You're Not Alone

House Hunters

A few days later, Linda and Danny went house hunting. The Mom had been looking on and off for the last months, and she was very certain she wanted a house in Staten Island. Every house on the list so far had been too expensive.
"So glad you two could come see this one," the realtor smiled brightly at them. "It's a little out of your price range, but we can talk to the owners about that."
Linda looked to Danny, her hand in his. He knew it had to be exactly in their price range. Neither one of them was working at the moment, and with two little munchkins to take care of... it really needed to be below their cutoff point.
Linda noticed high ceilings, hardwood floors, and large windows. It had five bedrooms, three full baths, a finished basement, an office on the first floor, and a huge backyard. She didn't see them using all that space.
"How much out of our price range is it?" Danny wondered, concerned.
At least he's interested, Linda thought before she heard the amount.
"Thank you, but it's not really what we're looking for," the marine shook the realtor's hand politely.
Linda groaned as she got in the car, "We're never going to find a place to live! We're destined to be bums!"
"Don't talk like that, we'll find something. We have to find something."
Linda smiled a little, "I'm glad you're in a better mood today. Any time you wanna talk, I'll be right here."
He smiled over at her, "thanks."
**********
The next house the couple looked at was a moderate sized house in the right school district. The realtor showed the couple the first floor, Linda loving all of it. It was spacious, but not so big that she felt lost. The upstairs she loved even more; the master bedroom was beautiful, the other bedrooms were big enough for the boys to share, then separate once old enough. The en-suite was what really caught her eye.
"Oh, Danny! A claw-foot tub! It's classy and romantic!" Linda called from the bathroom.
Danny chuckled, "that's a clincher for you."
The realtor smiled as the brunette walked out. "Do you like it?"
"I love it!" She gushed, "how much?" Linda's heart immediately plummeted to the floor when it was at the very top of their range. "Thank you," she tried not to sound disappointed. "We are never moving out of your parents' house. Never ever. We're gonna have to listen to them say, 'there are other people in the house. Be respectful' all. Of. Our. Lives!"
Danny laughed, "you're the one at fault on that count."
"I know." She groaned, "can we just go home? All I want to do is eat greasy, artery-clogging food, all while ogling Remington Steele."
He laughed again, "of course!" He didn't realize it right then, that Linda was the person who could bring him out of anything. With just a smile and a laugh, and a statement that was so... Linda-ish, his whole mood turned around. It'd be months until he realized how much Linda lifted his low, battered spirits.