice. Meantime Peter continued to bore the socks off everyone, totally oblivious to the other games that were being played out. Finally Audry asked everyone to be seated. Alice offered to help serve the dinner and went off to the kitchen with Audry as John compared their backsides as they left the room.

  The dinner went smoothly. John had to admit that Audry was a good cook and everyone complemented her on the meal. The wine also flowed smoothly, as John made sure that everyone's glass was never empty. As their tongues loosened with the wine, Bill and Peter got into an argument about the banks. Bill claimed that the Australian housing market was totally over priced and the banks had contributed to this, by lending people too much money at low interest rates.

  “With these low interest rates today people can borrow three times what they used to,” argued Bill.

  “This is what has pushed house prices up. As long as interest rates remain low they can afford their mortgages, but if interest rates ever rise, there will be
big trouble and people will be forced to sell their homes.”

  Bill of course claimed that,

  “We have one of the best regulated and best managed banking systems in the world. Our banks are all operating on sound lending principles and are doing everything right. We are the envy of the world.”

  The banking argument was becoming boring to everyone else at the table. Elizabeth turned towards Audry and started to talk about the upcoming Christmas function, they were planning for their tennis group. This left John and Alice looking at each other across the table.