09:42 (Washington Time)
Saturday, June 26, 1999 ‘C’
Ingrid Dows’ residence, Aurora Hills
Arlington, Virginia, U.S.A.
‘’Everybody got his or her coffee? Then let’s start this show.’’
Nancy then smiled to Lucy, Leonardo, Carmen, Erika and Sarah, who were now all sitting with her around the dining table.
‘’Now that Ingrid has retired from the military and is planning to move to the West Coast in order to start a new job, she wants us to decide what to do with this house and whether we would like to sell it or keep it. We also have to consider the fact that we of the band already have a place in New York, with me in particular owning as well and managing the Windermere Home Project in New York.’’
‘’There is actually even more than that at play, Sis.’’ said in turn Leonardo. ‘’Don’t forget that I also own by inheritance my family’s residence on Woodland Drive Northwest, here in Washington, plus my family’s beachside cottage in Atlantic City. I also own and manage the Whole Foods Company in Reston and the Express Vans Company in Gaithersburg. Those two companies presently employ a total of over 700 people and I want to stay close to them in order to care for them and my employees.’’
‘’I stand corrected.’’ replied Nancy, smiling to Leo. ‘’So, you understandably want to continue to live in the Washington area for those reasons, which I can understand perfectly. Now, what would you like us to do with this house we are in? We have been happily living in it with Ingrid for close to sixteen years and you still live here, contrary to us girls, who have been living in New York for four years and only visited it from time to time. Since you presently are the true resident with Ingrid, I believe that you should decide what to do with this house, Leo.’’
Leonardo, who had himself recently graduated from the Boston’s M.I.T. with a degree in mechanical engineering, nodded his head slowly in acknowledgement.
‘’You are right, Sis, and I appreciate that you leave that choice to me. However, I believe that my two other residences I personally own, meaning my family home and my Atlantic City summer cottage, have to be factored into my decision. I truly want to be able to keep this house in Arlington and to continue living in it, because of its proximity to my two companies on this side of the Potomac River. On the other hand, I have barely used my ex-family house in Woodley
Park, and that mostly when we wanted to throw big parties in it. That mansion is in excellent shape, has nine bedrooms, six bathrooms, a huge grand lounge, which by the way would be perfect for you girls to practice as a band, plus a big pool, a tennis court, a large garage and many more amenities. It also sits on a large lot, with the neighbors being far enough away to avoid having them complaining about the noise when you would practice music in it. I thus am offering you that mansion as the official residence of your band. I know that you like your present place in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen District, but I believe that you should move to my mansion in Woodley Park, which would be perfect for you five. Besides, your present apartments in New York are costing you quite a lot in monthly rent, thanks to the prices for homes in New York, while I am offering my mansion to you as a gift. Finally, about your Windermere Home Project, Nancy, I know that you can in fact get to it at will in a mere fraction of a second. You could thus live here in Washington while still being able to visit your project quickly and at will. As for my cottage in Atlantic City, I want to keep it, so that it could be used by all of us. Oh, I nearly forgot: the garage of my Woodley Park mansion contains a Buick SKYLARK 1986 four-door sedan and a BMW M3 1988 sport cabriolet, both of which have been mostly gathering dust for years, since I have my own Porsche 911 convertible.’’
The five girls surrounding Leo starred at him with open mouths for long seconds, stunned by his generosity. Lucy, sitting next to Leo, then planted a big kiss on his cheek.
‘’Leo, I love you! You are such a nice guy.’’
‘’Yeah, not bad for the son of a mafioso, eh?’’ replied Leo, grinning. He then got more kisses from Erika, Sarah and Nancy. The latter was all smiles when they all sat back in their places around the table.
‘’Well, judging from the reactions of us girls, I would say that your most generous offer has been unanimously accepted, Leo.’’
‘’Well, as new and aspiring professional musicians, I know that you are not exactly millionaires, so that rent you pay in New York could end up being quite a financial burden on you five. On the other hand, you will now have a perfect place to practice as a band without having to worry about disturbing the neighbors. So, who wants the BMW and the Buick?’’
‘’Uh, can I have the BMW, girls?’’ asked Carmen Estrada, hopeful, while smiling.
‘’Well, since I already have a very nice Hiller Airbike, courtesy of Ingrid, I am not going to take the BMW. What do you say, Sarah and Erika?’’
‘’Uh, before you girls decide on that, I have something that could interest Erika in particular.’’ cut in Leo. ‘’My transport company had a small delivery van that was used mostly to carry truck spare parts and tools and that is still in good condition. However, we just bought a new, more capacious delivery van to replace it and I was about to put the older van on sale. It is yours if you want it, Erika.’’
‘’How big exactly is it, Leo?’’ asked Erika, obviously interested, whose present minivan was starting to seriously show its age.
‘’It is still a garage-compatible vehicle but has a longer wheelbase than standard minivans. I know for a fact that it fits inside the garage of my mansion.’’
‘’Then, I would be most happy to take it, Leo. Thanks again for your generosity.’’
‘’My pleasure, Erika. So, who will take my BMW and the SKYLARK?’’
‘’I will let Carmen keep the BMW, while I will take the SKYLARK.’’ answered Sarah Weissman. ‘’I tend to be the quiet, cerebral type and a sports car doesn’t fit my character well. On the other hand, your SKYLARK sounds like a perfectly traditional sedan for group use, like the five of us.’’
‘’Excellent!’’ replied Leo, happy. ‘’I will start arranging the property exchange papers right away. You girls will definitely be happy in my big mansion, as long as I can visit it from time to time.’’
In response, Nancy threw him a sarcastic look.
‘’We would be really mean and ungrateful to refuse you such a right, after all the generosity you just showed, Leo.’’
‘’Good! Uh, does anybody knows where Ingrid is planning to go live on the West Coast?’’
Nancy nodded her head once at that question.
‘’She told me yesterday that she already got a job offer from the Hiller Helicopter Corporation, the same company that produces Ingrid’s Aircar and Airbike. Their business has grown so much and so fast, mostly thanks to military contracts, that Hiller just opened a new, much larger production plant near Seattle, in the state of Washington.’’
‘’Now, that is a nice place.’’ said dreamily Lucy. ‘’Moderate temperatures all year long and gorgeous natural vistas, especially along the coasts. I definitely can see Ingrid living there. God knows how much she earned the right to retire in peace, away from wars.’’