As Long As She Lives (full published version!)

Chapter 25

Wemusa steered his car up the long drive of the third house he'd suggested to Henri. This one was the most secluded. The others had made the claim but the photos on the websites had distorted the size of the surrounding gardens. Though he still resented the five-hour return drive he'd have to make, he had no choice. He knew too well what could happen to him if Henri arrived and found the house lacking. The house had to be worthy.

The driveway curved through eucalypts and scrub until, at last, the house came into view. So far so good. The clean, modern facade of the architect-designed house and the curved drive were as grand as they looked on the website. He walked the grounds first, taking the photos Penda had instructed him to take. There was only one driveway in and out of the property; anyone wanting to arrive unnoticed would have to make their way on foot through the four acres of forest. They wouldn't even need to soundproof a room to hold the teacher here. The neighbours wouldn't hear a thing.

With a short prayer that it would be up to standard inside, he unlocked the over-sized door and pushed it open. Oh yes. This would do. He let the door close and began taking photos. The enormous foyer with its parquet flooring, cathedral ceiling and sweeping staircase, the immaculate kitchen with polished tiles and gleaming six-burner stove and a dishwasher and fridge built in to the cabinetry so that he had to hunt for them to get photos. Even the cutlery he found in the drawers looked as though it would cost more than his car.

He made his way through the house, taking photos of all the details he knew Henri would appreciate. Upstairs in the bedrooms he found soft, plump beds with pristine, high thread-count cotton sheets. The ensuite bathrooms were the size of his room in Attah's building. He longed to stand under the huge shower rose until he felt truly clean, and then climb into one of the beds and sleep for a week. The showers took up more space than his bed. This was how civilized people lived.

He'd seen a net cafe in town, a couple of doors down from the real estate agent. Perhaps if he emailed these photos through when he took the keys back, Henri would confirm his choice and Wemusa could complete the rental process today. He could tell Henri he needed to stay to set the house up for him properly and he would be able to stay the night and not have to drive back to Daylesford until tomorrow. It was worth a shot, at least.

Even the net cafes in Lakes Entrance had a sunlit, holiday feel compared to the dingy holes in Melbourne. They even took the 'cafe' part of the name seriously and served real coffee and food. He plugged in the USB cord then connected it to the pathetic little camera that Penda had doled out just enough money for him to buy. He'd hoped Henri would complain about the quality of the images and he'd be able to get more money, but it hadn't happened so far.

Penda had given him different instructions for uploading the photos of the properties. There would be too many to simply attach to an email. Apparently he was uploading them "to the cloud." He wasn't entirely sure what that meant, but so far meant it was taking twice as long as it usually did. He logged in and began to compose the email to send with them. He'd excuse his sending the photos through now, with a lie about someone else wanting the house, which should also press Henri to give him the go ahead today.

He was re-writing the opening sentence for the fourth time when a chat window popped up, startling him.

Penda: You should be on your way back to Daylesford. You can upload the images from there.

Shit. How did he know?

Wemusa: I know but I think Henri will want this house and there's someone else interested.

Penda: Who?

Wemusa: I don't know, but the agent's willing to give it to us if we take it today and give her a thousand dollars in cash.

Wemusa held his breath, but he didn't have to for long.

Penda: I'll show Henri the photos. Don't log off.

He hadn't even hesitated. Maybe he should have asked for more. Either way, Wemusa's night of comfort was beginning to look possible. Wemusa ate his sandwich while he waited and watched the photo previews flipping through. The house was fantastic and the best they were going to get in the area. He had to say yes. He had to.

Penda: Money will be in your bank account in half an hour. Get the house.

Wemusa choked on his sandwich. Still coughing, he clapped the crumbs from his fingers and took another chance.

Wemusa: Will do. There's a lot of paperwork to fill out. Not sure I'll be able to get back to Daylesford tonight.

He could almost see Penda rolling his eyes. His old friend would know what he was up to. A minute passed without a response and Wemusa's stomach churned. He'd gone too far.

Penda: Take possession of the house tonight. Log in from there and wait for more instructions.

Wemusa bit down on an almighty whoop. A night in a clean bed. No five-hour drive. No watching the woman and her clueless cop. And money for food! His turn to gorge himself. His hands were shaking as he typed out his response.

Wemusa: Understood. 

** As Long As She Lives is now available worldwide in print and eBook in (ePub as well as Kindle) at the usual online retailers (Amazon, eSentral, Nook etc...) If you're enjoying my work, I hope you'll consider supporting it by purchasing a copy!

Cheers!
Darcy.