Donovan's Barn - Part Three

Here is part three of the continuing story of Donovan's Barn. You may want to first enjoy part one and also part two.

*****

The family and Rachel’s dad, Lyle watched as the car drove off down the street and out of sight. “That was definitely something, wasn’t it?” Lyle put his hands behind his back and steered himself toward the patio furniture in the corner of the veranda. “Imagine putting that kind of a condition on the sale of a property.”

‘Well, Lyle, I guess with the low asking price, she wants to put in some safeguards to ensure it’s not just left to deteriorate,” Trenton said as he took the seat across from Lyle. Rachel sat down next to him, while the girls settled in with their video games. “If we can get that place for $5,000 it’ll be worth the time writing a proposal. I already saw the dream in Rachel’s eyes when we were by there last week.” He looked at Rachel and winked.

Rachel could not contain her excitement. She felt as though Mrs. Donovan’s terms spoke to them specifically. It was unconventional for sure, but it added excitement to the prospect. Rachel was confident that she and Trenton would create a proposal that Mrs. Donovan would proudly accept, and Mrs. Donovan choosing a winning proposal without knowing who wrote it, was a challenge that Rachel knew would keep them in the race. “I think the biggest stumbling block in all of this is the timeline. We have less than three weeks to come up with something.”

“I agree,” Trenton responded, “but I don’t think this is going to be an issue for you, Rachel.” Trenton chuckled. “You were already hatching plans in that pretty head of yours before we found out the terms.” They both laughed.

“So are we going to buy that place?” Kylee lifted her head from her game to ask. She and Ashlee were both now looking to Rachel and Trenton for an answer. Evidently, 12-years-olds had limited understanding of real estate.

“Let me explain to you what we just heard from Mrs. Donovan.” Rachel wanted to explain what the next steps were and how they were different from just buying a house. “You remember, last week we stopped in at Mrs. Donovan’s because dad and I noticed a “For Sale” sign at the drive? We looked at the house and then the two of you went with dad to see the strawberry patch.”

The girls nodded with big smiles on their faces. Rachel had heard them wishing aloud that they would someday own that strawberry patch. “What Mrs. Donovan told us is that she is asking a very small amount for her property which includes the amazing house and garden, that strawberry patch, and, if I remember it right, there is also a pond that sits along side the garden. And, of course that big, beautiful barn.” The girls were still enraptured in Rachel’s explanation. “In order for someone to buy that property, Mrs. Donovan has added an unusual twist to help her decide to whom to sell the property. Everyone who is interested must write a proposal outlining how they plan to use and preserve it for at least the next ten years.”

“What is a proposal, though?” Ashlee asked as the girls looked at Rachel with a quizzical look. It had never occurred to her that the twins wouldn’t have any idea what a proposal was.

Trenton offered a simple definition. “A ‘proposal’ is just a fancy word for a special document that will tell Mrs. Donovan what we would do with the property, if we buy it. She wants to pick the new owners based on what the proposal says, and how she feels about their plans.” He watched as their faces took in the information. “When Mrs. Donovan gets the proposals, she will read them all and then select the one that she likes the best.”

“Yay! We’re buying a strawberry patch!” That was as much as the girls understood. Just like that they were gone, dancing and singing a song about strawberry pie.

***

While Rachel and Trenton explained the conversation with Mrs. Donovan to the girls, Lyle went casually into the house and was gone unnoticed for several minutes. He returned carrying a package wrapped in brown paper and covered in a layer of dust. It was no longer tightly sealed, but the wrapping was almost completely intact and tied delicately with some string. He set it down on the table. Lyle retook his seat opposite Trenton. “I thought some of what is in here might be helpful.”

“What is it?” Rachel’s interest was piqued. She wondered what secrets this package held. “It looks ancient.”

Lyle chuckled. “Well I wouldn’t say ‘ancient,’ but it goes back a ways.” He opened one end and pulled out the neatly bound documents. “Shortly after your mother and I got married we bought a secluded property. We wanted to fix it up and open a quaint little Bed and Breakfast. One day, our funding suddenly fell through so we had to sell it instead. Feeling defeated, we never pursued it after that.”

“This is the first I am hearing of this.” Rachel picked up the top document. The cover page read ‘Oasis’, written in her mother’s neat hand. Another, ‘Garden and Orchard,’ and a third, ‘Guest Rooms.’ There were at least ten different documents outlining what her parents had at one time been planning. “Dad, this is incredible! I’m surprised you kept all this stuff.”

“Your mother couldn’t let it go and to be honest, neither could I,” said Lyle. “Take it and use as much as you want, or none of it. I thought it might be helpful.”

***

Rachel and Trenton poured over the contents of the mysterious box over the next couple of weeks. With every other page she turned Rachel was more and more surprised that her parents had kept this secret her entire life, but she was glad that her dad had chosen now to share it with her. They'd be able to use much of what they read in their proposal.

Putting the proposal together proved to be harder than either Rachel or Trenton thought. Certainly, they had ideas as to what they would do if they owned that real estate, but most of them stretched over time and were dependent on available funds. They also had to consider that they still had two young children who were only heading into middle school this fall, not to mention jobs which they both loved. They’d likely have the money, when their house sold but what if they didn’t?

As days closed in on the submission deadline, Rachel and Trenton became overwhelmed and wondered if they had taken on more than they could handle. They wanted their proposal to be realistic, attainable and most of all, they wanted it to be perfect.

One day while Rachel sat staring at the blank computer screen she had a thought. “What if, Mrs. Donovan just wants to see the love that the buyers will bring?” She directed her question to Trenton who was sitting beside her.

“What do you mean?” he questioned back.

“Well, what if Mrs. Donovan isn’t really interested in elaborate plans that will make property some kind of tourist attraction?” Rachel jumped up from her chair and started to pace. “Maybe Mrs. Donovan wants to be reassured that the buyers will love and treasure that place like she has, and that they will focus on reviving that barn into a community hub. We can still use my parents’ plans as future inspiration, but we need to go back to basics.”

“Hmmm. Maybe Mrs. Donovan isn’t interested in a boring business proposal!” Now Trenton saw what Rachel did. “You said it best up in that loft, ‘a coat of paint and a few brooms’ could bring the barn back to what it once was.” He lifted Rachel into a big hug. “Let’s take this in a slightly different direction!”

That night Rachel and Trenton fashioned a heartfelt letter to Mrs. Donovan that would serve as their proposal. They were confident that this would it stand out, simply because it was different and would speak directly to Mrs. Donovan’s heart. Their final draft looked like this.

Dear Mrs. Donovan,

As we researched and planned how to write our proposal for the purchase of your property, we concluded we needed to do so differently. We know you will receive many professionally done proposals that will promise you the Donovan legacy will be preserved and that the yard and the barn will not be allowed to just rot away; but we don’t feel that you are interested in budgets and blueprints, and neither are we.

We went to school in Taftsville and still have family there. Buying this property would mean that we would be back, close to our families. Commuting for our jobs will not be an issue as the city is close.

The home is perfect the way it is – six bedrooms is a bit large but our children will be able to have separate rooms and the others will serve as guest rooms. During the summer months they will also serve as Bed and Breakfast accommodations for people who may come to visit Taftsville.

The garden will become a flower haven that we will nurture evenings and weekends, since we both work outside our home. We will transform it into a park-like setting for folks to sit in and enjoy on summer evenings. One of our first projects will be to clear the area between the garden and the pond and add a path and benches so the serenity that it offers can be enjoyed. You will always be a welcomed visitor and we hope that you will come by often.

The strawberry patch will be preserved and expanded. Our children love strawberries and want to own a strawberry patch. Our family is also blessed with a very good cook who will transform any abundance into pies and jams that we will be happy to bring for you annually.

This brings us to the barn. Donovan’s Barn holds many memories for us. Having lived our youth in Taftsville, we remember what this barn meant to the community. Your barn dances are legendary. We fell in love in Donovan’s Barn and we held our wedding there as well. She has hosted christenings and funerals, corporate meetings and so many community events! It’s time to bring that back. Donovan's Barn is such an important part of our lives and we can’t wait to get started on reimagining her legacy. She needs to get professionally painted. Next, we want to officially name her so that she is forever known as Donovan’s Barn. The outside stairs will be rebuilt and the floors and benches in the loft re-finished to bring her back to her glory. Once that is completed, we will host a kick-off barn dance, and re-open the barn as a viable venue for all of Taftsville.

Finally, Mrs. Donovan, we want you to consider that place your home. We humbly ask that you work with us as we plan and implement all these renovations. We want to draw on the Donovan history and incorporate it into whatever the property becomes over the years. That is our solemn promise, and an integral part of the notarized assurance you asked for, which is provided separately as outlined in the proposal request.

Thank you for allowing us this opportunity. We understand that your asking price of $5,000 is firm and contingent on your acceptance of a proposal submission. We hope our submission meets your criteria. We are confident we can accomplish what we have outlined and much more over the next several years and look forward to working with you to achieve them all.

Their proposal was done. All that was left was a trip to the lawyer to draw up the assurance document, submit their simple proposal to the realtor, and wait.

***

I hope you are enjoying the story so far. Part four can be found here.