Nick…

I have showed Sage every part of the farm and explained to her which crops need to be planted now to make money this year. I don’t believe she can have this farm in working order to make much money this year, but I am hoping with my help that she won’t lose much of her savings. It may be early spring, but it’s time to have seedlings growing now.

Haddie and Sage have been getting things set up in the kitchen so Sage and I can start our dickering on the price as well as going over my special stipulations before I will sell. I also need to go over the equipment repairs she needs and the repairs on the barns and the hothouse out back that Christine was always tinkering around in. It started out as a small place for her to just grow herbs, but it grew and the last years Christine worked in there she had fresh tomatoes all year long along with strawberries and her beloved herbs. My woman knew all the secrets of stretching a dollar, but we never went without. Christine was one of a kind. I loved her more every day and giving up our home is one of the hardest things I have ever done. I’m still not sure I can sign those papers; I guess only time will tell. The memories of this place always take their toll so I sit my tired body down. This house was built with love and it has burst at the seams with it but without my family here with me it has become a sad reminder of everything I have loved and lost. It’s time to let someone else fill this house with love again. I think Sage is the perfect fit or I hope she is.

“Nick.” I hear from the kitchen. That Haddie is something else. She’s already found her next child in Sage. I told her to not get attached and that Sage may end up taking the next bus out of town but Haddie has a heart big enough to love all lost souls of this world. I can’t say I haven’t grown attached to Sage. She has something broken in her and that brings out the protective dad side of me. I hope I’m not a blind old fool just seeing what I want to see. “Nick, it’s time to eat. Come on in here, I need to get back to town, so Rita can go home, and Sage is growing crazy with worry waiting on your answer. Put the girl out of her misery already and make your decision.” That’s Haddie—straight to the point. I don’t think that Haddie has ever been indecisive about anything. She’s always followed her heart and her heart always knows the right decisions to make. I admire that and I more than admire Haddie. She has become my best friend over the last few years and if I wasn’t so set in my ways and still devoted to Christine’s memory then I would take it further but we both have ghosts that holds us back—things will stay the way they are. I get up from the chair and make my way to Haddie.

“Alright woman let’s eat.” Haddie turns and leads the way to the kitchen where Sage is sitting and waiting. I see the table is set so we can eat our lunch. Her face looks a little pale and I know I have put this off as long as I can.

“Relax Sage, I’ve decided to start negotiating.” I wait for Haddie to sit down and then I do the same. I look at the sandwich in front of me, but I know no eating will be done until this conversation is over. “I told you before that the price is not the only terms that we need to go over, so I’m going to go over that part first.” I see Sage has sat up in her chair and she is waiting for me to proceed. “I showed you all the major areas of this farm today, the ones I want to discuss with you right now are the hothouse, the orchard, and the family cemetery. I know you said that you are laying down roots here and that you’re not going to resell this property. Since you told me of your dream with your dad; I believe you. The thing is, the terms I am thinking on has more to do with respect of my family that have passed.”

“I understand the aspect of family respect and it’s something that I hold close to my heart. That’s the importance of this farm to me. I want to not only fulfill my dreams but to see through what Dad always said he wanted us to do together.” I see the sincerity in Sage’s eyes and the conviction in her voice.

“Let me tell you what will get my John Henry on the deal then.” Sage goes quiet again. “I want to be buried in that cemetery with my family and since my family is mostly gone now, I need the cemetery to be kept up. This would need to be put into a contract along with my other conditions. That means if you decide to sell later—you will need to make the terms known to the buyer and the terms be agreed upon with the new buyer—no matter how many times the land is sold. I know the land will be yours but for me to sell to you then I also want access to the grave sites and access for any remaining relatives in my family. We have generations of family out there. I agreed upon this when I bought the property out right from my family and this is non-negotiable. I will reduce my original price that I had in my head for any inconvenience this may cause you.”

“Nick it would be an honor to take care of your family’s resting place. I know the importance of people that love you and I know the love doesn’t end just because they die. I love my dad as much today as I did when he was alive. I don’t want you to reduce your price. I have a request of my own on this subject.” Sage is wise beyond her years and I think she will keep her word to me on this.

“Tell me what it is girl.” Sage looks at me and I can see she’s afraid I will deny what she’s going to ask.

“I would like to pay you the entire price or the price we agree upon but that part of the land where the cemetery is located—with an easement to go through the other property to get there—stays in your name until your death and then it’s deeded to me. I promise I will not let you down.” I see the tears in Sage’s eyes. “I would also like to put a family cemetery of my own adjacent to your family’s, so I can have my dad’s body put there. I want to carry on your family’s tradition of family being together even in death.” I don’t know what to say to that. It’s the most heartwarming thing I have heard since my Christine left this earth. I look at Sage closely and I know this is the right thing to do.

“Sage, you know moving your dad will be a big expense to take on but with the plans you have told me about, I have no doubt you will achieve it if you put your mind to it. I love the idea of still being able to come and go when I want as long as I can.” I see the minute Sage comes up with another idea.

“In fact, if you don’t mind, I would love to build a small cabin down there for when you want to feel closer to your family and stay a little longer. I know some people wouldn’t be comfortable with a cabin so close to a cemetery, but I don’t think you’re superstitious at all. I would put it by the grove of trees and it wouldn’t be very big; I think a one-bedroom with a small kitchen or however big you would like. You could also go fishing at the pond while you’re here if you wanted.” I consider what Sage has said but I doubt this woman knows the money it would take to make this happen. I am not saying the idea doesn’t have its appeal though.

“You haven’t heard my other terms yet. You may change your mind.” I see the smile cross Sage’s face.

“Then tell me. It won’t change my mind and let me worry about all the costs. The way I look at it, anything I do to this property is an investment in its future. Added buildings brings up the value of the property, not to say I would ever part with the farm—because I won’t—but it will bring the value up anyway in case I ever need to use part of the property as collateral for a loan. I’m not saying I will, but it’s still an option.” Sage has given this a lot of thought. She has a smarter business plan than I gave her credit for.

“I think you will need to pay off the original mortgage before you think of another loan.” I smile at her. “The other two things I am requesting are that the orchard remain intact and that the original hothouse not be torn down. I know this is a selfish request, but Christine planted every one of those fruit trees and the hothouse was her favorite place to be on the entire farm. The orchard was where our daughter was conceived and the hothouse was Christine’s getaway.” I see Haddie raise her eyebrow and she wants to laugh. Haddie knows that our oldest son was conceived in my old truck and our youngest in the loft in the barn. We may not have had a bunch of money to spend on romantic evenings out, but we made do and created great memories right here. Haddie and Christine were best friends and they shared everything over the years.

“The orchard is a beautiful place and I wouldn’t change a thing about it except adding more trees. The hothouse will only need a few modifications to it, but I have plans to build a bigger one a little further away from the house. I want that one for strawberries and organic herbs. I also would like to grow a few medicinal plants in there. I am not a fan of doctor appointments, so I like to grow my medicinal plants and go the natural way to treating myself.” I have a few reservations to that.

“Are you talking about growing marijuana in Christine’s hothouse?” I raise my voice a little without meaning to.

“Of course not Nick, that’s illegal. I grow things like ginseng, lavender, and peppermint. They are so I can take a more natural way to healing. The Native Americans had a very different way of healing their people and I think it’s a much more natural process. I don’t like putting drugs in my body that may help me get rid of my illness but also hurts my body in other ways. I have done a lot of research on the herbs, flowers, roots, and even some vegetables but it’s all perfectly legal, and I make sure it’s safe before I try it., I would consider growing marijuana if it was legal in this state for its medicinal purposes.” Sage makes sense. I don’t like giving my money to a pharmacy either for the drugs I take daily just to live. I know my cost is lower than a lot of my friends, but it’s only a matter of time before it will cost more—I don’t pay much attention to the healthier choices. At my age who cares? I can hear Christine yelling at me now for that thought.

“It’s not my place to judge but I want Christine’s special place to be special to someone else and I think your plans sound solid. I just hope you know everything you have said is going to cost money, a strong will, and determination. I just hope you can see it through. I think we have covered all the things I had issues with except the bottom line, the price. Are you ready for that?” I look from Sage to Haddie who has been sitting there quietly.

“I want you to give me the price you would charge anyone else. Your stipulations that you requested are not an issue to me so just give me the number.” Sage is all business now.

“I think she’s ready for it so put her out of her misery,” Haddie adds.

“I want eight hundred and fifty thousand dollars. I know your down payment will be sizable at that price, but it’s below the fair market value.” I wait for Sage to try and talk me down on my price, but she just smiles. She gets out of her chair and walks around to me and puts her hand out to me to shake. I take her hand and shake it gently.

“Deal.” I am stunned.

“What? Just like that, no dickering?” I don’t think I have ever done a deal so fast. We didn’t even raise our voices. Sage is excited and bends down and gives me a quick hug and a soft kiss on my cheek. I feel my cheeks heat up.

“Look there, you can still blush Nick. How long has it been since that has happened?” Haddie is adding to my embarrassment at the show of innocent affection. She likes to make fun at my expense.

“Hush woman,” I tell Haddie, but my eyes are back on Sage. “Don’t you need to talk to your bank?”

“No, this will be an all-cash purchase. Do you have a problem with a fast closing? I will need to have my attorney involved so what we talked about—the cabin and cemetery, the orchard, and the hothouse—can be put in the paperwork and Nick I know you gave me a below market price. This place is valued at one point two million dollars and my attorney is already on the title search—not that I don’t trust you—but he said it was necessary since it had been passed down through family.” I don’t know who is more shocked, Haddie or myself.

“Let me get this straight, you rode into town on a bus looking like a starving runaway, but you have cash to buy this place? What other surprises do you have Sage?” I don’t know what to think.

“Lordy, Sage. You are the most interesting person that has been in Comfort in a long time. You are a secret keeper though. I was ready to adopt you myself to give you a place to settle. You and I are going to need to sit and talk this week.” Haddie is going to drill this girl with so many questions.

“I’m sorry for worrying the both of you and I never meant to deceive you. I told you that I had enough money to stay at the bed-and-breakfast. In a few months all my history will be in the open, but I will sit you both down and tell you everything before that happens. When I turn twenty-one there will nothing for me to hide from anymore. I just want to get this deal on my farm done, but I promise that when it is a done deal, I will stop hiding from the two of you. The night I move in here, I will cook dinner and tell you every secret I have ever had and answer any questions that you have to ask me.” I guess Haddie and I will just need to exercise our patience. Sage goes back to her side of the table and sits down and waits for me to say something.

“I guess we need to eat and get Haddie back to town. It sounds like you are going to have a busy week.” That makes Sage and Haddie both laugh, and Sage picks up her sandwich and takes a bite. She chews it and then she swallows.

“If you want another attorney to represent you, I will pay for it and I’m also paying any cost of title transfer with the taxes included. It’s a good idea to always have representation when it pertains to legal matters.” I laugh a full belly laugh. Sage is looking out for my best interest even though her fancy smancy lawyer could pull a fast one over on me.

“I have an attorney for my part of the sale. How much time are you talking about for a short sale? It will take me a while to find someplace to store the furniture. I’ve already taken a few of the family mementos to the house in town but I don’t know what to do with the rest of the things here except put them in storage. Before I can do that, I need to go through it all.” This is the part I have been putting off. It should have been done a long time ago. I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.

“If you’re not going to keep the extra family things then you could take it to town and have one of those big estate sales,” Haddie suggests. That’s not something I could do, putting a price on memories. “If that isn’t something you want then maybe donate it to the church for their annual sale. The money goes towards buying essentials for children taken into foster care.” I think about it for a second.

“This house has five bedrooms; we could move your family possessions in one of them and if you want to sell the furniture, I will buy it. I like the way the house feels now. The furniture is made of solid wood and I love it. I mean if you want to sell it. This way you could take your time going through everything else or we could move it to the attic. I don’t want you to feel rushed but as soon as the paperwork is signed, I would like to move in.” Sage looks like she wants to say something else but I’m not sure. “I would also like to keep one of the rooms upstairs for you or Haddie if either of you want to come out and stay a night or two to visit. I mean after living in the country for so many years don’t you miss it occasionally and Haddie living in the same place that you work must get old sometimes. This can be a getaway for both of you. I mean if you want it to be. Nick it will take a little while to get your cabin built. We can talk about it later, just know the door is always open for a friend.” Sage acts like Haddie or I would say no. In the little time I have known Sage and the more I learn about her past makes me want to protect her. It’s as if she has healed a part of my heart.

“That is the best offer I have had in a month of Sundays. I have always wanted to be out in the country sitting on a front porch watching the sun go down,” Haddie says sounding almost giddy.

“Sounds like a plan,” is all I say. Selling this place may be the best thing.