May 22, 2009

2:24 p.m.

News Flash

In a disarming turn of events, Son's agent called Angela today and said some other people had seen the house last night and put in a contract!! And, though we were supposed to receive the signed contract from Son today by overnight mail, he hasn't signed it yet. Now he has two offers.

We aren't allowed to know how much the other one was for, but the agent said it was "also a good offer."

Angela asked her, in respect to her buyer (me), to please let us know if he decides to go with the other offer, so that her client (me) has time to consider making another, "highest and best" offer.

I don't know where any more money would come from, and I don't know how we'd pay off a higher mortgage payment. Honestly. We're scraping the bottom and so are Rose and Marc, to help us get this started.

Hmm.

So we sit tight until Sunday. I'd started packing a few things in the living room, but it's nothing I need to get at anyway. Those boxes can sit forever unless I have a sudden need to watch one of my favorite DVDs.

I'm surprisingly calm. I think, "We might not get the house," and I can feel relief that we aren't indenturing ourselves for life yet. All that stress falls away. My life and my money are my own again.

I think, "We might still get the house," and I see my future unfolding with my family nearby, all those dreams coming true, the potential and the peace... (and all the work...)

Mainly I'm taking it a bit personally that these upstart yahoos are trying to outbid me. That's what stings the most, oddly.

Meanwhile I'd sent an email to MacDowell this morning cancelling my residency. I'd need to work straight through if we were paying for the house. Even if not, it behooves me to keep making money. I still have debts to pay off.

Marc said that if he takes the other contract and we can't raise our offer, he's damn well going to make it very hard for Son to sell at all. There's still that phone call to the EPA.

More news as it breaks.