Judy listened to the conversation as her husband talked to the unknown person. Her curiosity was aroused at what she heard.
“Who was that?” she asked as Roy hung up the phone.
“It was a lawyer from Indiana,” said her husband. “He called to inform me that I have inherited a two hundred year old house in Richmond, Indiana.”
“From who?” asked Judy, “I had no idea that you had any relatives living in Indiana.”
“The attorney told me that I was the sole heir to the estate of Alice Harrison Smith. Apparently, she was the younger sister of my great, great grandfather, which would make her my great, great, great aunt,” said Roy. “Since she had no direct descendents, her will left her entire estate to her youngest married nephew or niece from the Harrison branch of the family. And that person would be me.”
Roy and Judy Harrison lived in Atlanta, Georgia, with their five-year-old son, Brian. Roy was a middle school science teacher, and Judy was a stay at home mom, who planned to go finish her teaching degree once Brian was in school full time.
Roy and his wife thought it over, and decided that they would visit Richmond, and check out the house that they had inherited. According to the attorney, the Harrison family had been the only family to live in the house throughout its two-century history, with the last owner, being Alice Smith, who lived there her entire life. She was one hundred and two years old when she died.
Roy and Judy both agreed that if they liked the house and the town, Roy would look for a teaching job in Richmond, and he found one, they would leave Atlanta and relocate to Richmond.
On the other hand, if they did not like the house or the town, they would sell it and remain in Atlanta.
That Friday, when Roy got off work at noon, he and his family drove up to Richmond, Indiana to visit their new house. Once they arrived in the town of Richmond, they asked an older gentleman for directions to the house.
“Oh, you must mean ‘Harrison Manor’,” the old-timer said. He gave them directions to the property, which was on the edge of town.
Soon, they found themselves driving down a winding road that took them to Harrison Manor. As they pulled up to the house, Roy and Judy immediately fell in love with the house. It was a two-story colonial style house, which sat on five acres of land. There were several older trees throughout the property, many of them fruit trees. They walked around the property, until they heard a car pull up.
Roy and Judy introduced themselves to the attorney, Brad Young, who had brought the keys to the house. He told them to take a tour of the house, and then he would meet them at his office in town, to sign the legal documents that would transfer the property over to them. When Roy invited Mr. Young into the house, he politely declined, stating that he had to return to his office. As he got into his car, and drove away, Roy got the distinct impression that the attorney was a very nervous old man.
Roy unlocked the front door of the house, and he Judy and Brian walked into the front hall. As they walked around the house, they were amazed at how well maintained it was, considering its age. All of the furniture and contents of the house were theirs as well. There were quite a few antiques, which were in excellent condition, and they seemed to fit right in with the style of the house.
The house itself was exactly as it was when it was built back in 1810, with the exception of the four fireplaces, which had been converted to gas. The plumbing and electrical work were updated and in excellent condition. Roy and Judy explored every single room.
When Roy and Judy were ready to head back to town, they both agreed on one thing. They loved the house and were ready to move in immediately, providing that Roy could find a teaching job in the Richmond school system.
When they arrived in town, Roy and Judy drove to Mr. Young’s office to sign the papers. After they had placed their signatures on the last page of the documents, Mr. Young shook their hands and said; “Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Harrison, you are now the owners of Harrison Manor.”
Roy visited the middle school and met with the principal, to inquire about a job. He discovered that science teacher was retiring at the end of the school year, which was only a month away. Roy filled out a job application, and was told that if his credentials checked out; they would be hearing from the school within a couple of weeks.
Everything was falling right into place. Roy was just finishing up at the school year in Atlanta, and he had not yet signed the contract for the next year. Judy loved the small town feel of Richmond, and it was closer to her family, who lived just outside of Chicago.
On the drive back to Atlanta, Judy noticed that Brian did not have his favorite truck. When she asked him where it was, he replied; “I gave it to Christopher, because he did not have a truck to play with.”
“Who is Christopher?” Judy asked her son.
“He is the little boy who lives in our new house,” said Brian.
Roy and Judy looked at each other and laughed, when they realized that their son was already creating new imaginary playmates at their new house. They decided that he really felt comfortable in the new house.
One week after they returned to Atlanta, Roy received a phone call, officially offering him the teaching job in Richmond. He accepted the job, and informed the principal at his current job, that he would not be signing a contract for the next school year.
By the middle of June, the Harrison family had sold their house in Atlanta, packed up their belongings, and moved to Richmond.