Marianne listed her must-have requests to her realtor, "It must have lots of old charm, be near the ocean so I can smell the sea air and the door must be yellow!" Her seasoned realtor smirked and replied, "Well, if it doesn't come with your prerequisite yellow, I'll paint it myself before you move in."
The realtor got to work, searching listings and reviewing locations, and after several hours, she had compiled a promising selection of houses for the two women to view that upcoming Saturday. First up was a fixer-upper cottage with a tiny offset dormer. Marianne gave it a chance as she walked through the musty rooms, but the realtor knew it was off the list when Marianne nick-named it "the one-eyed" house.
Two more homes were toured, one with a summery wrap-around porch but it seemed to have more old than charm. After a 15 minute drive, they toured another house with a magnificent, beautiful tree in the front yard, but there was so much coastal breeze that Marianne's baseball cap blew straight off her head and up into that very tree. "Well, if I ever want my cap back, I guess I'll have to buy this house," Marianne joked.
After a much-needed stop at the corner coffee shop, the women refueled with two lattes and sat at the window table chatting about how the day was going so far.
Marianne offered encouragement first, "The homes so far have been close to my hopes, but something with each has been a little off. But I feel like we are getting closer, don't you!?"
The realtor sipped her latte and nodded in agreement. "I have one more house to show you but I'm afraid it might be a bit of a wild card. It only offered one poor-quality aerial photo and it's about 30 minutes from here." She said with discouragement. "But the backyard faces a small cove, and from what I could see it has a small garden and beautiful mature trees scattered about."
Marianne smiled and said, "Let's give her a try!"
The two, now a little more perked up from the caffeine, got back into the car and began the drive. They both sat in comfortable silence; the realtor giving Marianne time to think and take mental note of the area. Marianne quietly enjoyed the drive. It was a slow two-lane road that meandered along the coast. They passed a country market with a mural on the side of the building, a gas station with two fellows chatting out front and a sewing and quilting shop that waved a colorful open flag that appeared handmade.
The blinker signaled left and the crunch of the tires on the gravel made Marianne sit up in her seat a little more. "This is it - just around this bend," said the realtor. "It's the only home on the lane - just far enough off the road so it's quiet but not remote."
Marianne took note of the half dozen apple trees on the right and a small picketed rose garden to the left. And there in front of them was her bright, cheerful yellow door.
[photo by me. story is fictional.]
I WANT to see this lovely house!!!
These sweet tales are like little confections for my days! I just love escaping to Maine...as a mental traveler for now...via your delightful storytelling. And the analogy for not settling for anything less than what truly speaks to our heart and soul is the cherry on top!