Could it be?

We're almost at the two-year mark since Dad's passing, and our new realtor says he's expecting an offer on 23 Douglas tonight.

There are some ironies surrounding this date and this event.

1. The address is 23, after all.
2. Four years ago today, my KC house sold on this date.
3. It's Shakespeare's birthday.

It would be a most welcome relief to have the house sold. I've detached from it completely - well, almost completely. I have to give up my key, the garage door opener, and retrieve some pachysandra from the back yard, but aside from that, I'm ready to let it go. Since December 2015, I've been the financial coordinator for all things Dad, Mom, and Judy. I look forward to one less major item on my to-do list.

Facebook reminded me this morning that it was on this day 2015, that I received notice that the contract was ratified on my Kings Charter house. It was listed on April 15. I got an offer and it was done in 8 days; closing was on June 9 (not without its whooptidos, but it closed).

Unlike the smooth events then, 23 Douglas has had more than its share of drama getting to this (maybe) point.
March 2016: Guardianship transferred; Moved Judy in with me; moved Dad from the Newport to Richmond (Brookdale/Manor Care; Taxes.
August 2016: I arranged to have the first floor of the house emptied for Phil and Jeanie to move in.
September 2016: Phil and Jeanie moved into 23 Douglas - rent free.
November 2016: Moved Dad to the Crossings.
December 2016: Phil and Jeanie hosted Christmas at 23 Douglas. (Topic for another blog.)

January 2017: Phil and Jeanie wanted to host a "renter" in Dad's house and I had to say no. Forever changed the dynamic of our relationship.
March 2017: Taxes.
May 10, 2017: Dad passed away.
May 17: Peninsula Funeral Home viewing, farewell to Newport News.
• family meeting to discuss the will, trusts, finances.
• week or so later, Phil asked when he could expect his inheritance. "Upon the sale of the house."
June/July 2017: Phil and Jeanie shopped for a home in Durham; Phil interviewed realtors.
August 2017: Phil and Jeanie moved to Durham
August & September 2017:
• meeting with Kelleher Auction house (at my house) to sell Dad's stamp collections.
• retained Robert Ottoferro to empty the attic
• attempted to organize and assemble a plan to empty the contents of the house, leaving enough furniture to stage the house and have a place for us to sleep when we came to Newport News. Tried to arrange for estate sales - both on site and online; tried to arrange for an on site "yard" sale - all attempts met with obstacles and refusals from our brothers.
• brothers filled the house with tables and saw horses to unpack all the boxes and turned the house into a "shopping venue."
• Brothers took the furniture they wanted and put all the rest of the furniture in the sunroom.
October 30, 2017: Dad's service at Arlington.
November 2017: Family bailed on the estate sale plan and did their "own" thing for Thanksgiving. It was then I decided that Judy and I were unavailable until January. We would not participate in any functions in Newport News until after Christmas. (I'm sure the neighbors and friends on Douglas Drive appreciated that we wouldn't be unloading the house with lots of traffic during the holidays).

January 2018: Returned to NN and packed more stuff; arranged for Robert Ottoferro to bring stuff to the Springhouse and then empty the house.
February 2018: House was empty.
March 2018: Taxes.
April 2018: Family meeting at Freddy's house in Chesterfield to discuss realtor selection.
• "Somebody" found Lila Nicholls and weaseled her into being the realtor for more than 9 months.
July 2018: No buyers. Decision to paint and update the house - appliances and paint.
• Full price offer. Russian buyer. Inspection. Too many demands - too late responding ... Buyer bailed.
August 2018: Did all the repairs the Russian buyers/inspector wanted anyway.
September 2018: Realtor/broker buyer ... blah, blah, blah. Within $5000 - and still no sale.
November 2018: Staged the house with rented furniture.
• Phil wanted his inheritance and talked Freddy into forcing my hand. We spent all of Dad's money on the house. The only asset left was the Towne Bank Stock - which plummeted in December.

January 18, 2019: Judy's 70th birthday. (topic of another blog)
February 2019: Changed realtors.
March 2019: Taxes.
April 22, 2019:  Text message forwarded by Phil from Bo: "Anticipating an offer."

So, through all of this, I've paid all the bills, pissed off my brothers (and all of their people) for standing up to them, taken care of Judy's every need, and with ZERO support from any of them.

To say I will be glad when 23 Douglas Drive is sold would be an understatement. It will be more than an answer to a prayer.

How is this relevant to Shakespeare? "Let me count the ways." (oops, that was a different poet).

The tragedies, the comedies, the histories. So many quotes are echoing in my brain. But maybe the most relevant and hopeful is:

To be or not to be. That is the question. I'll pray that "to be" is the answer, and this chapter in the life of Fred and Ginny will end on a positive note. Sooner than later.

Impatience.

I'm not very good at waiting for "news" or an answer.

For over a month now, Judy and I have been in a state of turmoil over something that should never have happened in the first place.

How and why keep resonating through me, and the absence of answers are stifling us from moving forward. The promises of answers to our questions and solutions to the problem (which could be simply resolved) elude us.

Why is that people don't consider all the facts and just do the "right thing"? It seems like there's more and more of that failure in the world today, and it is infuriating.