216/365 For Sale

The house across from me is coming soon.

Bruce said he wanted to price it kind of low so that it would sell. He has no illusions, he told me.

His reclusive tenant has moved out. He's over there most days doing little odd jobs to get it ready to be on the market for real. He's thinking after spring break, whichever spring break he means by that.

So I stood there on the melting street last week, holding a sleeping baby, getting ready to cross the street and go inside, what he was thinking about maybe listing it for.

He said a number. He said a large number. He said a number, well, let me put it this way. He said a number more than 5 times the number of dollars I paid for my house. Granted, that was 13 years ago and things have changed, but he said a number that made my teeth start to loosen in their sockets. A big number.

"Everything in this house is new," he defends after I simply nod at him silently. We chat a moment about the newness, all the time I'm thinking about that number. So much for pricing it low to sell fast, to sell to someone, well, not from California. You know?

I go inside. This past week I'm sitting on Zelda's stoop and repeat that number. "Great if he can get it," Jen says, in the same way one might intone "smoke 'em if you got 'em." But Valerie sees the ridiculousness like Zelda and I do. "Carter can't wait to get inside that house and see what's happened."

We then do a critique, all of us, standing there glancing over. Things we know about the back yard. Things we assume about the interior. The front porch. Of course, I have NO ROOM TO TALK, but on the other hand I'm not trying to sell my house for an insanely large number. None of us was shocked he was trying sell. It was the number involved.

Mason comes over with his kids. He doesn't say a word, like always. Just stands there a moment. I explain about Bruce and the house and the large number.

"Great," he says. "If he can get it, great."

Which of course is true. "He does say they've gotten a lot of phone calls about the coming soon sign," I admit.

"Yeah, but that's for the neighborhood," Roxanne points out. She and Vince just moved in across the street (and were broken into before they finished unpacking, but that's old news).

We all glance over at the house, each thinking, probably, what number would be fair. And then Bruce and Lorraine pull up, presumably to do work in the house.

"Heard you talking," Zelda smiles at me.

"Yeah," I trail off.