Sarah, Sadie or maybe it was Suzie – I don’t remember – showed us house after house, none of which met my requirements. Yes, I may be one person with a kid that I will have occasionally, but that doesn’t mean I want a small house. I want two stories with a full basement and attached two-car garage with at least a half-acre of land. I didn’t think these requirements were too over-the-top, but apparently they were.
Now Noah and I sit outside this two-story house in the same neighborhood as my parents. I realized that this was exactly what I was looking for, so we drove though looking for a FOR SALE sign. We found one.
We're waiting for the agent to arrive so we can see the inside, but I know I already want it. I can imagine Noah climbing the giant oak trees that surround the property and can see him throwing the football around with his friends in the yard.
This new agent steps out of his car and waves at us. He’s short and pudgy with white hair. He looks like a marshmallow.
“Hi, I’m Liam Westbury and this is my son, Noah.”
“Nice to meet you, I’m Stu. Let’s go in shall we.”
We follow Stu up the brick steps. The porch is wide with white pillars in desperate need of a paint job. Stu opens the door allowing Noah and I to step in. Before us is the staircase, open on both sides so you can see into the dining room and living room. The living room has two large windows, one in front and one in back, two more on the side. The kitchen is new, with a nook and all new appliances, and windows facing the back yard. There is a nice sized bathroom just off the kitchen. The dining room faces the front yard with one large window and two that face the side yard.
We head upstairs to the four bedrooms. The master is large with a walk-in closet that leads to a bathroom with shower and Jacuzzi tub. One room is decorated as a nursery which I’d have to change. The other two rooms are the same size. All the rooms have ample natural light. There is one shared bathroom upstairs.
Stu is sitting at the table when we come down. “We’re just going to check out the basement,” I say as we pass him. He smiles and nods at us and goes back to his paperwork.
The basement is accessed through the kitchen. We stomp down the steps, testing their sturdiness. There is a laundry room and a very large space.
“What do you think, Dad? I’m thinking a man cave like Uncle Mason’s over there and your studio there,” he points to the wall on the left side of the room.
“Yeah? You know the studio is pretty big. I need a place to set up equipment.”
“I think it will be big enough. What do you think?”
I look at my son. He's beaming with excitement. “I like it. Do you think you’ll like living here?”
“Yeah, I do.”
I put my arm around him and pull him into a half hug. “Let’s go buy us a house.”
We climb back up the stairs. Stu raises his head when we enter. “We’ll take it,” Noah blurts out before I have a chance to say anything.
“Yeah, we’ll take it.”
Stu starts talking about financing and banks. I tell him this will be a cash sale and that I want to move in right away. He calls the homeowners and tells them the deal that is on the table. They accept right away and I agree to show up tomorrow to sign papers in his office.
Noah and I walk around the yard after Stu leaves. He climbs one of the trees and we race across the yard to see who's faster. I may have let him win, but I’ll never admit it. We leave the house when the sun starts to set and head to dinner.
Family dining at Deb’s is a Beaumont pastime unless you’re a Westbury. The first time I went there, I had just gotten my driver’s license. When my mom heard about it the next day she was horrified. We Westburys do not degrade ourselves with a place like Deb’s.
Whatever.
I love Deb’s. Noah and I grab a booth and order our celebratory dinner. He asks when I’ll be able to move some stuff in and I tell him that we’ll order furniture this week and everything else we’ll need. I still haven’t been able to come to a decision about leaving L.A. so until then I’ll be here for a week or so every month.
We’re half way through dinner and Noah drops a bomb. “Mom and Nick fight a lot.”
I set my napkin down, placing my arms on the table. “What do you mean? Does Nick hit her?”
“No, at least I’ve never seen him do anything like that, but I hear them at night arguing. He doesn’t think I should be able to spend more than a weekend with you at a time and he doesn’t want you buying a house here.”
I bring my hands up, resting my chin on them. Noah should not hear them argue about me. It’s not fair.
“Listen, buddy. This is a difficult situation for all of us and honestly really unexpected. You know when I came here for Mason’s funeral I never expected to find you. I was shocked, hurt and even angry. I didn’t know about you and to hear this boy tell me that he saw me kissing his mom on a DVD, I didn’t know what to think. So imagine what your mom thought when I showed up or when Nick heard you call me dad. There are a lot of high emotions right now and we're all trying to find the best way to deal with them.
“But don’t think that the three of us don’t love you. We do, very much. You're our number one priority. Just be patient with your mom and Nick. They’ll work out and things will be fine.” I’m not sure where all of that came from but I feel good saying it to Noah. He needs to understand that I’m the catalyst for these emotions between Nick and Josie. What I don’t understand is Nick. On Thanksgiving he promised to try and be cordial for Noah and Josie’s sake. I didn’t promise him anything.