American man, a very tiny one, waved at me.
“Only one person? Really? But those desks looked pretty big.”
“Exactly,” Hai said excitedly. He started to explain how it would all work. His English was not very good, and I think he was talking about thrust versus resistance, or maybe he was reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in Korean or Vietnamese, but then Sam and Alisa came out of the house and Sam called out that they were all going up to the second floor.
I never did find out the name of the third young man. I don’t think he actually spoke a word all morning. He helped Hai take out a series of slender planks made of a stiff blackmaterial, and Sam asked me very politely to stay out of their way for a while. So I called for Boone and took a long, leisurely walk around the complex. I stopped and chatted with the golf pro, and set up an appointment for a lesson the next week. I also found out that the pool would be open in less than two weeks, and that there was a block-long garage sale planned for the first week in July. I had so much to look forward to.
When I returned home, all the furniture was up on the second floor. Hai was looking smug. I helped walk up a few boxes, but they really didn’t have too much: the bed and dresser in one room, the desks and their computers and printers in the smaller room. The furniture Jeff had loved so much looked very nice in the loft. The fake palm trees screened the area, and Alisa was filling a bookcase with books when I came upstairs.
“Everything looks great,” I said.
She smiled. “Yes. And thank you again, Kate. This is so much nicer than our apartment, and I promise we won’t be in the way.”
I waved it off. “No worries. You guys can hang out up here, I’ll be downstairs, we’ll meet at mealtimes, and everything will be fine.”
“Yes. I think so, too.” She glanced at Sam, who was coming out of the bedroom. “Right, honey?”
Sam frowned. “Right what? What did I do now?”
“Nothing, sweetie,” I said. “We were just saying how we should all get along fine.”
“Sure.”
“And we need to talk to your mom about rent.”
Sam looked at her. I looked at her. We both said, at the same time, “Rent?”
Alisa nodded. “Of course. We’re two adults, Sam, and we need to be paying our way.”
“But she’s my mom.”
“Yes. But she is also a person in her own right who should not be taken advantage of.”
“But,” Sam argued, “this place is paid for. It’s not like she needs to pay a mortgage or anything.”
“That’s not a reason, Sam. There are still expenses. If nothing else, I know how much you eat, and that’s worth several hundred dollars a month alone,” Alisa said.
I hadn’t thought about charging them rent, because I am a total pushover when it comes to my kids, but the girl was making a lot of sense.
“I don’t know, Sam,” I broke in. “Alisa is right. You were willing to pay almost two thousand dollars a month for a shoe box. And feeding you has always been a very expensive proposition. I’m not working right now, so I don’t see why I shouldn’t charge you a little something.”
Sam looked stricken. “Mom?”
“What? It’s not unreasonable. In fact, I read somewhere that it’s a good idea to charge rent when children return home. If you are my tenant instead of just my son, then I’m less likely to treat you like a fifteen-year-old with a bunch of rules and restrictions. Like when you need to turn the computer off, or how loud you can play your music.”
Sam’s eyes narrowed. Those had been two of the many running battles of his high school years. “That makes sense,” he said slowly.
“Of course it does,” said Alisa. “I think two thousand a month is good.”
“What!” Sam yelped.
She stared at him, and he visibly wilted. “Sam, I’ve been online and I know what it would cost to rent an apartment down the street. We essentially have a two-bedroom with a garage and private balcony with easy
“Only one person? Really? But those desks looked pretty big.”
“Exactly,” Hai said excitedly. He started to explain how it would all work. His English was not very good, and I think he was talking about thrust versus resistance, or maybe he was reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in Korean or Vietnamese, but then Sam and Alisa came out of the house and Sam called out that they were all going up to the second floor.
I never did find out the name of the third young man. I don’t think he actually spoke a word all morning. He helped Hai take out a series of slender planks made of a stiff blackmaterial, and Sam asked me very politely to stay out of their way for a while. So I called for Boone and took a long, leisurely walk around the complex. I stopped and chatted with the golf pro, and set up an appointment for a lesson the next week. I also found out that the pool would be open in less than two weeks, and that there was a block-long garage sale planned for the first week in July. I had so much to look forward to.
When I returned home, all the furniture was up on the second floor. Hai was looking smug. I helped walk up a few boxes, but they really didn’t have too much: the bed and dresser in one room, the desks and their computers and printers in the smaller room. The furniture Jeff had loved so much looked very nice in the loft. The fake palm trees screened the area, and Alisa was filling a bookcase with books when I came upstairs.
“Everything looks great,” I said.
She smiled. “Yes. And thank you again, Kate. This is so much nicer than our apartment, and I promise we won’t be in the way.”
I waved it off. “No worries. You guys can hang out up here, I’ll be downstairs, we’ll meet at mealtimes, and everything will be fine.”
“Yes. I think so, too.” She glanced at Sam, who was coming out of the bedroom. “Right, honey?”
Sam frowned. “Right what? What did I do now?”
“Nothing, sweetie,” I said. “We were just saying how we should all get along fine.”
“Sure.”
“And we need to talk to your mom about rent.”
Sam looked at her. I looked at her. We both said, at the same time, “Rent?”
Alisa nodded. “Of course. We’re two adults, Sam, and we need to be paying our way.”
“But she’s my mom.”
“Yes. But she is also a person in her own right who should not be taken advantage of.”
“But,” Sam argued, “this place is paid for. It’s not like she needs to pay a mortgage or anything.”
“That’s not a reason, Sam. There are still expenses. If nothing else, I know how much you eat, and that’s worth several hundred dollars a month alone,” Alisa said.
I hadn’t thought about charging them rent, because I am a total pushover when it comes to my kids, but the girl was making a lot of sense.
“I don’t know, Sam,” I broke in. “Alisa is right. You were willing to pay almost two thousand dollars a month for a shoe box. And feeding you has always been a very expensive proposition. I’m not working right now, so I don’t see why I shouldn’t charge you a little something.”
Sam looked stricken. “Mom?”
“What? It’s not unreasonable. In fact, I read somewhere that it’s a good idea to charge rent when children return home. If you are my tenant instead of just my son, then I’m less likely to treat you like a fifteen-year-old with a bunch of rules and restrictions. Like when you need to turn the computer off, or how loud you can play your music.”
Sam’s eyes narrowed. Those had been two of the many running battles of his high school years. “That makes sense,” he said slowly.
“Of course it does,” said Alisa. “I think two thousand a month is good.”
“What!” Sam yelped.
She stared at him, and he visibly wilted. “Sam, I’ve been online and I know what it would cost to rent an apartment down the street. We essentially have a two-bedroom with a garage and private balcony with easy
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