Read A Mile in My Flip-Flops for Free Online Page B

a smarter woman would turn and run just now. But something inside me seems to be standing up and saying,
I can do this
. Maybe it’s that image of the freshly scrubbed family moving into their “modern” sixties home that’s encouraging me, telling me that there’s hope for this house. Or maybe the house itself is calling to me, saying, “Help me!” Saying it wants to be restored…it wants to be clean and decent again … it wants to be a welcoming place—a place to come home to.
    During my whirlwind tour, I did notice that one of the bedrooms had a hardwood floor. Okay, it was in pretty bad shape, but it’s a good sign that more hardwood floors might be lying dormant beneath that horrible carpeting, which I’ve decided must be the source of that disgusting stench. My guess is that pets used that nasty brown carpet for their toilet.
    But once the carpets are removed and taken far from this place, and once the wood floor is properly cleaned, most of that ghastly smell should be eradicated. Then with fresh paint and new surfaces, it will be nothing more than a bad memory. Then I’ll do updates and upgrades to the kitchen and baths, replace the light fixtures, windows, and doors, and before long—hopefully by the end of the six weeks my loan allows me to flip this place—the worst house on Lilac Lane should be restored and ready to go on the market. Easy as pie.
    I tiptoe my way around the dog piles again, this time so I can peek over the wobbly backyard fence to see that the yards on all three sides seem to be in much better shape than this one. That’s a goodsign. Then I walk back to the front yard and check out the surrounding houses on both sides of the street. Certainly, they’re not in pristine condition, and quite possibly are rentals, but they are not anything like this place. And, who knows? Maybe if I fix up this eyesore, others will be inspired to follow suit. It’s possible that some day this street will be one of the nicest parts of Paradise … and I will have been a part of it. That’s a nice feeling.
    I go back to my car and call my dad now. But he’s not home, and his answering machine must be turned off again. My dad hates technology. He refuses to own a computer and only got a cell phone because, as a contractor, he needed it. But now that he’s retired, he just leaves it in his desk, where it probably has a dead battery anyway. For all I know he might’ve cancelled service on it long ago.
    I try Betty’s number, but she must still be getting beautified. Finally I try Holly, who answers her cell phone on her way home from work.
    “I think I’ve found a house,” I tell her. She knows about my house-flipping plan and has even offered to help me when she can. “Good for you,” she says.
    “But I want a second opinion,” I tell her. “Any chance you could stop by?”
    “Oh man, I’d love to see it, Gretch, but I promised to meet Justin at his mom’s place. It’s his dad’s birthday, and—”
    “That’s okay,” I interrupt. “I understand.”
    “How about tomorrow?” she offers. “After work?”
    “Maybe … but I might have to make a decision before that.”
    “Before
tomorrow?”
    “Well, there’s another guy interested. And this house just came on the market, and you know how hard it’s been to find a fixer in the right price range.”
    “Are you sure the Realtor’s not just feeding you a line for an easy sell?”
    “She’s a friend of Betty’s … and I’m pretty sure she’s legit.”
    “So maybe you should jump on it.”
    “That’s what I’m thinking.”
    “Has your dad seen it yet?”
    “No. He’s not home.”
    “Oh…”
    “Well, I don’t want to keep you on the phone while you’re driving, Hol.”
    “Yeah, I just promised Justin that I wouldn’t talk on my cell on the road. He thinks it might be dangerous.” She sort of laughs. “But let me know how it goes, okay?”
    “Yeah.”
    “And if it seems right, maybe you should just go for it,