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The area is familiar to me, so I drive circles through my old neighborhood. I’m careful to avoid my old house for a bit and sit at a stop sign a few streets over. I need to see the house one more time. That is the whole reason I drove up here.
I look out the window. It's midday. If I come back at night, maybe I can get the glance I want and not get caught by the remodelers. Nobody works at night, so the house will be empty. This way, I won't be disturbing the new owner, and I'll be free to take my time.
I drive away, having made my decision. I have a lot of time to kill and haven't eaten since breakfast, so I pull over at a restaurant and decide to get some lunch. That is one way to kill some time.
Sitting in a corner booth of the restaurant by myself, I look out the window. It does feel kind of good to be back in my hometown. College is kind of overwhelming, so it's comforting to be in familiar surroundings again. I can feel some stress come off my shoulders, but it would be even better if the divorce wasn’t happening.
I glance at my phone. Only a few minutes have passed. I know I'm going to be anxious until tonight. I'm kind of excited about sneaking in, though, even if it is my old house. It's so daring, but I need to do it. My heart won't feel right until I do.
Chapter Two - Isaac
My favorite bar in downtown Manhattan is crowded and noisy. That's understandable because it’s the start of spring break. All the students from the local universities are out to have a good time.
“Hey, I bought us some more drinks,” my friend Ken says, taking his seat next to me. He places two more beers on the bar.
“Thanks, man,” I say, grabbing mine. We each take a sip and look around as a crowd of college kids surges through the door.
“Remember when we were that age?” Ken asks, jokingly.
I laugh. “You do realize that you're older than me, right?” I tease him. He laughs into his beer.
Despite being ten years older, Ken and I both went to Columbia together. However, the age difference didn’t stop us from becoming good friends or from partying every weekend.
“Of course, I remember. Two guys having fun,” I reply, raising my beer in a toast.
Ken clinks his glass against mine. “Yup. Remember when the weather was so nice? We would cut class and take our bikes for a ride?”
We both had motorcycles back in the day. Those things were a hell of a lot of fun, plus they were chick magnets. “Yeah, those were the days,” I reply.
We lapse into silence and sip our beers. Ken sadly stares at the TV above the bar.
It's good to be back here and catch up with my friend. We were inseparable in college, then got busy with life. He got married, and I started a business. Ten years later, things are changing again. I sold my company for a few billion, and Ken is single again. He’s in the middle of a divorce right now, and things are kind of tough for him. So I'm glad to be here when he needs me.
Despite the years apart, our friendship seems as strong as ever. We would usually get together about every five years to swap stories or take the bikes out for a ride. However, it has been way too long since our last get-together.
Plus, there is a more significant reason that I’m in town. I bought Ken's house on Staten Island. He has to sell it due to his divorce, so I offered to buy it to help him get through this tough time. I’ve always wanted to start flipping houses, so this seemed like a good time to begin.
I take another sip of beer then look at Ken. “So tomorrow I'm going to start on the demolition. I think it'll be a good idea to fix the house up before putting it out on the market,” I explain.
He turns to look at me, frowns, then shakes his head. “Do what you want with the place. By the way, I never did thank you for taking it off my hands. I'm so glad to be rid of it. It's nothing but a painful reminder of those years of my life,” he admits sadly.
“Hey, no need to thank me,” I reply, patting him on the shoulder.
He grumbles and sits up straight. “Yeah, I do. That place just depresses me and reminds me of all that I have lost,” Ken answers. There is a pause of silence on his part.
I clear my throat. “Hey, maybe after all the work is done, we can get together and take the bikes for a ride?” I ask, trying to cheer my friend up.
