The Twenty Year Triangle

Chapter Thirty-Four

Memories have a way of bringing places to life because even after the people are gone, the moments remain, lurking there along with the feelings they leave behind. In a way, this means every home that houses or ever has housed people is haunted. 

Like Hunter's room, the memory of my heart-shattering on that summer day or the huge fight that fateful New Year's Eve night leaves the room haunted by our heartbreaks of the past.

Then there's the barn...

Every memory I have with Oliver in that barn is beautiful and sweet, or it was. All the promises made there ended up broken, and now all those sweet memories are bittersweet. Our old secret spot is now haunted by broken promises and crushed dreams.

Then, other places are simply full of happy memories, haunted in good ways.

The duplex Oliver once called home is one of the places. We were all just kids on the many days we hung out here. I read while they played video games, all of us annoying Kris until she booted us out, and then we'd go bug Shar next. This place is haunted by all the wonderful the three of us shared making me happy and hopeful.

It's like walking back into the good old days, literally. Yellow-stained linoleum floors and all. I see us then, Oliver sitting on the counter while I make brownies from a box. Hunter is reading me the directions as I go. Oliver starts rummaging through the cupboard and finds some chocolate teddy grahams. 

"Olly! I'm about to make brownies!"

"I can't wait until then."

"He's like a bottomless pit," Hunter chuckles.

We are all silent as we walk in, taking it in, all of us lost in our heads. I'm sure we each have special memories we like to visit. I wonder how many of them are the same memories or are they all unique what we hold special in our hearts? 

"The kids didn't destroy this one as bad," Oliver breaks the silence and shakes us all from our thoughts.

"What's your plan? Demolishing everything, or?" Hunter prompts. 

"Yeah, everything is a gut," Oliver agrees. "I'm changing them from side-by-side duplexes to side-by-side studio fourplexes, but I'll be adding on a second level for a medical office for onsite needs, attached to an apartment for the caretaker to live on site."

"This sounds like a lot of reconfiguring," Hunter comments. "You have the load-bearing walls figured out yet?"

"My dad does," Oliver explains. "He won't be able to get the guys on the build for a while anyway, but I'm anxious now that I have the approval."

"I get it," Hunter says as he steps over and opens one of the cabinets. "You want us to salvage cabinets to save money? These are real maple, in great shape still."

"Please," Oliver agrees. "Doors, too."

"Smart," Hunter says. "I have a woman on my crew who does an amazing job restoring old cabinets. She can sand, paint, and make these modern quickly."

"I'm sure James has that handled..."

"I thought you said you didn't have enough people or time for simultaneous projects?" I remind Oliver, and he shoots me a look.

"Let's just get through today, and we'll talk later," Oliver mutters.

I smile proudly, and Hunter just rolls his eyes tiredly.

"So where do we start?" Hunter asks.

"I guess the kitchens as good a place as any," Oliver says.

"Why don't you help me with the cabinets," Hunter suggests to Oliver.