Love story

Liu was sitting in her favorite chair staring at the river outside her window. Her thoughts drifted along like a lazy stream on a hot summer day. She smiled as her mind's hand softly picked up each memory one by one and turned them over so she could examine them from every angle.
The day she found this old house was one of her favorite memories. That day had started out like all the others. She had woken up alone, but this fact stung deeper than usual because it was her 30th birthday.               
Liu laid there for a while running through the usual lies, she just hadn't found the right person yet, she had her career and was really too busy to be in a relationship, she had plenty of time after all she was only thirty.
"Thirty!” She had screamed out loud. How could she already be thirty and still be alone? She crawled out of bed and headed for the bathroom, a hot shower would make her feel a little better. She spoke out loud again, "man I wished I hadn't taken today off if I was at work at least I wouldn't be alone."
She started laughing and said to reflection in the mirror “you have got to stop talking to yourself someone's going to hear you and think you've crazy."
She inspected her face closer than usual this morning. Her skin was still smooth and wrinkle free and slightly darker than café latte brown. Her eyes were drops of oil that matched her all too typical Asian hair perfectly. I have got to do something about this hair today too. It has been long, straight and parted down the middle since I was six years old. She turned sideways and looked at her figure in the mirror. She was still a size four at thirty and not flabby yet so she couldn’t complain.
She had been right the shower had helped and she knew so would food. She sat at her little table and stared out her apartment window as she ate warm bread and coffee just like she had every morning for the last three years.
“That’s it; I am going to do something different today if it kills me!”She said to her reflection in the window glass.
She got up rinsed her dishes, grabbed her keys and almost stomped to her car. She laughed out loud; she looked like a pouting toddler. Once inside her car she realized she really had nowhere to go. The only friends she had were her co-workers and they of course were at work and she absolutely refused to work on her birthday, she wasn't that pitiful yet.
“Well let's just see where I wind up." She murmured
She started her one and only splurges on herself a 2008 Mercedes C class.  Liu had thought why not she had no responsibilities other than her basic needs and she worked more hours than she cared to admit. People were always saying, "Liu you are so dedicated," but Liu knew the dirty truth, if she was at work she was not alone.
The Mercedes purred to life. Liu looked around no one was out so she pulled onto the street and headed west. Maybe she would go to the mall or even the park for an early morning walk. She was getting pretty lazy outside of work.  She slowed at the mall entrance, but kept going she knew that really wasn't what she needed this morning the hair cut would have to wait till another day. She picked her speed back up deciding the park it would be, maybe a brisk three mile walk would force this self imposed funk away, but as the park approached on her right she never even slowed. She had no idea where she was headed she was just following the road.
The busy streets of Houston fell behind her and before long she was traveling West on the freeway out of town. Somehow this felt right but not quite right. Was she looking for something or just being silly? About ten miles out of town there was an exit off the freeway onto a little two lane road and out of impulse she took it.
She rolled the windows down, which is something she hadn't done in years, slowed the car so she could see what was around her and drove along enjoying the early fall day. Minute after minute the stress and sadness floated away with the breeze.
Liu soaked in the beauty of the countryside as she drove the air seemed cleaner, the sun brighter, the field grass greener, the trees larger, and the tenseness in her muscles looser. She lost track of time as she drove slowly along the farm to market road.
Liu rounded the curve in the road and off to her left was a large untended field with a large old abandoned house sitting at the very back of it. She felt sorry for the old house because even from a distance she could tell it had been years since anyone had cared for it in any way. She pulled over to the side of the road and got out to get a better look, something about it felt so familiar even though she has never seen it before and wasn't even very sure were exactly she was.
Liu walked mindlessly up the dusty driveway towards the house smiling occasionally at a smell that caressed her in the wind or at a lone wildflower growing besides the little road leading up to the house.
The veranda was in disrepair some of the boards were cracked and warped, the paint had long since chipped away but there was something Southern and grand about it. She peeked in one of the windows and caught her breath. Even though it was neglected and dirty the house was beautiful. The floors were wide planked wooden floors, the doors between the rooms were solid wood and massive, there were windows everywhere letting in the sunlight from all angles; it danced off the huge old cut glass chandeliers sending prisms across the floors and walls. As she moved around the house each room was just as grand as the last. From what she could see from the window the kitchen was roughly the size of her whole apartment. It was outdated and lonely but at one time it had been the hub of this entire house. She knew this as surely as she knew her own name.
Liu rounded the side of the house and an intimate back porch awaited her. Liu imagined all the summer days before that this porch had seen, she wondered if children had played on it, or if it belonged to a childless couple who found solace in each other as they sat together on it watching the evening sun slip behind the horizon.
She sat on the top step with her eyes closed soaking in the sun and the sound of slow moving water worked its way into her consciousness. Smiling Liu stood and walked in the direction of the running water. There was a scattering of huge old pecan trees along the way. It almost gave her the feeling of vertigo as she passed from the sun into their shadows and back into the sun. After a few hundred feet a wide slow moving river appeared.
The water had that Texas green brown look to it that turned to blue as you looked further up the river. It was the kind of water that made you want to just dive in whither or not you could swim, which of course Liu could not. Mesmerized she stood staring off into the water for a while before finally turning and heading back to the house.
Liu realized she had been there for several hours and in most states that equaled trespassing. Hurrying now she almost missed the FOR SALE sign wired to the fence. Liu stopped dead in her tracks and stared at the sign with a growing sense of uneasiness and at the same time some silly since of destiny. Liu almost ran the rest of the way to the house. She ran past it like it wasn't even there and up the dirt road to her car. The since of urgency was right on her heels and filling her with wild excitement. She grabbed her cell phone off the passenger seat and turned and ran back down the dirt road.
Liu had to rub the sign with her tee shirt to read the number.  She was preparing herself the entire time for the let down.  In her mind she kept telling herself it would probably cost too much or wasn't for sale any more, but for some reason her hands shook as she dialed the number. 
"Russell Real Estate" a woman's voice on the other end of the line declared.

It startled her so badly to hear the woman's voice she almost hung up. She took a deep breath and said "hello, I am calling regarding a piece of property you have for sale."
The woman still sounding board on the other end of the line replied "just a moment.”
A moment later a man's voice answered." This is Scott, may I help you?"
Liu took a deep breath suddenly very unsure of herself but she spoke anyway. "I was calling about a property you have for sale"
The man on the phone politely asked."Which one?"
"I am not really sure." Liu stated a little embarrassed, then proceeded.
"I was driving out on a small two lane road and saw this old abandoned house. It's close to a river, the paint is all chipped away and it has a large veranda in the front."
Scott was quite for a second then asked. “Does it have a long dirt road leading up to it?"
"Yes sir" she whispered.
"That's Abigail's old place, she abandoned it about ten years ago. I don't think anyone besides me has even been inside it since then. She called me from somewhere in Europe and said she never wanted to see it again and please try and sell it and if I couldn't sell it in five years to burn it to the ground.  I promised her I would do it months ago but just couldn't bring myself to do it. It was a beautiful house when she lived there." The tone of his voice made Liu think if she could see his face his eyes would have a faraway look in them.
Liu took a slow deep breath and tried to calm her racing heart then asked "so how much is it?" 
She could hear him take a long slow deep breath on the other end and was instantly filled with panic; it was probably a million dollars or more. She prepared herself for the disappointment that would follow his answer.
Finally he spoke "the back taxes are $40,000, and the cost of closing will be another $8, 000. I would have bought it myself years ago but my wife wouldn't let me. She said if Abigail wanted to burn it to the ground there has got to be a good reason and whatever it was drove her away to Europe after living here her whole life."
Liu did the first impulsive thing she had ever done in her life she blurted out "I'll buy it; I can afford it right now. I will go to the bank and take out the money, you just tell me where to meet you and I will be there in 2 hours"
Scott interrupted her, "you know that old house is going to have to have a lot of work done to it"
"I know but I have time and some money in the bank." She giggled like a little girl.
"Ok, then meet me at my office here in town in two hours, better yet what bank you bank with?"He asked as an afterthought thinking this was most likely one of his friends playing a prank on him. Everyone knew he loved that old house.
"Wells Fargo” Liu chirped now too excited to even stand still she had started walking back to her car as fast as she could.
"I'll meet you at the Wells Fargo in Summerville in two hours." Scott told her almost chuckling he knew he hadn't burnt that old house for a reason.
"OK” Liu laughed and hung up her phone and began to run for her car laughing the whole way. Once in the car she had to be extra careful, she was so excited she didn't want to have a wreck on the way in to town. She had no idea how far it was into town or even where the bank was. Liu could not believe she was doing this but in her soul she knew it was right. It was only about seven miles into Summerville and the minutes just flew by, before she knew it she was pulling into the parking lot of the Summerville Wells Fargo.
Liu parked and got out of the car and headed into the bank she stopped twice in the parking lot wondering to herself what in the world was she doing.  She had never done an impulsive thing in her life. She had always tried to play by the rules, had worked hard, tried to save as much money as possible, and prepare for the future.  Now without any forewarning she was impulsively following her heart and falling in love with and buying the in old abandoned home in the middle of nowhere. Even though she wasn't sure she was doing the right thing she could not talk herself out of it.
She entered the bank with absolutely no hesitation once she crossed the parking lot. Liu laughed as she walked up to the teller and told them she needed to draw out $50,000.  The process took longer than she expected. First she was sent to a desk to talk to a loan officer who she informed she did not need a loan only her own money. When he asked what she needed the money for she stared at him like he had three heads. “I really don’t feel that is any of your business.”
Embarrassed he spoke quietly. I am sorry, it is just a large sum of money and we are not your usual bank. You are not in any danger are you?”
Liu laughed out loud. “Wells Fargo is my normal bank and I assure you I am in no danger.”
“Well than let’s see your ID and get you your money.” He stated rather sarcastically.
A man in his late fifties walked up behind her just as she reached for the bank door.  “Hi, I'm Scott Russell. Are you the woman I spoke to on the phone a few minutes ago? "
Startled Liu spun around and stared at him.
"I'm sorry I didn't mean to startle you, I thought you were someone else."
“No, no I am the one who called you. My name is Liu Jung."
She held out her hand to shake his. “Thank you for meeting me here, I'm not sure I could have waited a whole two hours."
Scott laughed. "Well let's just talk for a few minutes about the house. I would feel like a crook if I didn't tell you what you are in for. Can we just go up the street to my office and we’ll talk about the house and then if you are still interested we will draw up the papers. Abigail gave me full rights to the house when she contacted me before, so we don't have to try and locate her for the purchase. Then we can get a hold of an inspector to take a look at it and see if the electrical wiring is still ok, and check on the pluming because those are the two basic necessities to get started on the repairs."
Liu took a slow deep breath and agreed to follow him back to his office.
When she walked through the door she almost laughed out loud. The woman answering the phone sounded like she was in her late fifties or sixties. Liu had pictured her with an old lady hair cut and sensible glasses, maybe even a little over weight and possibly prudish, but the woman sitting behind the desk was a bleached blonde thirty something Barbie. Liu just stared in amazement as she walked past her towards Scott's office.  “Honey, this is Liu Jung; she's interested in buying Abigail's old place."
The animated Barbie stopped what she was doing and looked at Liu like she was a creature from another plant, then she just smile and winked at her. "Well sugar I always say it takes all kinds."
Scott just laughed and led Liu into his office.  His office was a plain four white walled room with hard wood floors and a desk, it wasn't fancy but it had a feel to it like what was done here was life changing.
Scott plopped down in his big leather chair and started digging through a drawer. “Here we go," he pulled a folder out and tossed it on the desk.
“There are a few pictures in here from when Abigail lived there; it was truly a fine house.”
Let me see. He dug through all the papers and pulled out two photos. The first was taken from the main road. It almost made Liu cry at how much the old house had suffered since Abigail had abandoned it. In this photo the house was a beautiful cream color and the shutters a color that reminded Liu of coffee with just a touch of milk added. There were hanging ferns on the veranda and a couple of extremely comfortable looking wicker chairs just to the right of the main entrance. Liu could almost picture this woman sitting in one of the chairs reading a book and drinking tea. The yard was a beautiful green that could only be obtained in Texas by diligent care and many hours of hard work.
“Oh she was beautiful" Liu whispered.
"Yes she was," Scott sighed.
Liu looked up at his distant eyes and wondered was he referring to the house or the woman that once lived there.  But she sat in silence watching him as he remembered something that was long past healed and smiled when Scott looked at her with a curious expression.
She waited for him to speak.
“Why this house?" He asked gently.
“I don't know. I wasn't looking for a house and had no intentions on buying a house. I was just out trying to drive away being alone on my birthday. When I saw it, there was just something about it that made me pull over and go for a closer look. Even in the shape it is in I could tell this house was beautiful at one time. I walked around, looked in the windows and sat on the back porch. I went down by the river for a while and was leaving when I saw the sign saying it was for sale.
I don't really know what happened to me but the moment I saw the For Sale sign I just couldn't imagine her belonging to anyone but me. I just had to find out if it was still for sale and how much if it was.  While the phone was ringing I tried to prepare myself for the disappointment if it wasn't or if it was too much, so when you told me the price I just had no choice but to buy her."
Scott was watching Liu talk. Then he smiled and asked. “You know that sounds a little crazy don't you?"
Liu laughed, “to you and me both."
Scott looked at her a minute longer then picked up the phone. “I know a really good handy man, let's see if he can meet us out there and see what he thinks."
Liu sat quietly and they both waited for the man on the other end to answer the phone. “Hey Charlie, this is Scott Russell. I've got a young lady in my office interested in buying Abigail's old place. I was wondering if you could meet us out there and see how bad of shape she's in."
There was silence while Scott listened on the phone and Liu's stomach tied its self in knots. "Alright then we'll see you in about thirty minutes."
Liu looked at him amazed. "Is this really happening?"
"I believe so young lady," Scott laughed more to himself that to Liu.
“Why don't you ride with me and we'll head on out there and take a look?" He looked at her almost as excited as she was.
"Okay," Liu said around the lump in her throat.
"Honey, Miss Jung and I are headed out to Abigail's place if you need me."
"Ok sugar, ya'll have fun." Honey laughed

                                    CHAPTER TWO

They rolled up in front of the house and Liu almost cried. She already loved this house and knew no matter what the handy man said she was buying it. Scott opened his door, "well let's take a look at her."
Liu followed Scott up the veranda steps. They were solid and felt strong under her feet even though the chipped and peeled paint made them appear weak and old. The veranda it’s self was that grayish color of wood that was in desperate need of paint. It was about ten feet wide and had the feel of Savannah in the summer. It ran the length of the front of the house and held the large wood and glass door protectively in the center.  It defiantly separated the house from the yard with a railing that could only have been hand carved.
Scott put the key in the front door and it opened easily despite the years of closure. Scott stepped aside and swept is arm out “ladies first.”
Liu stepped into the house and was instantly in love.  She recognized that under the scent of dust it smelled of love and belonging to her. She looked at the floors and knew they would only require a good cleaning and a fresh layer of polish then they would shine in their former glory. There were only a few spots that were scratched but somehow those scratches seemed to belong in this house. 
The walls needed a good scrubbing and a fresh coat of paint which she knew she could do herself with a little time and a sturdy ladder.
The windows needed cleaning but none of them were broken, but the kitchen would need a lot of work to make it modern enough to meet her needs yet keep it close enough to the rest of the house so it didn’t look out of place. Every appliance in it looked like it was from the 1950’s, but Liu had no doubt they at least still worked.
Scott walked out in the back yard to look around a little, so Liu headed for the stairs. She climbed them slow and deliberately testing each one for stability and strength. She smiled to herself as they proved themselves one by one.
At the top of the stairs she found a bathroom that would most defiantly have to be updated, but it was a good size. To her left she found the first bedroom. It was a big empty hardwood floored room. Once again the floors would only need a little work and the walls a scrubbing and a coat of paint. Liu was getting more excited by the minute. She walked around the room opened the closet and move back to the door, the second bedroom was much like the first except it was full of packed boxes, so she move on the third room. She stopped and giggled. It was bigger than the other two and had a huge fireplace and wall to wall windows on the back side looking out over the back yard towards the river. She could see the river clearly from this second floor window.
This would be her room she knew it in the depths of her soul, hers’ just like it had been Abigail’s.
She watched a man walk up and shake Scott's hand. They stood talking for a few minutes then the new comer walked over to the side of the house and knelt down. He reached up under the house through a sliding panel. She watched him get back up and walk over to a spigot beside the house.  Silently she watched and held her breath as he turned the spigot and after a few seconds rusty water begin to spew from the spigot. Liu hadn't realized she had screamed until both men startled turned and looked at her. She was laughing as she ran back down the stairs and out the back door.
She ran across the yard and hugged Scott laughing "the water works!"
"Yes honey it does, now let's check the wiring out." The men walked into the house and Liu followed. Charlie started his inspection of the wiring as Scott watched Liu go from room to room again touching the walls and looking out each window to see what the view was like from there. Finally Scott laughed "I believe I've sold a house today."
Liu spun around and looked at him "yes you have. I love this house and could never walk away from it."
Scott had sadness flash across his face, " funny, that's the same words Abigail used when everyone question her about staying here after her parents died. She was only eighteen at the time, you know. She stayed here and maintained the house instead of following her dreams to move to the big city. She never married and I'm not even sure if she ever fell in love with anyone or anything other than this old house. That's why everyone was so shocked when she just up and left one day and called from somewhere in Europe saying either sell it or burn it to the ground."
Liu looked at him for a moment and whispered, "I wonder what happened?"
"Me too sugar, me too," Scott mumbled to himself as he turned to go see what Charlie was up to.
Liu joined the men on the veranda. Charlie looked over at her and smiled. “Well ma'am I think the wiring is ok."
Liu smiled and laughed. “I knew it would be because this is supposed to be my home."
"Well, let's go draw up the papers and get the money and she's yours. We can call the local electric company and get the utilities turn on. Are you planning on living in it as you fix it up?" Scott asked.
Liu looked at him. "I wasn't even planning on buying a house. I have two months left on my lease and I don't know if I can buy it out or not. I'll have to just see, but I know for sure once the electric is on I'll at least be out here every weekend."
Liu was so excited all the way into town she almost forgot to ask, but when Scott mentioned Abigail again it reminded her and she asked. "Hey upstairs in the middle bedroom there are a bunch of boxes with stuff in them what should we do with them?"
"Well I guess they come with the house sugar, you do with them what you want to okay?"
"Okay" Liu laughed.
"I just bought a house, happy birthday to me!" She giggled.
Scott chuckled. Liu thought he might be as excited as she was. They pulled back into the parking lot at Russell Real Estate and stopped by the front door. They both climbed out of the pickup and Liu looked over at Scott. "Are you sure about this? You seem pretty attached to the old place.”
Scott grimaced.
"Alright then, I believe the total amount you need is just over $48, 000, that's back taxes, closing cost and new taxes."
Liu looked him in the eyes, "what about your part?"
Scott sighed. "Well, Miss Abigail and I had our own agreement back when I agreed to try and sell the place for her. She paid me a fair price for selling it or burning it down whichever it turned out to be."
Liu laughed again. She still couldn't believe this. Her whole life changed in one day, No one at work would ever believe she was just driving along a road and stopped and bought a house all in one day. Who was she kidding she couldn't believe it either but she had. 
Scott and Honey finished the paperwork as Liu walked back and forth in the office.
"Well come on in here and sign these papers girl," Scott called out from his office.
Liu walked in and sat in the big leather chair across from Scott and looked at Honey who was standing beside him looking at in a curious way.
One by one Scott handed papers across the desk for her to either sign or initial. He explained each one in detail, but Liu only caught a few words on each one she was so excited. After about 45 minutes of this process Liu reached for the next paper but Scott dropped a set of keys into her hand. Startled she looked up and found Scott and Honey smiling back at her. "She's all yours sugar" Honey said sweetly.
Liu squealed. Everyone laughed.
"You want to call the utility company from here?" Scott asked looking the number up in his roll-a-dex.
"Sure "Liu answered as she reached for the phone.
It took less than an hour to have everything set up. It was settled they would be there on Friday afternoon to turn the power on. Scott had agreed to meet them there if Liu didn't make it out in time.
Liu hugged Scott and Honey before leaving their office. It was time to head back to Houston.
She got in her car and drove off a different woman than when she had parked it when she rounded the corner where the house sat. She slowed and turned into the drive. She just had to walk through it one more time just to prove to herself it was real.
Liu was already in love with the house before she left to go back to Houston. On the way home which she didn’t consider home any more just a place where she lived. Liu suddenly realized she was a different person. She wasn’t sure she could wait till Friday for the power to come on. She could always start a fire in the fireplace and camp out there if the desire to be in her home grew too great. She pulled over to the side of the road laughing out loud and dialed the number to St. Luke’s. She had never called in sick in all the years she had worked there, but today was a day of first it looked like.
Liu turned her car around and headed for the house. She would have to find wood for the fire place and go back into Summerville to get food for the night. Her head was spinning and her heart was racing for the first time in so long, she was happy.
Liu pulled up in front of the house hopped out of her car and walked up the steps. She took a slow deep breath and opened the front door. First things first she declared to the empty house as she walked from window to window opening them wide. Then she headed out the back door to look for wood.
She was absent mindedly walking towards the river when she stopped to look inside the little shed out back. Liu laughed out loud. “Thanks, Abigail.”
The shed was stacked full of fire wood. Ten trips later Liu had enough wood to make it through the night for both fireplaces. Next she went into the kitchen and turned the water on so it could run a while and clear the pipes. It started out pretty rusty but soon begin to clear. She let it run while she walked through the house looking in drawers and closets. Most were empty but some of them would require sorting and figuring out what to do with the stuff. Finally she returned to the kitchen and shut the water off. Liu looked in the cabinets to see if maybe there was an abandoned plate and cup but of course that was where her luck ran out. It would be paper plates and plastic cups tonight. She looked around the kitchen one last time then headed back out to the car to go and buy her supplies.
She bought the basics at the store; cups, plates, toilet paper, paper towels, and plastic silverware. She bought a set of sheets, a pillow and a couple of blankets from the department store next to the grocery store. Then she popped over to the Tombstone Café for some food to take home with her. Liu was headed home in less than two hours.
Liu was still in awe of her own behavior and could not believe how already in her mind she thought of the house as home. She thought about calling Scott and Honey and letting them know she was staying there tonight in case someone called to report activity in the abandoned house but thought better of it. Liu wanted her house to herself and knew they would feel that they needed to bring out food.
Once home she unloaded the groceries and placed them in the kitchen then headed back to the front room to build a fire. Liu stacked the small twigs like she had seen her dad do so many times when she was little. She took the twigs and stood them up forming a little teepee, then she took the medium size sticks and made a teepee with them over the twigs and then she placed four larger sticks in a teepee shape over the sticks. Her father told her once that if you stack your wood like this the flames have enough air to burn hot and by the time the twigs burn up the next layer of sticks are on fire. This is exactly what happened and in less than five minutes from start to finish Liu had a roaring fire in her new fire place.          
Liu got the container of BBQ chicken and potato salad she had bought at the store grabbed a bottle of water and headed back to sit in front of the fireplace. She wasn’t cold, but it was her only source of light besides a couple of candles she was saving for the upstairs bedroom.
She was so glad she had taken the chance and stayed in her new home tonight. She felt safe and at home. As she sat and ate Liu thought back over the day and could not believe how her life had changed so completely and quickly. This will always be her most memorable birthday. The hours fell away softly in the firelight and finally she stood up lit a couple of candles and headed upstairs to bed. Liu made the bed with her new sheets crawled in and blew out the candle. She was asleep almost before her head hit the pillow.
The morning sunshine streaming through the curtain less windows brought Liu back to the land of the awake. At first she was startled and confused about where she was and then a peace settled over her and brought her memories of yesterday rushing back clearly.
Liu laid there a moment longer and then sat up in bed not remembering when she had slept as well or awaken as refreshed. She wanted to stay in bed all day, but knew that was a luxury she could not afford. She had bought a house yesterday and it needed care.
She stretched and put her feet on her new purchased floor and laughed. “What in the world have I done?”
Well I believe it is breakfast time for me she said to the house and headed first to the bathroom and was pleased when the toilet flushed without any problems. When she turned and glanced at the shower she realized there was no gas which meant no hot water she would have to warm up some water in the fireplace or wait till she got back to Houston to take a shower. So she washed her face with cold water and headed downstairs.
She was sitting on the front porch drinking a cup of instant coffee she had bought yesterday when she had gone back into town when Scott drove up the driveway.
Liu could see him laughing before he even stopped the truck. “I had a feeling I would find you here this morning.”
She smile and watched him climb out of his pickup and walk towards her. She wondered if he was aware of the look that flashed in his eyes when he looked at this old house and once again wondered at the friendship between him and this Abigail.
Scott walked up and took a seat next to her on the steps and asked. “You got another cup of that?”
Liu laughed and stood up heading for the kitchen over her shoulder she asked. “How’d you know I’d be here?”
“Gut feeling “was all he said.
Scott watched as Liu drew the water into the pan and walked over to the fireplace and set it on the coals to warm. Laughing he said. “This won’t do, let me see what I can do to get you some utilities. This is a small town and I would like to think I still had a few favors to call in.”
Liu smiled. “A shower would be nice.”