Bill jumped up in bed. A deep sleep had been intruded by what he was sure was the sound of a police car or ambulance or something.
He stared blankly around the room. Slowly it all came back to him. He was in Tuckamore Bay. And the sirens he thought he heard was actually the telephone, in the living room.
Bill swung his legs out of the bed and grabbed the sweat pants that lay at the foot of the bed.
The telephone continued to ring.
"I'm coming. Fuck, give me a second."
Bill pulled the sweat pants up and hurried to the living room. As soon as his hand touched the receiver, the telephone stopped ringing.
"You have got to be kidding me."
Bill picked up the telephone receiver. All he heard was a dial tone.
"Shit." He hung the telephone up again and headed to the bathroom.
He was half way through relieving himself, when the telephone started ringing again.
"Seriously?" he yelled, trying to stop the stream of urine, with no success.
"Just hold on."
He continued to pee. He laughed slightly as the image of Tom Hanks, in the movie 'A League of their Own', came to him.
"Eat your heart out Tom."
The telephone continued to ring.
"I'm coming."
He gave a final shake and flushed the toilet. He headed for the telephone without washing his hands, but once again, it stopped ringing the second he touched the receiver.
"Son of a bitch," Bill cracked as he headed back to the bathroom to wash his hands.
"Of course," he rolled his eyes. The telephone started to ring as soon as he got his hands soaped.
"You can fucking wait."
Bill finished soaping his hands, rinsed them and dried them, before walking to the telephone for the third time.
This time the telephone did not stop.
"Hello," Bill sighed, putting the receiver to his ear.
"Ah. Is that you, Mr. Williams?"
Bill recognized the voice.
"Mr. Wells. Yes, its me."
"Oh. I thought Matty would answer the phone. This is her number, isn't it?
I have been trying hers and then your cell, but no answer from either."
"Cell receptions sucks here and Matty is staying in the guest cottage. She let me stay in the main house."
"Oh. Okay. So you getting all settled in?"
Bill thought for a moment.
"I don't know about being settled in Mr. Wells."
"Please call me Dave."
"Okay Dave and you call me Bill.
Anyway, Dave, as I was saying, I am not one hundred percent sure if I will ever settle in here."
Dave Wells' voice went serious.
"Is there some kind of an issue with the lighthouse?"
"No. Not at all. It seems perfect to me. Its just that I was not told the whole story about this purchase."
"I don't understand. What is the issue? It seems like a simple transaction to me."
Bill laughed slightly.
"Well, Dave. You kinda forgot to tell me about documents 201, 2 and 3."
"I have no idea what you are talking about Bill? What documents? They were not a part of the sale."
"No, but they are a part of the sale on this end. Matty presented me with the documents."
"Maybe it explains about the relocation," Dave offered.
"She did tell you about it, didn't she?"
"Oh yea, but that was only part of it. The other documents, I assume, explain the fact that by purchasing the lighthouse, I actually bout the entire village."
"What?" Dave almost yelled.
"That just doesn't make any sense."
"Well it gets better, Dave. If I don't agree to the purchase of the entire village and agree to invest further money into the village to do upgrades and such, then I don't get the lighthouse."
There was silence on the other end of the telephone.
"You still there Dave?"
"Bill, I am speechless. Seriously, I had no idea about the other stipulations to the sale. This is borderline illegal. I can't condone this at all.
My advice is that you pull out right now. I will transfer the deposit back into your account."
"No," Bill replied.
"Not right yet."
"Bill, this is almost blackmail on Matty Dove's part."
Bill heard his sigh loudly.
"Now I know why she wanted you to come to Tuckamore Bay."
"Its okay, Dave. I have talked to Matty, but I have not agreed to anything. I haven't even looked at the additional documents."
"Bill, you know you can void the sale because of non disclosure. If you want, I will reverse the sale, delist the property and refund your deposit immediately."
Bill sat on the chair, at the desk, where the telephone was.
"No, not yet. In spite of the deception, if the truth be known, I just love this place. It is certainly nothing like what you would expect and I know I have been deceived, but," Bill let out a long sigh, "I am going to hang around here for a few more days. I want to talk to Matty again and take a look around the village."
"But this is all false pretences," Dave reminded him.
"In theory, this sale is already null and void."
"Well, lets not write it off just yet. I know its not exactly what I thought it was, but then ..."
"Then what?"
Bill laughed slightly.
"Dave if I told you the truth, I don't think you would believe me."
Nanny Dove appeared in her rocking chair.
"So what do you want to do?" Dave asked.
"I want to spend a few more days here, maybe a week. I came all this way and despite it not being exactly what I thought it would be, as far as the sale goes, I have to admit that the lighthouse is exactly what I want. And it is really so beautiful and peaceful here."
Bill laughed again.
"A little off the wall and a little more than crazy, but then, I kinda like crazy."
Dave laughed.
"So. We hold off on cancelling the sale?"
"Can you give me a week or so?"
"Absolutely," Dave agreed.
"Take all the time you want. It is a huge investment and I do agree that you need to take some time to explore."
"Thank you. I will keep you up to date on what is going on."
"At some point, I will have to see those additional documents," Dave informed Bill.
"I will tell you what, Dave. If I agree to the purchase, I will get in touch with you and you and your wife should come up here for a night so we can sign the papers and celebrate."
"That sounds like a great plan Bill. We will do that."
"Okay, Dave. I will let you go right now, but we will talk soon."
"Sounds great, Bill. And good luck."
"Bye Dave."
"Bye Bill."
Bill hung up the telephone and stared at Nanny Dove.
"Would you like a coffee, Nanny Dove?" he smiled, as he got to his feet.
"Youse still bes 'bout funny as 'emorrhoids dere, Willam.
But Ise glad dat youse gonna give da Bay a try."
Bill nodded.
"We will see, Nanny Dove, we will see."
He headed off to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee.