#34: The New Neighborhood, Part 1

Saturday morning, Regina tended her garden,

 

Bill was building another dining table,

Dude was heading out to the park to play for tips again,

Kelly was working on a recipe for Herb Crusted Salmon,

Peter had finished another painting,

and Derek was hard at work researching SOMETHING on the computer.

 

"Hey, Bill!" Derek called, jumping up and going over to him.

 

"Let's go look at a house together!"

Bill put down his tools and flung his arms around Derek.

"You want us to move in together!" Bill teased.  "I had no idea you felt that way about me!!!"

 

"A**hole!" Derek said back to him.

 

_______________

Bill really enjoyed messing with Derek.  Though he liked him, he also thought he was a stuffed shirt and needed to be taken down a few pegs.

"So, what's the deal with this neighborhood?" Bill asked as they walked down an unfamiliar road.  "Everything looks vacant."

 

"It was built 'on spec'," Derek answered.  "And the economy's so bad that no one's bought any of the houses yet.  Oh--HERE'S the one I want you to see," he said, stopping in front of a small, one-story house.

They went inside.

"So, what do you think?" Derek asked Bill.

"It's a decent enough starter house," Bill replied.  "Lots of potential.  Gee, is there a second floor???"

"Oh, of COURSE there is," Derek answered sarcastically.  "That's why there are NO FREAKING STAIRS!!!"

"That can come in time," Derek added, moving on to the kitchen.  "Don't you think Kelly will LOVE this kitchen?"

"This is very nice," Bill agreed.  "Hey, speaking of Kelly, have you bothered to ASK her whether she'll marry you???"

"Oh, HECK no!," exclaimed Derek.  "She only agreed to be my girlfriend just yesterday!"

 

"And yet you're contemplating buying her a house," Bill observed, rolling his eyes.

"For a quality girl like Kelly, a man has to be ready," Derek announced seriously.  "It's not as though girls like her grow on trees.  Come look at the bedroom."

"Quite frankly, this seems to be the dining room," Bill concluded.

"Eventually, yes," replied Derek, "but to start with, it could be the bedroom."

"You do realize you're going to need to put in a bathroom, right???" Bill asked, stating the obvious.  "I mean, I can totally see you peeing outdoors in the bushes," he kidded, "but I doubt Kelly would go for that."

"But THAT'S where YOU come in, my friend!" Derek said enthusiastically.