STUART'S BUNGALOW

By Charlotte Lewis

Stuart would describe himself as a run-of-the-mill, average guy. He's employed, is single, and has an older married brother. The building he's called home for years is going to be razed and he's looking for a new place to live. Stuart finds a bungalow in the want ads that appears to be everything a guy could want – and at an unbelievable rent. As the days pass, he learns the rent isn't the only unbelievable part of the bungalow. Stuart decides the little house is haunted. In an effort to learn about the house, he researches the current owner. There may be more to the bungalow than being haunted. Perhaps it is time to move.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Mar 31, 2024
• ISBN: 9798369419175

Charlotte Lewis

Charlotte Lewis is retired and lives in Southeast Kansas. Over the years she has been a teacher, accountant, office manager, law secretary, and concierge for a retirement community. However, she has always been a writer. Since retiring, she has self-published several novels as well as producing short stories for other publications. There’s more to learn at charlottelewisonline.com.

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Copyright © 2024 by Charlotte Lewis.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 03/28/2024

Xlibris

844-714-8691

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CONTENTS

Stuart’s Bungalow

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Epilogue

Other Books By Charlotte Lewis

Thank you Donna Spurgeon.

STUART’S BUNGALOW

Nobody advertises much of anything in the classified section of the newspaper these days. Still I read the few ads there are. You never know when you might see something you’ve thought about owning but never followed through. You just never know. But today, today, I may have hit the jackpot. I have to move. No ifs, ands, or buts – I need to find a new place to live. The place I am living is great; unfortunately moving is not a matter of choice. The apartment building is scheduled to be razed before the end of the year. A new, more modern building will be erected on the same site. All current tenants will be eligible to rent in the new building. But I am sure the rent will be out of my range. A new building with all the bells and whistles is going to be expensive. It also will fill up fast.

So I read the classifieds faithfully, daily.

The owner is promising everything but pie in the sky. Bigger apartments, built in dishwashers, garbage disposals, laundry facilities in each apartment, elevators, air conditioning, an atrium garden area. The old building is three stories; the new will be eight. From the architect’s drawings, the shape of the new building will be similar to many of the upper scale chain hotels. The building will wrap around an inner court – which will be said atrium garden, I guess. The best thing about this idea is that every apartment will open to the inner court. An open hall way sounds more appealing than the closed, narrow dingy hallway outside my door now. Oh, yes, it will definitely be bigger, and better, and more expensive to rent. So, I read the classifieds. The few there are. All my friends tell me to sign up with a real estate agent. Which would, admittedly, be more effective. There’s often a fee and I believe the landlord should be paying the fees. So, I read the classified.

No doubt about it. My reasoning that the rents will be out of my range financially is real. That’s a true shame as my present location is ideal – for me. Fairly close to work, shopping and even a couple nice parks nearby. Bus stops a block away and there is a small family grocery in that block. Perfect for anyone but especially for a bachelor who doesn’t own a car. Someone like me.

Even if the new building doesn’t live up to his hype, and the rents are reasonable, I need a place to live during construction. That could take more than a year. The guy thinks big and says no more than a year. I’ve watched buildings being built all my life. It’ll take at least a year; more likely two. I’ll put my name on the list and hope for the best. A simple goodwill gesture on my part. He’s been a decent landlord. If by some outside chance, the rents are reasonable, I will have a place in line. He says previous tenants will have preference – and I believe he’ll hold to that promise. There has been nothing in the years I’ve been here that he promised to do and didn’t follow through.

But, as I was saying, there’s a promising ad in the paper today. Well, it reads promising. It reads incredible actually; so it’s probably already gone. Under Rentals - One bedroom, one bath bungalow, water and trash paid, backs up to Marvinstad Park. No pets. And a phone number.

I have no idea where this Park is located. Hopefully, it’s more in town than out. I called the number listed while I was still on the bus on my way to work and was surprised when a live person answered. All I’ve gotten the last couple weeks are recorded messages - please leave a number. I leave my name and my number and the reason I am calling. So far, I have not received a single call back. But here’s a real person. Wow.

The woman who answered said her real estate firm was handling the rental. Today is the first day it’s been advertised. Would I like to see the bungalow after work today? Yes, I would. She gave me the address and then directions before adding it was a block and a half from a Route 4 City Bus Line stop. A lot of us in the Bay Area don’t have cars. That may be the reason she volunteered the bus information. Almost as an afterthought I asked what the rent was. I sincerely doubted she’d give me a figure. But she did. Good thing I had a seat this morning; I would have fallen over for sure. I asked her to repeat it. And that’s with water and trash paid? It was.

Trying to sound nonchalant, I thanked her kindly and verified that I would meet her at the bungalow after I get off work. She confirmed the time, called me by name and said thank you. I’m in shock. She repeated the rent amount twice. I didn’t mis-hear. Seven hundred fifty dollars, water and trash paid. Double wow. It’s a single family residence on its own lot. The lady emphasized that. Wow. I pay almost double that for my apartment. And I share the floor with thirty-one other apartments. Double wow.

By the time I arrived at work, I had checked the bus schedule. Even leaving work at my usual time, I could easily be on time for a 5:15 look at the rental. It’s doubtful anyone would mind if I left a few minutes early. In fact, it’s possible no one would know I was gone. I was taught to put in a full day’s work even though I’m salaried. So I won’t leave early. Unless there’s a traffic problem, I can make it – easily. I’ve never ridden the Number Four bus line so am not sure what its route is like. There could be construction to hold up traffic. I know there has been a lot of construction lately on the bus line I use. I’ll take the chance. I doubt she’ll take me off the list if I’m a few minutes late. And, if she does, that’s just the way the cookie crumbles.

Not knowing the #4 bus line, I was surprised that it goes in the opposite direction of how my bus goes now. The address didn’t ring a bell and I guess this is why. The bus was on the opposite side of town by the time I saw Grand Boulevard. That was the stop the realtor had mentioned. I pulled for a stop, thanked the driver and got off. I’ve never actually been on this side of town. One short block and a right turn and I was on the street she mentioned. Half a block to go. I would be on time. Only nine minutes from work to the bus stop. Incredible.

CHAPTER ONE

Like most guys do, I pictured in my mind what this place was going to look like long before I got there. For the rent she quoted, it has to be kind of ramshackle but not quite run down looking - yet. She said there was a small fenced yard back and front as well as an area in the back where the last tenant had planted a garden. I could visualize grass a foot high, tumble down fences and some dug up area in one corner of the yard. Not quite the slums, but close. As I walked the short distance from the bus stop, I noticed the neighborhood doesn’t look posh but it doesn’t look seedy either. I was sure the house would not be an eyesore but not really great either.

Boy, was I wrong! With that visual fixed in my mind, I walked past the place. I came to a corner which the agent had not mentioned. I passed it? Yeah, I sure did. It didn’t come close to what I had imagined. White picket fence, nice walkway to the house from the main sidewalk, and manicured lawns. A Beemer was parked at the curb. The house is little - right; it’s a bungalow. Nicely painted; nothing ramshackle or run down in the least. I rang the doorbell even though the inner door was open. I’ve never been comfortable coming to an open door like this and yelling, Yoo Hoo. An extremely attractive, professionally dressed, older woman came to the door. Alice, the realtor. She opened the door, welcomed me by name, and invited me in. I checked my watch – it was 5:12.

Alice showed me the inside of the house. A small window A/C in the bedroom was the only attempt at air conditioning. The house was heated with electric base board heating. I haven’t had much experience with baseboard heating but have heard it’s not the best. But hey, the house is old and small. Once it’s heated it should stay that way for a while. Didn’t they used to insulate in the old days? The carpets in the living room and bedroom look new. Nice neutral color – not tan but something in that range. The floors in the rest of the house have some other type covering. Kitchen and bath are tiled, pretty sure it’s tile. Guess the dining room is too but it’s a different type of tile than in the bathroom. Big foot squares with matching grout. It’s quite attractive and, I am sure, easy to keep clean. That’s always a plus. I’m not much of a housekeeper.

The bathroom must have been remodeled as it sure doesn’t look like a bungalow bath. At the same time, it’s no luxury bath either. Nicely tiled stand alone shower with glass doors. No tub. Basin has a cupboard below and a medicine chest above it. Couple towel racks in convenient locations. And a linen closet. I guess it’s a linen closet. It’s in the bathroom but is not really a closet. Cupboard would be more the word. Surely it’s a linen cupboard. Nice.

I think the kitchen has been updated in the last ten years too; but not actually remodeled. There is a fairly new looking gas range, medium-sized fridge and freezer combo, and a small dishwasher. I didn’t know dishwashers came in various sizes. The cupboards are wood – stained rather than painted, it looks like. Twice as many cupboards as I have now. The counter tops look like some sort of marble laminate. Is that such a thing? Anyhow, the counters are wide enough to actually put together a big sandwich. My counters now are about fourteen inches deep. Maybe I’m just a slob but they seem awfully small when you’re creating a great sandwich.

There is a screened back porch with a washer and dryer in one corner. The ad hadn’t mentioned them. When I asked, Alice assured me they were operational. Her agency felt they could be explained when a prospect looks at the property. They seem to be a pair – both the same brand name and look fairly new.

Outside, at the back of the property, is a rusting barb wire fence overgrown with vegetation - ivy, I think. Plants are a mystery to me. They’re either green or have flowers. That’s about my extent of plant knowledge. The fence is the first thing on the property that doesn’t look well maintained. Beyond that fence is the park mentioned in the ad . Maybe the fence belongs to the Park and not the bungalow. .The Park looks deserted to me. I can see lots of flowers but not much else. Maybe it’s not a recreational type park. Or everyone is home eating dinner. I don’t know why I insist on speculating when I have no information. Bad habit. Any how, I noticed that when the wind blows from the north, the flowers in the park are very noticeable. The fragrance is really nice.

Next to the house is a ramada, or maybe it’s a covered carport. It is at the end of a narrow concrete driveway. Handy if you have a car. Having no car, I could make it into a real cool party area. Most of my friends are single and would be amiable to come over to watch a ball game in a ramada. I have a portable TV I