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Chapter 11
Izzie
I take a long, satisfying sip of my rich, dark roast coffee, and take a seat at my desk.
“So, how extensive is the damage?” I ask Brandon, a technician at the exterminator’s office. “And how long has it been? I don’t know how it slipped.”
“It’s been two years, it looks like. The last routine inspection was called in by a woman, Mrs. Harriet Williams,” he answers.
“Yeah. Okay. That was my grandmother. I was such a mess after she passed, that this was the ball that dropped,” I explain.
“I’m sorry, miss. I know it’s hard being the one maintaining a home, especially an inherited house. You never quite know what you’re walking into,” he replies in an attempt to comfort me.
But I don’t know if there really is much comfort to be given. My home is inhospitable and hazardous to Liam, and I don’t know what we’re going to do.
“So, what’s the next step? What do I need to do to get it all right?” I ask him. I’m frantic and nearly in tears.
“Well, we need to fumigate the home, inside and out. Thus, you need to be out for a full week, so we can be certain we clear the infestation.”
With the phone in one ear, I start typing away at my computer, already searching for some solution.
AirBnB? Motel 6?
“Okay. That’s not so bad. So one week, and we can come back; and by then, we’ll be free and clear?” That’s absolutely something I can wrap my mind around. Honestly, I feel a relief that’s enough to make my shoulders finally relax.
“Well, not quite, Ms. Williams. You see, there’s a lot of underlying damage to the supports of the house. And this is just underneath. I have no idea how the inside of your walls look like right now. These little guys have been making themselves comfortable for a while,” he points out to me.
“Okay. So what does that mean? I’ve literally never dealt with something like this before. So please, leave no stone unturned here.”
“It means you’ll need to hire a contractor to rebuild the framework of your house. And I’ve got nothing to do with that, so I have no idea how long that could take.”
“I understand. Well, alright then. Um, thank you for your help, I appreciate the call,” I say politely and hang up my phone.
I take another indulgent mouthful of coffee, as if somehow it’ll absolve me of my current dilemma. As I swallow, I come to the awful reality, that it’s just not the case.
I close my eyes and think for just a moment. I need a plan for me and for Liam. The plan should include enabling me to get to work and to drop Liam off to school at a reasonable time.None of the ‘reputable’ motels seem to suit this plan.
I start scrolling AirBnB.Shit. There are no houses available for the next two months.
Okay. Think, Izzie. You can do this.
The door to my office slowly opens, presenting a sweaty, achy Brady Thomas in my doorway. He sees me in my frazzled state — my hair is a mess, my eyes are sunken in, and I’m so pale— that it looks like I’ve seen a ghost.
“Is everything okay?” he asks, his look immediately turning from curiousity to concern.
“Yeah. Besides the fact that my house could collapse at any moment, I’m freaking fantastic,” I snap.
I feel bad. I know I’m lashing out. But what’s he even going to really do about it?
“Oh, no. What happened to it?”
“Termites. Apparently, I never renewed the inspection agreement after my grandmother passed. Now, my son and I have nowhere to go. God, why?”
“Hey, calm down, Izzie. It’ll be okay.”
“That’s easy for you to say. Aren’t you, like, so rich that you can’t stand it? You can literally sign a lease somewhere tomorrow and be fine.”
“That’s true. I really can. But I don’t.”
