The Previous Owners
Bernie and Alex came into my life at just the right time. An odd, funny, married couple, they were the previous owners of the tiny house Adam and Dave had finally managed to buy. We’d needed to meet up several times to get the money and paperwork in order (an almost endless task) and though they were about 20 years older than me, we hit it off right away.
Bernie was short and squat, with a bit of a squishy but animated face, while Alex was petite and shaped more like a rectangle. Both were always smiling. Once the sale of the house went through, I got in touch with Alex to see if she might be able to show me around some wholesale furniture and décor places. As it turned out, both she and her husband were excited to show me around and have some input on the look of their old home.
“It’s such a cute little place,” Alex chatted with me while we strolled through a warehouse stuffed to the brim with overstock items. “Funny as it is, squashed between those ugly take-away restaurants. But I always thought it had such potential. Like a little gingerbread home in the middle of the urban buildup. You know?”
I heartily agreed. “You’re so right. We all thought the same thing when we saw it – the guys are really hoping we can bring out that potential with just a few tweaks. It’s pretty important to Dave – this project is sort of a last-ditch effort to save his business.”
“We’ll do whatever we can, Melissa! Just to see the old place functioning like a real home for someone would be a treat.” Bernie stroked his stubbly beard, considering an oversized gray sofa.
“It’s too big, Bern.” He assented and we moved on.
“I really appreciate this, you guys,” I said with sincerity. “I didn’t fully realize how much stress I was taking on with this redesign. Not to mention the fact that I don’t even know the area or what constitutes a good price. Thanks so much for your help.”
Alex patted me on the shoulder. “We’re glad to have something to do, little miss! Early retirement wasn’t as exciting as we thought it would be.”
Bernie laughed. “She’s right. Most of our friends are either still working, or they’ve up and left to Tasmania or the Gold Coast. We like to travel too, but we’ve never wanted to leave Sydney for good. So, we’re bored.”
“Yes,” Alex added, pushing her purple cat’s-eye glasses up her nose, “we’ve developed a new hobby called bar hopping. It’s both expensive and a bit of a let-down.”
“Aww, poor you,” I said with my metaphorical tongue in my cheek.”
“Yeah, yeah. We’ve got a hard time of it; we know.”
Laughing, we all stopped in front of a display living room set filled with undersized furniture. My companions stepped up to individual pieces for a closer look while I frowned at the overall feel of the space. My main problem with the little house was just that – it was little. There was no way I could bring in a full couch, loveseat and accent chair combination and expect the place to look inhabitable. On the other hand, I worried that downscaled furniture such as this might make it look like a house for elves.
“What do you think, Melissa? It will all fit, that’s for sure.”
I nodded, eyes still taking in the modern collection of sofa, coffee table, entertainment unit and overstuffed chair. I knew I wouldn’t find another like it anywhere; usually scaled-down furniture was relegated to classical wooden pieces. That wasn’t where I wanted to go with my interior design scheme. “I think it might be coming home with me,” I answered.
“Good call,” Alex confirmed. “It’s just what the lounge needs to feel finished and comfortable.”
We browsed for another hour or so, picking up accent pieces like lamps, curtains and rugs, then checked out. A staff member helped haul the large furniture pieces into the back of Dave’s ute (borrowed for the afternoon) and then the three of us went out for an early dinner.
“I am exhausted!” Bernie proclaimed when we sat down and were served nice, cold drinks. “Nothing like shopping for your ex-prospective-home to work up an appetite.”
Alex soothed her husband while I sipped on a cold cranberry juice mixed with club soda. “Ahh. That’s better.”
We settled in a bit and started talking about things other than the house renovation, which is when I got a pleasant shock.
“So,” Alex said cautiously, eyes cast on her straw. “How do you fancy sharing a house with that Julie character?”