"Well, we had better get up there. Armstrong is waiting," Jason said as he slowly pulled the van off the blacktop, onto the beautifully sculpted concrete driveway, which was formed in a herringbone brick pattern and then drove around to the front entrance of the building. He and Stephanie exited the van and walked around to retrieve Sammy from his car seat. Cindy and Jeremy already had the sliding door open and were standing on the reddish brown driveway staring up at the house. Both of them resembled first-time tourists in New York City gawking up into the air looking at skyscrapers.
Stephanie walked over still holding Sammy on her hip and in the crook of her right arm taking Jason's right hand in her left. Armstrong waved his arm in a somewhat theatrical semi-circular gesture indicating the property and said, "So what do you think so far?"
"I...I...I honestly don't know what to say..." Stephanie explained quite sincerely.
Jason interjected, "It makes one heck of a first impression."
"Truer words were never spoken," the lawyer agreed, "but to be perfectly honest with you, you haven't seen anything yet. If you think it looks amazing from the outside, just wait until you see the inside. It is quite spectacular."
"Oh my goodness," Stephanie said, suddenly overwhelmed. "I just can't believe...this is actually ours...it’s just so...so... beautiful." Then she began to cry. She didn't want to but simply could not stop herself.
"No cwy Mommy. No cwy," Sammy said gently brushing his mother's cheek fearing something might be wrong with her.
She smiled, let out a loving chuckle and kissed little Sammy on the top of his head. "Don't worry, baby boy. Mommy's fine. It’s just that I'm so very happy." Sammy understood happy. Sammy liked being happy. He never cried when he was happy, so he didn't really understand why his mommy was crying because she was happy. But he knew mommies were different from little boys. He could see by her smile she was all right and that was enough to make him happy.
"Well," the lawyer said to Stephanie and Jason, "time's a' wasting as they say. What say we take your lovely family inside and show them their new home?" He said this to make a specific point. He planned to continue deliberately making similar statements all during the tour to reinforce the idea the property was theirs and to make them feel comfortable with ownership. He needed them to move into the house as soon as possible because Washburn had ordered him to make sure that was exactly what they did. The last thing he wanted was to make Washburn angry. So, he had to do whatever he could to convince them to love the house and want to take up immediate residency. However, he had to be careful not to be too overt or pushy in his suggestions. Subliminal subtlety was what the ghost Washburn had determined was required and what the specter had demanded.
Armstrong understood the sooner they came to grips with the fact that the property was theirs, the sooner they would begin to form an emotional bond with it and it would truly become theirs and then, they in turn would become one with the property. Once that bond was solidified, it would be time for its eager spiritual inhabitants to do whatever it was they needed to do.
Armstrong walked to the front door, inserted the key and prepared to escort the family inside.
Chapter 10
Jason heard Stephanie's breath catch in her throat as soon as she walked through the door. Still holding her hand, he followed. The front door opened to a modest sized entry foyer at the base of a long wide set of stairs, leading up to the second floor. Based on his wife's initial reaction, Jason had at first expected some type of grand and luxurious two-story entry hall but then recalling the structure had been a refurbished early twentieth century farmhouse, such a feature would not have been possible without completely changing the interior structure of the building itself. However, once he stepped through the door he understood why Stephanie had been caught by surprise.
The woodwork of the stairway leading upward was immaculate, having been completely restored to its original beauty and luster. An expensive looking carpet runner was meticulously installed down the center of the stairway leaving the restored wood stair treads exposed on the sides. Likewise, the entryway had an equally luxurious carpet, surrounded on two sides by the refinished oak flooring. As Jason stepped inside and turned to look at his wife he noticed, how the carpet continued down a long elegant hallway to the right of the stairs.
Stephanie had turned to face Jason and her back was to a wide entryway to what appeared to be an enormous living room. Stephanie must have backed toward the room because it was obvious she had not yet looked inside. At a quick glance, looking past Stephanie, Jason realized the room was probably double its original size because of the two-story addition they had noticed from outside, which Washburn had put on the right side of the house. Back when the building was originally constructed it was likely only ten or twelve feet deep, but now it appeared to be at least twenty-five feet in depth and was awash with bright light from its many windows.
"Wow!" Jason said surprised. "Look at the size of that living room!"
Stephanie turned as the group headed toward the room with Jason passing her to lead the way, when suddenly they both stopped dead in their tracks. "What the hell?" Jason said in a confused and slightly angry tone.
"Oh oh!" Cindy said from behind them
"Dad said a swear word," Jeremy chuckled.
Little Sammy unfortunately mimicked Jason's surprised expression as he often did in such situations, "Wat a heaw, wat a heaw."
"Quiet now, baby boy," Stephanie said to the baby as she tried to divert his attention.
Jason was unable to offer his customary apology for his unplanned outburst, and since Stephanie also had just seen what had shocked Jason so, she was simply speechless. It was not just because of the size and splendor of the room, but because of what they both saw across the room hanging over the hearth of a huge stone fireplace.
"Hey look," Jeremy said. "It’s Mom and Dad in old peoples’ clothes." Cindy stood with her mouth agape staring speechless.
What hung on the wall before them was an oil painting of a man and a woman in early nineteenth century formal attire. The portrait appeared to have been created to commemorate the couple's wedding as the woman was dressed in a long white gown while the man wore a suit complete with a top hat. The woman looked very much like Stephanie, enough to pass for her sister, and the man had dark brown hair and wire frame glasses similar to Jason's. He sported a substantial mustache while Jason was clean-shaven. Nonetheless, he looked quite a lot like Jason, again close enough to be a sibling. The man held a walking stick or cane of some sort in his hands with what appeared to be an ivory handle sculpted in the shape of a wolf's head.
Stephanie continued to stare in astonishment. The eyes of both of the subjects in the portrait seemed to stare out directly at them. It was one of those situations where no matter where one stood in the room, the eyes seemed to follow. The illusion gave Stephanie the creeps. A strange feeling welled deep in the pit of her stomach and for a moment, she actually felt as if she might become faint. Fortunately, she had not recalled anything of the dreams, which had plagued her the previous night or she most certainly might have collapsed.
"Wh...who...who are...those people?" Stephanie asked with a trembling voice, never taking her eyes from the portrait.
The lawyer replied looking somewhat confused, "Why, Stephanie...those are your great grandparents, Dwight and Marie Livingston. I'm terribly sorry...I just assumed you might have seen pictures of them sometime before."
"No....no...I...I...haven't," Stephanie stammered. "I never even knew their names. Livingston? That was their last name?"
"Yes. Dwight Charles Livingston and Marie Louise O'Hara Livingston. This portrait was created in honor of their wedding day."
Jason asked appearing perplexed, "I can understand why the woman, Marie might bear a family resemblance to Stephanie since she is her great-grandmother, but why in the world does Dwight look so much like me? I mean, he looks enough like me to be my own great-grandfather...that makes no sense at all
."
"Could be purely coincidental," the lawyer suggested. "In fact, it probably is...that is, unless your ancestors also came from this area, Jason. Then anything might be possible. You see, when you start tracing back your family lineage, often strange things are discovered. For example, I have learned that I am related to the legendary chocolate manufacturer Milton Hershey seven different ways. Yet before researching my family tree, I had no idea we were even related."
"Are you suggesting Jason and I could be related?" Stephanie asked sounding quite upset. "I'm certain that isn't possible."
Armstrong realized he was beginning to upset Stephanie and said, "No, Stephanie, absolutely not. I am not suggesting any such thing. As I said, the similarity is likely just a coincidence." Then he said with an odd look in his eyes, "But even if you were to discover someday that the two of you were somehow distantly related it would have likely been so many generations in the past that it would be irrelevant by now."
"But we're not related... I'm sure of it," Stephanie insisted now becoming visibly upset.
Jason, being the engineer that he was began to analyze all of the facts and possible scenarios before him and asked, "But if we weren't somehow at least distantly related, why would this Dwight guy and I look so much alike?" Jason pointed at the man in the painting and looked as if he were starting to believe he might actually be a relative of the man in the photo, and thereby distantly related to Stephanie.
The attorney replied, "I wouldn't bother concerning myself with that if I were you two. As I said, it's probably just a coincidence. In fact, I will be more than happy to have that portrait taken down and replaced with something more decorative and more in line with your personal tastes. Just say the word. Maybe you could tuck it away in the attic until you get settled in and then decide later what you want to do with it." The attorney once again offered the subtle suggestion for the family to consider taking up residency on the property.
Attempting to draw their attention away from the living room and the upsetting painting, he directed them across the hall at the bottom of the stairway to an area of the house he knew was sure to win them over. "I have a great idea," Armstrong suggested. “Follow me over to that side of the property. I have something that will be sure to impress you both."
Jason turned and looked behind him, seeing a short hall leading off to the left of the staircase. It opened to what he perceived must have been the enclosed breezeway connecting the house to the large two-story garage. But even from his location, Jason could see it was not as much a breezeway as it was an incredibly spacious room of some sort. Pulling Stephanie by the hand, he led her away from the living room and its bothersome picture. Then with Jeremy and Cindy following behind them, they followed the lawyer into the substantial space.
What they saw was an unbelievable twenty-foot high peaked atrium-styled glass enclosed living area. The floor of the room appeared to be made of marble or granite and it was bright with afternoon sunshine but the smoked glass dulled the glare just enough to make it perfect. Still holding Sammy in her right arm, Stephanie nudged Jason forward further, deeper into the large and luxurious space.
It was something, the likes of which she could honestly say she had never seen before or for that matter, she had ever dared to imagine. The room was at least thirty or more feet wide and expanded outward about sixty feet to where it met the door to the garage. It was a masterpiece of modern, glass and metal design. Large trees, some of them exotic or tropical in appearance grew from enormous planters scattered about the room.
Several large rock and water features were visible, and Stephanie could hear the soothing sounds of water falling along the stones and could see several large koi splashing in ponds. Strategically placed track lights high above them, provided additional accents to the tops of the tall trees. There were several small modern-looking sofas and comfortable chairs as well as tables with lamps tastefully spread around the space as well. The purpose of the area was much more than simply a way to connect the main house to the garage; it was a veritable oasis, a place to relax and read or listen to music or just unwind.
"Holy cow! Look at the swimming pool!" Jeremy shouted from behind them.
Jason chuckled and corrected the boy, "No, Jeremy. It’s not a swimming pool; it’s an indoor fish pond."
"Not that, Dad. I know what a fish pond is," Jeremy said with frustration. "I mean out there." He pointed to an area outside the back of the atrium.
Stephanie and Jeremy turned and could indeed see a huge in-ground swimming pool adjacent to a spacious stone patio, surrounded by a decorative stone wall. Jason was certain he also saw what appeared to be a grand outdoor kitchen and grilling area. It was almost too much to imagine.
“I’ll show you that later on when we go out back. Like everything else on your property, I promise you it is quite impressive,” the lawyer said. "For now let’s go see what the garage and its second floor have to offer.”
As they approached an exquisite set of wooden doors leading to the garage Stephanie looked up and saw an expansive deck area jutting out into the space from the second floor. The doors to the garage were located in the shadows beneath the deck. Off to the right of the doors Stephanie could see a set of curved iron stairs leading up to the second floor. Armstrong noticed her admiring the stairs and said, “We’ll take a quick look in the garage first, and then we’ll come back through and head up to the loft.”
“The loft,” Stephanie repeated silently in her mind. That term matched perfectly with the original concept, which had popped into her mind outside in the driveway. She had imagined having a quiet place to do her writing and illustrations. "The loft," she mentally repeated yet again. It sounded so right to her. It sounded so perfect to her. She recalled various interpretations of artists’ lofts she had seen depicted in movies. "The loft," she thought once again. The sound of the words in her mind brought an even larger smile to her face.
“Yes, I think you will love it,” the lawyer interjected as if reading her thoughts. “It has its own bathroom and kitchen as well. You’ll see shortly.”
Before they could become sidetracked by the mysteries awaiting them on the second floor of the garage, Armstrong opened one of the garage entry doors and reached in to flip on a light switch. The area beyond the doorway was immediately flooded with bright halogen lights, recessed in the ceiling. The space was immaculate. The floor of the garage was made of some type of Epoxy-based membrane material like the types of floors Jason had seen used in high-end NASCAR racing garages. It was mostly white but was sprinkled with silver, blue and dark gray specks.
Not only was the garage equipped with four bays and four automatic garage door openers, but also it appeared to be about one and a half times the depth of a traditional garage. The floor of each bay tapered ever so slightly downward on all four sides and at the intersection of the slopes in the middle, Jason could see four separate drains. He imagined how this would be perfect for washing his cars inside, regardless of weather conditions.
As if reading Jason's thoughts, Armstrong said, "The garage is heated and completed insulated. So between that and those four floor drains, you will be able to wash your cars inside, all year round."
The back wall of the garage was lined with a stainless steel workbench and a full selection of both wall and floor-mounted black and silver cabinets with a diamond plate pattern on the fronts of the doors. Jason loved to tinker and work on cars but could scarcely afford even the cheapest of the no-name brand tools or tool chests he considered buying. It had always been his dream to someday be able to afford real top-quality tools and to have a shop of his own.
Once again, as if reading Jason's mind, the lawyer explained, "Those drawers and cabinets along the back of the garage are stocked full with virtually every top-of-the-line mechanic's tool you can imagine, in both English and metric varieties."
At the far end of the garage by the last bay, Jason noticed the room made a sharp right turn. Armstrong led the procession
to the far end of the garage and as they turned Jason's breath caught in his throat when he saw something he had never expected. Behind the fourth bay of the garage was a complete woodworking shop with walls of hand tools, cabinets and virtually every power tool he could have imagined, including a floor mounted drill press, table saw, radial arm saw, lathe, router, everything. And in the center was a large custom made thick oak workbench complete with old-style woodworking vises. Looking up at the ceiling, he saw a built-in exhaust system for collecting sawdust as well as an overhead crane and mechanical hoist. He immediately knew this shop was not only his dream woodworking shop, but it went far beyond his wildest imaginings.
"There is an intercom system for communicating with the loft upstairs as well as the main house," the lawyer said pointing toward an area along the right wall. "In addition there is a telephone for making outside calls in case you don't want to bring your cell phone out to the shop when you work."
He reached into a space along the wall at the back of the garage from which the woodworking shop extended and pulled out a hidden pocket style door. "You can close these interconnected doors which all travel on that track in the ceiling, to separate the shop from the garage if you want to keep the dust from getting on your cars as well. This area back here is designated for woodworking, while the tool cabinets and workbenches out in the main garage area are designed for doing work on you cars; that is, if you like to tinker."
"Oh boy! Do I ever!" Jason said, genuinely flabbergasted. "This is beyond amazing. This shop has everything!"
The lawyer replied, "By the way, there is a door on the back right side of the woodworking shop which leads to an enclosed entryway. From there you can either go straight out to the back yard or you can turn right and take a set of back stairs up to the loft. Oh yes, I forgot to mention: all of the larger power tools are on wheels for easy mobility. And one more thing, if you didn't notice, the back of the woodworking shop is equipped with its own automatic garage door in the event you want to open it to enjoy the air on a pleasant day or if you need to get a larger project out of the shop and don't want to bring it out through the main garage.
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