AllFreeNovel
Share Us
There’s no elevator in the five-story building, so we head up the stairs toward the third floor. Mrs. Winslow is there, waiting in an apartment filled with construction material.
“Good morning, boy,” she says, affectionate and appreciative as ever, hugging me and kissing me on the cheek.
“What the deal of the day, Mrs. Winslow,” I ask her, energetic.
“You all, please come in. Who do I think I am to make people wait at the door?” she lets go of me and signals us to get inside. “That contractor man said to wait for more materials as if we need anything else!”
She points to the pile of materials in the living room. It’s dry wall, miters, plaster and wallpaper, everything to rebuild the walls. “The tiles are missing, Mrs. Winslow.” I inform her, “All the carpet will go, and tile will replace it.”
“Oh, that’s nice. I hate this carpet!” Mrs. Winslow celebrates.
I place a hand on her shoulder and with my free hand point to Bella and Chris. “This is my sister Bella and her assistant, Chris. Maybe you already know Bella?”
“We talked before in the community center!” Bella says, and Mrs. Winslow nods in recognition.
“She is going to talk to you for a minute, while we wait for the materials to arrive. I’ll be back in a few. I’ll go outside and make some calls to confirm timelines.”
I bring the two women together, and Bella smiles, cozying up to her. Chris, in the meantime, just looks around, lost at what to do.
“Chris!” I startle him back to life. “Take pictures!”
He grabs his phone and starts to snap pictures right that moment and I am happy to see that he’s just photographing the inside of the apartment and he’s not getting photos of Mrs. Winslow.
Before I head out, I check in with Bella one last time. “Everything okay?”
She gives me a thumbs up and just continues talking to Mrs. Winslow.
I stroll back downstairs and outside to make some calls. When I hang up the phone, I make my way back to the apartment complex. There, I find Bella engaged in conversation with Mrs. Winslow on the steps, but there's no sign of Chris.
“Where’s the kid?” I ask Bella, annoyed.
“I told him to take some pictures from the rooftop. Mrs. Winslow has the key,” she says, squeezing the old woman with a free arm.
“He liked the idea, Mr. Winters!” Mrs. Winslow calms me down with her positive energy. “Poor boy, don’t know the first thing about his job!”
She makes both me and Bella laugh.
“Can I watch while you finish the interview?” I ask.
“Feel free, you’re already here!” Bella says, surprisingly light-hearted.
I watch the interview, and we wait, and the load of tiles arrives an hour later than expected. We call Chris back so he can take pictures of the truck unloading, and soon enough, everything is delivered.
“Mrs. Winslow, tomorrow I’ll have a crew here to begin the renovation. You and the kids will be going to the hotel today, alright?”
“Oh, Lord…” the woman places a hand on her chest. “Are you sure it’s not a bother?”
“He’s filthy rich, Mrs. Winslow!” Bella clings to my arm. “A few hotel nights are nothing for him!”
I smile awkwardly and gently remove her hands off me. “I already told you we don’t discuss money in public, Bella,” I say, doing my best to be polite.
“Um, then what’s the fun of having it?” she says, sulky.
She and Chris start heading downstairs while I bid my goodbyes to my elderly friend. I then head downstairs as well, finding both of my companions checking the pictures taken, leaning by my car.
“Nice pictures?” I ask, taking a peek over the phone, but unable to see a thing.
“Yes!” Bella says with cheer, “They look good.”
