chapter 50
It was time for Larry to outline his plan and to do that, he needed space.
He cleared off his kitchen table and took out a stack of crisp white paper, a brand new fine tip black marker and a ruler. Larry had examined his two-story townhouse very carefully, devising a solution to his lovesick heart. He recalled hanging a painting in his dining area three years ago. The nail he had pounded a bit too hard broke through the wall revealing a small crawl space beneath the stairs. Larry sealed the wall and painted it. No one could ever tell that there was an imperfection. It was the painting, a scene of a lone man by the river that inspired Larry.
He measured the wall, visually determining how the stairs ascended upwards. On the paper he drew the diagonal wall, indicating the staircase railing with two lines. He measured three feet down from the railing and marked the spot. It was three feet up from the floor as well. Larry diligently began to sketch the outline for his project.
A secret room beneath the stairs.
Nimbly his hands moved across the paper, transcribing the idea in his head. When it was complete, he took out another sheet of paper and began retracing his drawing with the ruler, creating his project to scale.
Larry eyed his drawing. It was perfect.
He got in his beat up car and drove to the local home hardware store. The day was sunny and clear. It was as if God was giving him his blessing with easy weather for driving. He entered the store, fortunately it wasn’t that busy. He was greeted by a man whose badge identified him as Trevor.
“Can I help you, sir?”
Sir.
“Yes,” Larry said, taking out his crude blueprint, “I need wood to build a storage space under my stairs.”
Trevor looked at his plans. “You going through cinderblock?”
“I think so.”
“You got a drill?”
“Yes.”
“Good, you’ll want to use a masonry bit to get through the block. You’ll also need some pine. It’s inexpensive and it’ll work.”
Trevor was a gold mine of information. He walked Larry through the entire process, helping him collect all the supplies.
“Thank you Trevor. You’ve been a great help.”
“You’re welcome, sir.”
Another sir. Trevor showed him great respect. Larry knew he’d have to put him on the wedding list.
The bill for the supplies was a bit hefty, but overall it was a small price to pay for the woman he loved.
Larry returned home and began work on the project that would make Dana his.