110 - Hot Springs House

*Unfortunately, they’re going to have to make a few decisions right now. Grown up decisions that children should not have to make. Give them options, including the option to make the decision later. - Carly*

The last few weeks had been extremely emotional. Keisha died with her husband by her side and their children over a phone screen. Jasper got sick and was then placed on a ventilator himself.

Meanwhile, Darkness and Camille moved out of their house and into a much lager house. They boxed up a two-bedroom house and moved to a six-bedroom house on the other side of town. On the day that they were moving everything, they raced to get to the kids so that they were not alone when they said goodbye to their dad.

Only to have it ripped away from them by Keisha’s family who were able to manipulate the hospital staff to turn off Jasper's life support.

That caused a chocking amount of legal issues that required Celt and his team to resolve. A meeting at the park with Keisha’s family proved that they did not have the children’s best interests at heart.

It was proven again when William and Dominique were ordered out of Jasper and Keisha’s house by the judge. The next day, Darkness and the Saints took the three kids to the only house that they had ever known and had to choose what was going with them and what could come down later.

They all started in the common rooms together. Camille used blue, green and orange tape to make large squares on the tile floor. Setting the box of colored tape with the others on the island she turned and looked at the three kids.

“We are at your disposal; we can do anything that you want us to. Blue is to take with us now. Green … let’s make green take with us, that seems more accurate.”

The kids nodded and seemed to relax at seeing that she was also a little nervous.

“Alright, so green is go, blue will come down later and orange is to donate.”

Vin stepped over to the island and grabbed the open box of tape and grabbed the red. He made an equally large box and then handed the roll of tape back to Camille.

“Red is trash.”

Camille nodded. She had considered doing a trash option also, but did not want to make them think that she thought their belongings were trash. The fact that they added it themselves made it more acceptable to her.

“If you’re not sure about it, put it in the later. This is not something that we have to deal with everything right now. We can put everything in storage and deal with it later if that’s what you want to do.”

Vin walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a glass bowl. Nicki tensed up when she saw it and Camille wondered what it was about. Vin handed the bowl to his sister. With trembling hands, she grasped the bowl.

The room remained still and silent as everyone watched the teenager hold the decorative glass bowl in front of her.

“I hate this thing,” she eventually whispered. “This,” there was venom in that single word, “was my seventh birthday present. I wanted a Lydia doll from Beetlejuice. I always thought that she was so pretty.”

She walked over to the red square. “That wasn’t girly enough. So, I got a bowl that mom wanted, and I could have it when I was older. I wanted toys and got things for my hope chest.”

Nicki did not even bother to set it down. She simply let go of it. Duke was closest and grabbed the bowl just before it shattered. He handed the bowl to the younger brother and pointed to the blue square, “Put it over there.”

Chowder stepped over and hugged his young friend. “He’s right, sweetheart. Make this decision when you’re not as emotional. After you’ve had time to grieve.”

Part of Camille was grateful that the bowl had been rescued. When Nicki’s emotions weren’t so raw and at the surface, she might make a different decision. Another part of her hated that the decision Nicki made was overruled. It seemed like so many of her decisions were overruled or disregarded.

Just when the adults started to think that today would be a waste, Mitch put everything back on track. He sat the bowl in the blue box and then went to the cabinet above the coffee pot. Opening the doors, he grabbed a stack of colorful plastic cups with silicone grips on the side.

No one stopped him when he placed them in the donate square. Over the next hour, the kids emptied the cabinets into the four squares. The Saints put boxes together and sealed them with the coded colors and clear box tape over the weaker tape. As items were placed in the squares, the Saints wrapped them with bubble wrap and boxed them up.

They did the same thing with the other rooms downstairs. Nick knacks in the living room, Jasper’s man cave and the home office were packed away. Certificates, awards and diplomas were quietly packed away with family pictures to go to the new house in Baton Rouge.

“Hey, Camille?” Celt called out from the man cave. “What color do I use if I want it to go to my house?”

“I love your wife too much to let you take that pool table,” Camille laughed. “You just keep taking your ass on down to Molly’s house to get it kicked.”

“Damn it,” he grumbled loudly.

“Besides, I’m pretty sure the new house has a game room at the back,” Darkness winked at her as he grabbed the blue tape and headed back to the man cave.

“And since he worked on the remodel, he would know,” Camille laughed. Turning around, she found the kids huddled together. “What’s up?”

“None of us like the furniture in the living room.” Vin explained. “And we doubt that you need any of it.”

“Celt!”

“I deny everything!” he replied guiltily as he came into the living room with a beer in his hand.

“Sure,” she replied dryly as she cocked an eyebrow at him. Shaking her head, she motioned to the kids, “What are the options for the house, right now?”

“We can mothball it, it’s an option, but not one that I recommend,” he explained, slipping into business mode. “This can open it up for structural damage, breaking in by all sorts of people – homeless, druggies, travelers,” he cut his eyes over at Critter who quickly found somewhere else to be, “bored teenagers.”

“It was one time!” Critter called from the other room and the Saints all laughed.

“Do not, under any circumstance, look to him for a role model,” Camille suggested.

“He makes a great role model of what not to do,” Duke offered.

“Dude,” Celt shook his head, “you were there.”

“We were talking about Critter!” Duke objected.

“Go….” Camille shooed the mqn away. “I don’t care where you go, actually, go get Darkness.”

Duke shrugged as he sat a box on the floor and headed for the man cave. A moment later, her husband walked out of the room and approached the small group.

“What’s up?” he asked wrapping his arm around Camille’s shoulders.

“Discussing options for the house,” she leaned into his side.

“We’re not leaving it empty,” Darkness declared.

Celt nodded. “You can sell it. Again, not what I would advise, that’s not what your parents seemed to want, but it’s still your decision. You can rent it; we would contract with a listing agent for rent and maintenance.”

He grinned as he looked around the room, “Or we can do it as a short-term rental. With this being lake front property, five bedrooms, basement, man cave…” he listed everything off on his fingers, “you could make more money on short-term than on regular leases. Again, we would contract with a leasing agent.”

“Would it have to be a contracting agent?” Vin asked.

“Not necessarily,” Celt shook his head. “Do you have someone in mind?”

“There’s a couple that works for… worked for mom and dad. She does the housekeeping, and he does the yard work and other stuff,” Vin explained.

“Yeah, we would just do a contract with them,” Celt grinned. “That would actually make it better. If we went with a listing agent, we might have to go with their maintenance and housekeeping. This way, you know who it is.”

“Does that mean that I can leave my bedroom furniture here?” Nicki asked.

“You don’t like it?” Camille asked.

The teen shook her head, “I hate it.”

“Have her look at the websites,” Darkness suggested.

Camille nodded as she pulled her phone out and clicked on a name. As soon as the vibrant voice came across the line, she smiled.

“Clay, I have a decorating job for you.”