The Gothier-London "House"

The first thing Randy and Calista did with the huge former firearms factory building they had chosen for their new home (after they refinished all the floors)

was to put up new walls in the back half of the first floor,

so that Berjes had his own calm, quiet refuge where he could rest and read,

and his own handsome and well-appointed bath,

and so that Christopher had his own magical space.

The couple also built a generous open kitchen,

and, across from it, there was room for Calista's bass, amp, and the grand piano she had had in storage for years.

Next to the music area was formal dining for six,

and next to that was spacious seating surrounding a newly installed fireplace.

The “monster master suite” in the loft upstairs that Calista had imagined was not yet finished,

but the sleeping area was comfortable,

and Calista had enough room to set up her magic paraphernalia,

and she'd put up screens around the bathroom fixtures they'd had installed.

The new location was working out very well for the young family. Calista was able to give Christopher his first meal of the day,

and Randy was able to spend time bonding with his son,

before putting him back into his crib, at which time Randy and Calista left together for London Motors across the street.

Christopher would nap until Calista's grandfather arose for the day.

Berjes would help his great-grandson with potty training,

get him dressed for the day,

feed him again,

and help him with toddler skills,

before placing the boy at the activity table,

and turning to his own interests.

When Christopher got tired, the boy would crawl to his toddler blanket and fall asleep there, which meant that Berjes did not have to watch him every minute.

Meanwhile, Calista and Randy would open London Motors for the day.

They would chat up their customers,

and would take turns running the cash register.

Calista was very good at customer relations ("It's almost like people magically become her friends!" marveled Randy), and could sell a car an hour.

Calista would also periodically go outside to ensure that the lot looked its best.

She usually went home late afternoon,

to spend time with Christopher,

while Randy manned the dealership by himself.

Randy was very pleased when Kennedy Cox and Yelena Andropova dropped in one evening. “Randy, hey,” his boss greeted him. “I stopped by your new home—you two did a great job on fixing it up. And that's quite a statue you've got there in the front window!”

“Yes, sir,” Randy laughed. “Calista bought it several years ago. She's a friend of the artist, and she's thrilled finally to have a room big enough to display the piece.”

“You know, you and Calista should consider getting your home—and this dealership, too—featured in Architectural Digest, or one of the other high-end shelter magazines. I could make some calls, if you're interested.”

“That would be great!” Randy said. “Thank you!” Taking a job as the business manager of Kennedy's architectural firm had been one of the best decisions Randy had ever made.

Yelena came over. "Hey, Randy, that quite a statue you got there in window! Big statement!!"

Randy, who never missed an opportunity to kiss Yelena, pecked her on the cheek. "Yes, ma'am," he smiled.

"Did Kenny tell you his idea about magazine?" she asked. "You should do--be verrrry good for business."

Calista was playing piano when Randy returned home for the night. “Sounds great, honey!” he enthused.

“And that food sure smells good--did you eat dinner yet?”

“No,” she answered, getting up from the piano bench and kissing him. “I was waiting for you.”

She got the pasta off the stove and prepared two plates for them.

“Kennedy stopped by the dealership after he left here,” Randy said. “He was very complimentary about your decorating—said he thought we should get this place into Architectural Digest. He commented on the statue, too. So did Yelena.”

“Everyone seems to be so interested in the statue,” Calista murmured. “There was even a crowd gathering outside before, pointing. It's very odd behavior.”

“Well, it is a pretty unusual statue, dear,” Randy said carefully.

“Do you think it's wrong for the space?” Calista queried, looking slightly worried.

“Oh, no,” Randy assured her. “Hey, if a crowd gathers in front of our place, it's fine with me. The more people who spend time in the neighborhood, the more people drop in at our dealership—that's the way I look at it. Hey, is Christopher still up?” he asked hopefully.

“Nope—Granddad put him down just before he went out for the evening, and Christopher's been asleep ever since,” she answered.

“Where is Berjes?” Randy asked.

Calista smiled, sitting down. “He's out on a date with Nanny Kendal.”

“That's great!” Randy exclaimed.

“Yeah, it's really sweet,” Calista commented. “Remember a couple of weeks ago he seemed to be at death's door with the flu, and then he met Nanny.”

“It seemed to take him a long while to get over that flu, though,” observed Randy, sounding concerned.

“Oh, I assure you,” his wife laughed, “Granddad was dragging that out so Nanny would have to keep coming over to take care of Christoper, so Granddad could keep seeing her.”

Randy thought a moment. “You've never mentioned your grandmother.”

“Oh, she died way before I was born,” Calista explained. “She and my mother went to join Granddad in India, but Grandmother had a delicate constitution—sort of an 'English Rose', if you will—and she succumbed to some dreaded local illness. After that, Granddad sent my mother—who was still just a child-- back to England to live with his parents, and he's been alone ever since.”

“Sad,” Randy mused. “Well, it's really nice he's found someone he likes. Hope the date's going well.”

Christopher suddenly started squawling from his room, and Calista went to take him out of his crib. Randy cleaned up after dinner, and was just taking out the trash when Berjes arrived home.

“Hey, Berjes—how's business?” Randy asked (which was his favorite greeting to everyone).

“I am the richest man in the world!” Berjes cried.

“Nanny Kendal has agreed to marry me!!”

NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Join us next week, for Berjes and Kendal's Twikkii Island wedding.