Finding Truth Behind Legends
by Wizardtho
Chapter 37:
BPOV:
Freshly showered and dressed, Taha and I open our bedroom doors to the smell of freshly brewed coffee. Dad and Jake are both standing at the island drinking coffee, while Leah is waiting for her water to be ready for tea.
I smile and say, “Morning everyone. Looks like you and Jake are mine today, Leah. Dad, if you wouldn’t mind, Taha could use your help today. He’s going to buy the tub, fixtures, tiles, and other things for the new bathroom. Remember all those measurements we figured out? I’m sending pics of things I like to Taha, so you guys can pick them out at the home improvement store.”
Leah asks as she fills her cup with steaming water, “Have you tried Craigslist yet for the tub and fixtures?”
I shake my head, “I haven’t had time.”
She grins, “Leave it to me. Send your inspiration pics to my phone, and I’ll look. Since you live in the middle of nowhere, we should know something before they reach the store.”
I pull my phone from my pocket, then send the pics to both Leah and Taha. As soon as I hit send, the doorbell rings. Jake smiles, “Have some coffee, Bells. I’ll get it.”
He comes back in 2 minutes later with Andy, Jasmine, and Thomas. As I’m telling them good morning, Leah gasps then grabs my arm. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but… I think I just found it. You gave me 2 tubs; a claw foot slipper, and one that reminds me of an old water trough. The 2 clawfoot tubs I found would have been too small… only 52 inches. This, though, looks nearly identical to the one you sent me, and it’s 69 inches.”
She handed me her phone, so I scanned the ad, saying, “Brand new. Never taken out of the box. Receipt and paperwork come with it. Bought it for a bathroom reno that never happened. Need the space in my garage, and it’s past the return date. Last picture shows measurements from the manual. Paid $1600, Selling for $800 firm.”
I flipped through the pictures; the seller opened the box long enough to take several detailed photos. Handing Leah’s phone back to her, I say, “Awesome find. Google that tub for me, to see what it retails for now. I don’t want to contact him if I can get it for under 8 within a week.”
Jasmine asks, “Do you mind me looking?”
Leah turns her phone screen enough to share it with Jasmine, but Jasmine whistles, “Yeah, um… you aren’t finding that under $800 brand new. He must have gotten it on a promo sale when it came out because that was over $2000 when released. Dad, it’s one of those pedestal tubs… and it does kind of look like an old water trough.”
Leah nods to me, “She’s right. I can’t find this thing under for under a grand. You’re crazy if you don’t snatch this up, Swan. I know it’s out near Shelby, but still.”
I look to Taha, who says as he cups my cheek, “We have to head down into Browning for drywall screws and your other requests, so if you call to tell me it’s available to pick up today, we’ll head east from there to Shelby. We’re going to go now, so we can be there when the store opens, but call me when you know something.”
I nod and give him a quick kiss. “I will. I’m going to reply to the email address on the ad, then if I don’t hear anything by 8 am, I’ll call the number listed. Please be careful.”
I hand Dad my keys, give him a hug, then ask the trio of tradespersons, “Ready to begin?”
I look, only to realize that each of them is holding a cup of coffee. I laugh, “Scratch that last. Enjoy your coffee first, please.”
Jasmine chuckles in response, “And you have an email to send before you lose that amazing tub.”
Leah hands me her phone, only for me to see an email already typed up. It asks politely if the tub is still available, states we are willing to pay cash, and asks when the soonest is we would be able to pick the tub up. It lists my phone number, then states my husband will be in Browning for the morning, so if it’s possible to pick up today, please call me right away. If not, I would be happy to make arrangements to come out at another time.
I nod at Leah as I hit the send button, “Thanks, this is good.”
She smiles while saying, “You’re welcome. I’ll keep an eye on my email, in case they respond that way. Just make sure your phone stays in your back pocket, so you reach it in time if it rings.”
Jasmine asks, “Have you picked faucets?”
I pull my phone out after handing Leah hers, then pull up the inspiration picks for the bathroom. I show her and Thomas the exposed pipe shower head and handle, then the tub faucet. She hums, then Thomas says, “Make sure your father picks up the matching overflow and drain piping. I could custom make them, but you’d have to spray paint them in a metallic finish that probably wouldn’t be close enough to that bronze.”
I hadn’t thought of that. I pull up Taha’s number, then text him, “Thomas says to make sure you get the matching overflow and drain to the faucet you buy for the tub since they will be exposed. The finish won’t match if we spray paint a custom one.”
I get a thumbs up and a kissy face with heart eyes in response. I chuckle and send back a heart.
I tell Thomas that they understand, then tell Andy, “As soon as we get you guys set up in your workspaces, I need to pull out the lighting for you. Is there somewhere you want me to place the lights for the bathroom since you’ll both be taking turns working in there?”
Andy nods while scratching his slightly scruffy chin, “In either of the lofts, if you don’t mind. Thomas and Jasmine will be doing the majority of the work in the bathroom, so I’m going to start in the lofts and do my bathroom work once they are through.”
I nod, noting, “If either of you needs access inside the walls in any certain place that’s finished, I have drywall on hand to replace it. Just let me know where, and I’ll get the area cleared for you.”
After another minute or 2, all 3 have finished their cups of coffee, so I walk them up the stairs to their work zones. When I walk with Andy to the loft over my bedroom, I start looking through the carefully packed bins to pull out the lighting needed. As I pull out each piece, I tell him where it goes. “This is the overhead light for in here. This one is the overhead for the main loft. Any other lighting in the lofts will be lamps. These 2 go over the sink mirrors in the bathroom. Remind me to pull those out for you when you start in there, so we get an accurate measurement. These final 2 are the overheads for the water closet and the main portion of the bathroom.”
Just then my phone rings, so I smile at Andy and whisper my excuse before leaving the loft. “Hello?”
It turns out to be the owner of the tub, who happily tells me he works from home, so we can pick up the tub as soon as we’re ready today. I tell him if he can text me the address once we hang up, my father and husband would be happy to pick it up around lunchtime, if that wouldn’t be a problem for him. They were currently in Browning picking out tile, grout, and fixtures.
He tells me he’s also selling the faucet and drain set he bought to go with it, so I ask if he can text me a picture of them with the price. When he tells me he would be happy to, I thank him and end the call.
Less than 2 minutes later, I get back-to-back dings on my phone, so I check my phone as I fix myself another cup of coffee. I can’t help but call out a happy, “Yes! Perfect!” then dash up the stairs to show Thomas and Jasmine. “This works, right? He says he bought that to go with the tub. Jasmine, does that price look reasonable?”
Thomas says it will work very well, and will actually leave them with less work. Jasmine pushes a few buttons on her phone, then says that it’s the same as the tub… less than half of the current retail.”
I thank them both before walking toward the stairs and calling Taha. “Hi. I’m going to send you the address. The man works from home, so I told him you’d be there around lunch. Does that give you enough time to do what needs to be done?”
I can hear the smile in his voice as he says, “Yes, Little Coyote. That gives us plenty of time. Is the price the same?”
I reply, “Actually, you’ll need to draw out a full $1000; you’re getting the faucet set and overflow drain set he bought to go with the tub. Jasmine said the extra $200 was less than half the current retail price of the items, plus it saves them some work, so I can’t pass it up. It looks nearly identical to what I sent you as inspiration, so please still try to find a shower set and sink faucets like I sent you.”
He promises he will, tells me he loves me, then reminds me to send him the address. “I will. I love you, too. Be safe.”
After I text the address to Taha, I confirm with the tub owner that they will be there around lunch, plus we will be buying the faucet/drain sets, and I thank him again. Though I do still answer questions for plumbing or lighting, I quickly become busy marking off the last loads from Gray Haven.
When Zander stops in, he asks where Taha is hiding, so I laugh, “He left me. He and Dad are off bonding over tile and grout. They have a lunch date in Shelby to pick up my new tub and accessories. I guess Dad stopped and sweet-talked Lily into letting them borrow your trailer. I’m hoping they find a mattress store, too, or I’ll be hurting for comfortable shifter space tonight.”
Zander laughs at my joke, then says, “I know it’s not much, but I found you 4 gently used full bed mattresses. They’re being stored at the community center.”
I hug him in thanks, then say, “Please let Taha know, so they don’t go buying more than needed. Also, as soon as you have some free boys, I could really use their help getting this trench dug for the electric and plumbing lines going to the cabin. I’ll have to check with Andy and Thomas to see how deep it needs to be, but that should only take a minute.”
Zander promises, “Will do. As soon as the last load is done in about an hour, I can spare you Aiden, Shiloh, and Devon. Brad’s still helping his Dad, and I need the rest of the boys that are on this side of the rez to patrol. I’ll go over with my Dad to pick up the beds for you when I drop the boys off.”
I thanked him, promising, “With the 2 wolves here, and 3 coyotes, we’ll make pretty quick work of it, I’m sure.”
BPOV:
Freshly showered and dressed, Taha and I open our bedroom doors to the smell of freshly brewed coffee. Dad and Jake are both standing at the island drinking coffee, while Leah is waiting for her water to be ready for tea.
I smile and say, “Morning everyone. Looks like you and Jake are mine today, Leah. Dad, if you wouldn’t mind, Taha could use your help today. He’s going to buy the tub, fixtures, tiles, and other things for the new bathroom. Remember all those measurements we figured out? I’m sending pics of things I like to Taha, so you guys can pick them out at the home improvement store.”
Leah asks as she fills her cup with steaming water, “Have you tried Craigslist yet for the tub and fixtures?”
I shake my head, “I haven’t had time.”
She grins, “Leave it to me. Send your inspiration pics to my phone, and I’ll look. Since you live in the middle of nowhere, we should know something before they reach the store.”
I pull my phone from my pocket, then send the pics to both Leah and Taha. As soon as I hit send, the doorbell rings. Jake smiles, “Have some coffee, Bells. I’ll get it.”
He comes back in 2 minutes later with Andy, Jasmine, and Thomas. As I’m telling them good morning, Leah gasps then grabs my arm. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but… I think I just found it. You gave me 2 tubs; a claw foot slipper, and one that reminds me of an old water trough. The 2 clawfoot tubs I found would have been too small… only 52 inches. This, though, looks nearly identical to the one you sent me, and it’s 69 inches.”
She handed me her phone, so I scanned the ad, saying, “Brand new. Never taken out of the box. Receipt and paperwork come with it. Bought it for a bathroom reno that never happened. Need the space in my garage, and it’s past the return date. Last picture shows measurements from the manual. Paid $1600, Selling for $800 firm.”
I flipped through the pictures; the seller opened the box long enough to take several detailed photos. Handing Leah’s phone back to her, I say, “Awesome find. Google that tub for me, to see what it retails for now. I don’t want to contact him if I can get it for under 8 within a week.”
Jasmine asks, “Do you mind me looking?”
Leah turns her phone screen enough to share it with Jasmine, but Jasmine whistles, “Yeah, um… you aren’t finding that under $800 brand new. He must have gotten it on a promo sale when it came out because that was over $2000 when released. Dad, it’s one of those pedestal tubs… and it does kind of look like an old water trough.”
Leah nods to me, “She’s right. I can’t find this thing under for under a grand. You’re crazy if you don’t snatch this up, Swan. I know it’s out near Shelby, but still.”
I look to Taha, who says as he cups my cheek, “We have to head down into Browning for drywall screws and your other requests, so if you call to tell me it’s available to pick up today, we’ll head east from there to Shelby. We’re going to go now, so we can be there when the store opens, but call me when you know something.”
I nod and give him a quick kiss. “I will. I’m going to reply to the email address on the ad, then if I don’t hear anything by 8 am, I’ll call the number listed. Please be careful.”
I hand Dad my keys, give him a hug, then ask the trio of tradespersons, “Ready to begin?”
I look, only to realize that each of them is holding a cup of coffee. I laugh, “Scratch that last. Enjoy your coffee first, please.”
Jasmine chuckles in response, “And you have an email to send before you lose that amazing tub.”
Leah hands me her phone, only for me to see an email already typed up. It asks politely if the tub is still available, states we are willing to pay cash, and asks when the soonest is we would be able to pick the tub up. It lists my phone number, then states my husband will be in Browning for the morning, so if it’s possible to pick up today, please call me right away. If not, I would be happy to make arrangements to come out at another time.
I nod at Leah as I hit the send button, “Thanks, this is good.”
She smiles while saying, “You’re welcome. I’ll keep an eye on my email, in case they respond that way. Just make sure your phone stays in your back pocket, so you reach it in time if it rings.”
Jasmine asks, “Have you picked faucets?”
I pull my phone out after handing Leah hers, then pull up the inspiration picks for the bathroom. I show her and Thomas the exposed pipe shower head and handle, then the tub faucet. She hums, then Thomas says, “Make sure your father picks up the matching overflow and drain piping. I could custom make them, but you’d have to spray paint them in a metallic finish that probably wouldn’t be close enough to that bronze.”
I hadn’t thought of that. I pull up Taha’s number, then text him, “Thomas says to make sure you get the matching overflow and drain to the faucet you buy for the tub since they will be exposed. The finish won’t match if we spray paint a custom one.”
I get a thumbs up and a kissy face with heart eyes in response. I chuckle and send back a heart.
I tell Thomas that they understand, then tell Andy, “As soon as we get you guys set up in your workspaces, I need to pull out the lighting for you. Is there somewhere you want me to place the lights for the bathroom since you’ll both be taking turns working in there?”
Andy nods while scratching his slightly scruffy chin, “In either of the lofts, if you don’t mind. Thomas and Jasmine will be doing the majority of the work in the bathroom, so I’m going to start in the lofts and do my bathroom work once they are through.”
I nod, noting, “If either of you needs access inside the walls in any certain place that’s finished, I have drywall on hand to replace it. Just let me know where, and I’ll get the area cleared for you.”
After another minute or 2, all 3 have finished their cups of coffee, so I walk them up the stairs to their work zones. When I walk with Andy to the loft over my bedroom, I start looking through the carefully packed bins to pull out the lighting needed. As I pull out each piece, I tell him where it goes. “This is the overhead light for in here. This one is the overhead for the main loft. Any other lighting in the lofts will be lamps. These 2 go over the sink mirrors in the bathroom. Remind me to pull those out for you when you start in there, so we get an accurate measurement. These final 2 are the overheads for the water closet and the main portion of the bathroom.”
Just then my phone rings, so I smile at Andy and whisper my excuse before leaving the loft. “Hello?”
It turns out to be the owner of the tub, who happily tells me he works from home, so we can pick up the tub as soon as we’re ready today. I tell him if he can text me the address once we hang up, my father and husband would be happy to pick it up around lunchtime, if that wouldn’t be a problem for him. They were currently in Browning picking out tile, grout, and fixtures.
He tells me he’s also selling the faucet and drain set he bought to go with it, so I ask if he can text me a picture of them with the price. When he tells me he would be happy to, I thank him and end the call.
Less than 2 minutes later, I get back-to-back dings on my phone, so I check my phone as I fix myself another cup of coffee. I can’t help but call out a happy, “Yes! Perfect!” then dash up the stairs to show Thomas and Jasmine. “This works, right? He says he bought that to go with the tub. Jasmine, does that price look reasonable?”
Thomas says it will work very well, and will actually leave them with less work. Jasmine pushes a few buttons on her phone, then says that it’s the same as the tub… less than half of the current retail.”
I thank them both before walking toward the stairs and calling Taha. “Hi. I’m going to send you the address. The man works from home, so I told him you’d be there around lunch. Does that give you enough time to do what needs to be done?”
I can hear the smile in his voice as he says, “Yes, Little Coyote. That gives us plenty of time. Is the price the same?”
I reply, “Actually, you’ll need to draw out a full $1000; you’re getting the faucet set and overflow drain set he bought to go with the tub. Jasmine said the extra $200 was less than half the current retail price of the items, plus it saves them some work, so I can’t pass it up. It looks nearly identical to what I sent you as inspiration, so please still try to find a shower set and sink faucets like I sent you.”
He promises he will, tells me he loves me, then reminds me to send him the address. “I will. I love you, too. Be safe.”
After I text the address to Taha, I confirm with the tub owner that they will be there around lunch, plus we will be buying the faucet/drain sets, and I thank him again. Though I do still answer questions for plumbing or lighting, I quickly become busy marking off the last loads from Gray Haven.
When Zander stops in, he asks where Taha is hiding, so I laugh, “He left me. He and Dad are off bonding over tile and grout. They have a lunch date in Shelby to pick up my new tub and accessories. I guess Dad stopped and sweet-talked Lily into letting them borrow your trailer. I’m hoping they find a mattress store, too, or I’ll be hurting for comfortable shifter space tonight.”
Zander laughs at my joke, then says, “I know it’s not much, but I found you 4 gently used full bed mattresses. They’re being stored at the community center.”
I hug him in thanks, then say, “Please let Taha know, so they don’t go buying more than needed. Also, as soon as you have some free boys, I could really use their help getting this trench dug for the electric and plumbing lines going to the cabin. I’ll have to check with Andy and Thomas to see how deep it needs to be, but that should only take a minute.”
Zander promises, “Will do. As soon as the last load is done in about an hour, I can spare you Aiden, Shiloh, and Devon. Brad’s still helping his Dad, and I need the rest of the boys that are on this side of the rez to patrol. I’ll go over with my Dad to pick up the beds for you when I drop the boys off.”
I thanked him, promising, “With the 2 wolves here, and 3 coyotes, we’ll make pretty quick work of it, I’m sure.”