Deja Eek!

By Nicho

 

She wandered from room to room in the house. It was not really what they were looking for – too expensive for one thing – but, well, she liked it.
That was saying a lot as they had already viewed fifteen homes for sale but to be fair – ten of the fifteen had been mis-represented. The other five were just crap.

To Jess, ‘vintage’ meant items of a certain bygone time, kept and nurtured in their original state.  What it did NOT allude to, was a 1960’s original kitchen that had been re-painted sometime in the past ten years with a nauseous yellow paint which was quite clearly not meant for melamine as it was peeling off in more than one place. Jess considered this an improvement, if anything….

Or, she remembered, the house with the ‘original’ bathroom. She, in her naivete, thought this meant the bathroom that had been installed in the 1920’s when the house had been built – not ‘original’ in the sense of ‘no-one else in Christendom owns one similar’…

Those houses did, it must be said, have a lower asking price but the cost of replacing the bathroom and kitchen, to Jess, negated any saving AND they’d have to do the work before they moved in.  With her demanding job, jess did not fancy that prospect at all!

 

So, out of something between boredom and frustration, they had appointed to view a couple of houses they would have to stretch to afford. This one at least DID have an ‘original’ bathroom, in the sense she understood. It was quite beautiful. 1920’s Art Deco, green and white vitrolite walls with narrow black tiles, beautiful set-in mirrors to match and stunning bathroom set – pedestal sink in the Odeon style, matching toilet and some clever person had managed to install a glass shower cabinet that looked the real deal too!

It was the bathroom that sold her but there was more to come. This house had a flat roof with a stairway leading up to it!  It was wonderful! She could imagine sitting up here in the summer with Michael, drink in hand, watching the sunset over the river. You couldn’t see THAT from the garden but you could from up here.
Oh my! She now REALLY wanted this house! Persuading Michael about the finances might be a different kettle of fish…..

The kitchen wasn’t original – that had been changed several times, by the look of it and although it wasn’t to her taste, it would be fine until they could afford a re-fit.

The agent had showed them round the house briefly, then left them to wander at will.

There was, she noticed, a small brick-built annexe off the kitchen. He didn’t show them in there, saying it was full of stuff from the house that hadn’t been cleared yet. They would see that when it was empty, “if they were still interested”,  but Jess read his face which actually said “if you can afford it…”.

Michael had said nothing much all round the house , but then he wasn’t really the type of man to ooh and aah over a bathroom or even the garden – which was very pretty, if a bit overgrown. All he was interested in was the repayments and if his car would fit in the attached garage.

Wandering around the house again, she found herself in the smaller bedroom.

It was next to the bathroom, facing the road, which meant it was a north facing light so it was darker in there than the main two bedrooms, which were ‘sunshine’ rooms, facing south, but it wasn’t depressingly dark – just shady It had a window which curved around the side of the house so it also got some westerly light in the afternoons.

Jess was struck for a moment at how at home she felt in this room – really comfortable and as if she’d been there before - and she could imagine turning this room into a ‘book nook’ or a library with a small couch or day-bed. She could relax in this room – take up her writing again…..

She stood up and shook her head. Michael hadn’t even agreed to offer for this house yet and she was decorating it and planning her hobbies!

As it happened, Michael was in no mind to pay the asking price but Jess had fallen for it so much, she secretly put in a low offer she knew they could afford as it was close to what they’d had refused on another house.  “Costs nothing to ask..” was Jess’s thought.

When the letter accepting their offer came, Michael was flummoxed, then a bit cross but then secretly pleased as Jess had got it at a bargain price.

“Be prepared to be working until your casket hits the flames, Mrs Pike..! “ Michael teased her – this is one mortgage that will see us into old age!”

The accompanied viewer told them that the removers were there to empty the annexe if they wanted to look and so they popped round.

As the Estate Agent said – just random bits of furniture and other items which the man joked they could have in with the price, if they wanted them. Jess, being a good Yorkshire lass, had a good forage and did keep some vintage garden furniture, a couple of rugs and other bits and as the room emptied there were paintings facing the wall at the back..

The removers were very friendly and were chatting with them as they went through and Jess even modelled a fur coat they found – not that she wanted or would ever actually wear one of those but it was just a bit of fun.

“Ey up, Lass – was this ‘ouse in yer family, like?” 

“…oh, no” she answered, “we’re just trying to buy it. Why do you ask?”

In answer, the remover man turned a painting round for Jess to see.

“Well, “ he said “you’re the double of this lady…”

When Jess looked, it was like looking in a mirror.  She was open-mouthed with surprise when Michael came into the room “What’s all this lolly-gagging about then…” he laughed.  Then he saw the painting.  “Wow Jess….”

The Estate Agent followed Michael into the annexe and when he saw the painting, he too stopped dead, open-mouthed.

It turned out that the last owner had been a painter and used the small bedroom as a studio. She had painted this self-portrait in there.

“Is she still alive?” asked Jess, not hopeful.

“Sadly not.  She passed away after a spell in a nursing home, which is why the house had to be sold, to pay the nursing home. “ the agent supplied, “They couldn’t touch it whilst she was alive and there are no children or beneficiaries.”

“Did you ever meet her?” Jess asked.

“Oh yes! I knew her quite well as my parents only live a few doors down and so she was here all whilst I was growing up. Everyone knew Miss Woodworth. She was actually, my art teacher at High School.”

Both Michael and Jess stopped dead and gasped.

“What did you say her name was?” asked Michael.

“Miss Woodworth” the agent supplied “She did marry, for a time, but she kept her maiden name. I suppose for her painting career”

“That’s my name…” Jess said

“No, she wasn’t Jess or Pike – she was Miss Ada Woodworth, the painter. Quite well known round here.”

“My maiden name IS Woodworth and my gt grandmother’s name was…Ada…..”

“Might be worth getting your solicitor onto the job, “ suggested the agent “you never know…” 

She was going to keep that painting either way.