Chapter 55

We were met at the airport, in Idaho, by one of the production assistants and taken to the house that had been rented for us. There was also a car in the driveway that was for our use during the shooting of the picture. We knew our way to the movie location already since they were using the same site as for the first movie, so we would transport ourselves rather than requiring a driver. Before leaving, the production assistant told me that there would be a meeting in Mr. Marren's trailer at 8 a.m.

Mom and I selected our bedrooms, unpacked, and settled in. The kitchen was stocked with enough to make a simple salad and there were also oranges and nectarines. Tomorrow we would arrange for a few more things, although we would probably be eating most of our meals at the camp, as we had during the last movie.

*****

In the morning, we arrived at the site around 7 am. The cook tent was open for business and people were eating breakfast at the tables inside. Coming here was like returning to a small hometown since most of the faces were the same. Mom and I took a tray and, after getting our food, joined the people at one of the tables. We knew everyone there and after exchanging warm greetings we fell into the conversation that had been going on when we arrived.

As it approached eight o'clock, everyone in the tent began to leave. I told Mom that I'd see her later and I left to find Mr. Marren's trailer, waving to people that I knew as I found my way. The camp was laid out as it had been before and I located his trailer easily. I knocked and entered without waiting for a response. Several of the main cast members were in there already, but neither Alec Carsie nor Jennifer Lareda were present yet. Mr. Marren welcomed me and I sat down to join the conversation.

About five minutes later, Alec came in, followed by Jennifer a few minutes later. With everyone there Mr. Marren called for attention so that he could start the meeting.

"My friends, welcome back. It's been almost two years since we made the first movie based on the book, 'Open Spaces'. That movie was a huge, box office success and we hope to repeat that success, and even surpass it, with the new movie, which is entitled 'Open Spaces, Lost Loves'. You've all done well with your careers, in part because of the success of our first movie, and I'm sure that our sequel will enhance them further. Has everyone brought their script with them?"

Everyone nodded or spoke out that they had.

Jennifer Lareda said, "Mr. Marren, I have a question. I thought that I was supposed to be the female lead, yet Miss Ramsey has only one less line than I do?"

"Does she? I hadn't counted. Jennifer, the writers of the screen play are only following the original story."

"I read the entire book this past year and Wendy Stone is only a minor character in it."

"Well… Jennifer… you know that a screenplay based on a novel is only an interpretation of the work. It uses visual imagery to convey a large part of the story, and dialog must work within the context of the film story. The same writers who wrote the original screenplay have written the new one. If Crystal's part appears larger than you interpreted it, it's probably because the writers interpreted it differently. You're still officially the female lead."

"Then how come her trailer is as large as mine?"

"Jennifer, this is hardly the time and place to discuss these concerns of yours. Let's get together after the meeting to talk about them." Mr. Marren paused to take a breath. "Now, let me run down through the shooting schedule and then we'll start going through the script."

I had sat quietly as Jennifer had protested my position within the company. I hadn't even been to my trailer yet, so I had no idea of its size. I had noticed that my part in the movie was much larger than in the first movie, but I hadn't realized that it was as large as hers was. It made no difference to me either way. My salary was already fixed. I would have been content to have half the number of lines that she did.

We worked until lunchtime and then adjourned to eat. We were told that the meeting would resume in an hour. Jennifer stayed back, avoiding eye contact with me as the rest of us filed out. I walked to the cook tent with some of the others and found Mom already there and holding a place for me. I got my food and sat down next to Mom.

"Crystal, honey, did you see the nice trailer that you have? It's as large as Alec's or Jennifer's."

"I haven't seen it but I heard about it. Jennifer's upset that I have almost the same number of lines and that my trailer is as large as hers. She made her displeasure known during the meeting this morning."

"She spoke out during the meeting?"

I nodded.

"She must really be upset. I hope that she's not going to be a problem."

"Problem? For me?"

"Yes, if she feels that you're a threat to her."

"How can I be a threat to her?"

"I didn't say that you were. Just that she might feel that you are. She might feel that you're trying to take over her position as the female lead in the movie. Her career hasn't been rising like yours has and she might be reacting to your Oscar nomination."

"But the script is all written. What could she do?"

"She might try to make you look bad on film, for one thing. Or she might spread rumors or lies."

There was only one thing that I really feared, and I couldn't see how Jennifer could ever learn about my deepest secret. Still, I would be very careful around her.

After lunch I returned to Mr. Marren's trailer to continue the meeting. Jennifer continued to avoid looking at me. We spent the rest of the afternoon going over the script, making small changes in the dialogue where things just didn't sound real or natural. A little after 5 o'clock, we finished our work for the day. I waited outside for Jennifer to come out and then approached her.

"Jennifer, can I talk with you?"

"Whadda ya want?" she said as she continued to walk to her trailer.

I fell into step next to her. "I just wanted to tell you that I didn't have anything to do with the number of lines in my part. I'd have been content to have a small part. I was looking forward to having an easy summer with relatively few scenes. I just made two movies during the last seven months. If it weren't for my contractual obligation I wouldn't even be here now. I wasn't planning on working until the fall."

She stopped and looked at me. "You're serious, aren't you?"

"Of course. I really thought that this was going to be just a small supporting role until I got the script a week ago."

Her look softened a little. "I had just begun to think that that 'Little Miss Innocent' look was just a cover. If you're lying to me now then the Academy made the biggest mistake in its history by not giving you the award for 'Best Actress.' She softened some more and even smiled a little. "Maybe they did anyway. You were wonderful in 'Under the Scarlet Maple'."

"Thanks, but I think that the Academy made a good choice, as much as it would have been nice to get the award."

She shook her head. "You're something else. How can you be nice after being beaten out by somebody."

"I guess that I'm grateful just to have been nominated as 'Best Actress'. Grateful for all that I have received. I'm still just eighteen, and I hope to have other chances to impress the Academy that I'm deserving of an award."

"You will. As much as I hate to admit it, you're probably a better actress than I am. I guess that I'm just jealous of your success. Since your nomination I've kind of been hoping to get one myself for this picture. This is the kind of film that the Academy likes. I wanted to make sure that I was designated as the leading lady or I won't even be eligible."

"I wish you luck; sincerely. Maybe I can be nominated as 'Best Supporting'."

"I hope not."

I just looked at her.

She smiled and said, "They rarely nominate both of the actress awards to the same picture."

"Well… that's not correct. Why in the first year that the 'Best Supporting' awards were given, 1936, the film 'My Man Godfrey' had nominees in all four categories, 'Best Actor', 'Best Supporting Actor', 'Best Actress', and 'Best Supporting Actress'. Of course, none of those nominees were winners. But only two years later, Betty Davis won 'Best Actress' for 'Jezebel', and Fay Bainter won 'Best Supporting' for the same movie. And just one year later, Vivien Leigh won 'Best' for 'Gone with the Wind', and Hattie McDaniel won 'Best Supporting' over Olivia de Havilland; both of whom had been nominated for their supporting roles in 'Gone with the Wind. In 1942, Greer Garson won 'Best' for Mrs. Miniver, and Teresa Wright won 'Best Supporting' for the same movie. Dame May Whitty had also been nominated for 'Best Supporting' for that movie. As recently as 1998, Gwyneth Paltrow and Judi Dench won 'Best' and 'Best Supporting' for 'Shakespeare in Love'."

Jennifer was staring at me slack jawed. "What are you, 'Miss Answer Woman'? How do you know all that?"

"I used to do a lot of reading. And acting holds a certain interest for me." I smiled.

For the first time today, Jennifer smiled at me. "A certain interest, eh? I'm just glad that we're not both eligible for 'Best Actress'. I don't think that I'd stand a chance against you."

"I'll make a deal with you. We both work as hard as we can to get the nominations, and help each other every way that we can, and then we'll sit together at the Awards ceremony for support. It's very intimidating being there, among the giants."

"Deal. Here's my hand on it."

We shook hands, laughed, and then hugged just as Mr. Marren came out of his trailer. "I'm glad to see that you two have put your differences behind you."

"What differences?" I said.

"Yeah, what differences?" Jennifer said.

Mr. Marren just stood there looking at us with a puzzled look on his face. "My mistake, I guess."

Jennifer and I smiled and walked away with our arms around each other's waist. Once out of sight of Mr. Marren we giggled and said goodnight, each going to our trailers.

The trailer that I had been assigned was one of the largest that I ever had. It was a double wide, that's two trailers put side by side and made into one, larger than the one that I had in Mexico. And that one was our home five nights a week. I much preferred to have the house to sleep in though.

"Jennifer and I have reconciled," I said to Mom.

"Really?"

"Yes, I think that I allayed her fears that I was trying to beat her out of the star billing."

"Really?"

"And we agreed to work together to help each other with our performances."

"Really?"

"Is that all you can say?" I said smiling.

"I'm just taking it in and thinking it over."

"What's to think over?"

"We'll see."

I wondered what was on Mom's mind, but I dismissed it and said, "Ready for dinner?"

"I'm starving. Let's go."

*****

We spent the rest of the week rehearsing either in Mr. Marren's trailer, or outside it under his canopy. The weather was beginning to warm up quite a bit but it wasn't swimming weather yet, so on Sunday we went to the lake that we had 'discovered' two years ago, just to do a little sunning. A lot of the other people from the site had the same idea and it was not the secluded spot that we had first visited, but that was fine. The cook tent had prepared box lunches for everyone, and one of the crew had driven a truck with the lunches, large coolers filled with bottled water and soda, and an urn of coffee.

*****

We spent the following week rehearsing more scenes for the movie. Shooting would begin the next week.

*****

At the beginning of June, I returned to LA for the premier of 'Water or Tequila, Senorita?'. Oliver was to be my date, leading most of the newspapers to start rumors that we were secretly lovers, because we had attended the Academy Awards together, and had attended one other premier together.

The premier was on Friday night so I had to leave Idaho on Thursday. Carol picked me up at the airport when I arrived. She was finished with school for the summer and had stayed at the condo knowing that I was coming in for the premier. We would return to Idaho together on Saturday.

Barbara had made a dress for me, and although I hadn't had time to go for a fitting, the fit was very good. I guess that she had been altering or making dresses for me long enough to know my shape. It was a lovely gown. Barbara had used a lot of bright colors in keeping with the Mexican theme of the movie.

The premier went well and the movie was well received. People laughed where they were supposed to and generally seemed to have a good time. Afterwards we went to a party at Mr. Feldman's house, staying until almost two a.m. In addition to our mingling with the other guests, Oliver and I had a lot of time to talk. He had gotten the television series that he had been 'up' for and they had been shooting for six weeks already. He asked me if I'd consider doing a guest episode and I said, "Of course. Just let me know when. I'm tied up through August though."

"That's perfect. We'll be shooting through this month, and then resume in September. It'll give the writers time to come up with something special."

"I can guess what that means. Someone will propose that I 'fly' in wearing a paragliding harness," I said. "Okay. Right now I think that it's time to leave. I have to go back to Idaho tomorrow."

We went around and said goodnight to a number of people, especially our host, Mr. Feldman, and then we left. At the condo I kissed Oliver goodnight. He had never pressured me for anything else, which is what made our relationship so special. We were just good friends.

*****

Carol and I flew up to Idaho the next day. She had planned to stay there with us for three or four weeks and then go back home for a visit. She changed her plans, however, when she was offered a bit part in the movie as long as she would be around for the entire shooting schedule. I had nothing to do with the offer, but I would have if I had thought of it. The idea of her remaining with us for the entire summer was wonderful.

*****

During the second week in June we heard from Mrs. McGuire. She had finally gotten all of the paperwork completed and was able to join us. Mom arranged for her plane tickets and she arrived a couple of days later. Thereafter we usually ate dinner at the house instead of the camp. Carol began to love her as much as Mom and I did and since Mrs. McGuire was an excellent cook, we almost always had company for our evening meals, including Jennifer a number of times.

*****

Jennifer and I didn't have any more problems, although Mom kept a wary eye on her. We worked together very well as the movie progressed. We shot film on most days. If it was raining we worked indoors, and when the weather was clear, we did the outdoor shooting. On Sundays, everyone would go to the lake if it wasn't raining, or sit around the camp and play cards or watch television if it was raining. If it rained I would write letters to Debbie, or Sharon.

*****

On the evening of July 1^st, I got a call from Mr. Daniels.

"Hi hon. How's the picture going?"

"Fine. We're more than a third done."

"Can they spare you for a day?"

"I guess I can ask for a day off. What for?"

"I'd like you to take a meeting here in LA about a film project. They've requested you for the female lead. I think that would be a good project for you."

"What kind of movie is it?"

"It's a drama. It's about a young mother coping with life after her husband mysteriously disappears in the Middle East."

"Where does it take place?"

"Virginia is the place named in the script but it'll be filmed in Georgia."

"When do they start shooting?"

"They want to start in September."

"September? Isn't that rather soon?"

"They want to be done before Christmas so they're rushing it a little, but they don't need elaborate sets and most of the casting is done already. I got the script about a month ago but they were being conservative on the salary issue so I didn't call you. They've come around a bit now."

"When do they want to meet me?"

"Can you make it Friday?"

"That's only two days from now."

"They'll send a plane for you if you can come."

"I'll have to ask Mr. Marren."

"Do that, and call me back on my private number. Do you still have it?"

"Yes, I do. I'll call as soon as I can get an answer."

*****

The next morning, I asked Mr. Marren if I could be excused from shooting on Friday so that I could go to LA for the day. I told him that I would be back for work on Saturday. As a favor to me, and as a professional courtesy to another movie company trying to cast a picture, he agreed to shoot around me on Friday. I called Mr. Daniels to tell him that it was all arranged and he said that a private jet would be waiting for me at the airport at 9 a.m.

*****

The private plane got me into LAX just before 11:30 and Mr. Daniels was there to meet me.

"Hi, hon. How was the trip?"

"A little bumpy over the mountains, but otherwise fine."

"Good. I have a limo waiting. Let's go and we can talk in the car."

As we pulled out into the traffic leaving the airport, Mr. Daniels said, "I think that you're going to be excited about this new movie. It's just the kind of film that the public will eat up. It's sweet, sentimental, and gut-wrenching all at the same time."

"I had wanted to take a couple of months off after I finish with 'Open Spaces'. I wish that it wasn't starting until January."

"We can still turn them down if you want, but I think that you should do this one and then take a vacation afterwards. It's too good to pass up and they're really hot for you. The last movie has been racking up some good numbers and they want to capitalize on your current fame."

"Well, if the movie's that good, then maybe I can delay my vacation. Tell me a little more about the script and the other actors."

We spoke about the movie project all the way to the restaurant where we were going to eat. When we arrived I was introduced to the Executive producer, Niles Fergus, the assistant producer, Samuel Booth, the director, Harris Wilkes, and the casting director, Maryann Peterson. My publicist, Jennifer, was also there for the meeting.

We were seated at a fairly private booth in the rear of the restaurant, away from other diners.

"Miss Ramsey," Mr. Fergus said, "thank you for interrupting the shooting on your current picture to come for this meeting. Because of our schedule, we couldn't wait until you were done shooting to meet with you."

"I haven't read the script yet Mr. Fergus but Mr. Daniels says that it's wonderful and I trust his judgement completely."

"Thank you, Miss Ramsey. We think that it'll be a winner. I take it that you're interested then?"

"Yes, very interested. The movie is going to be filmed in Georgia?"

"Yes. We'll do the exterior work while we have the weather with us and then shoot the interior scenes in a studio in Atlanta as the weather turns colder."

"And you expect to be finished by Christmas?"

"Yes, we do."

"If we reach an agreement and I do this film, you should know that I may need time off to do a promo tour and attend the premier of the picture that I filmed in England this spring. I don't know the dates but expect it could happen during your shooting schedule."

"How much time are we talking about?"

"Two weeks at the most."

"I have no problem with that. We all understand that such things are necessary in our business, just as you took time off from your current picture to come down today."

"Do you have any questions for me?"

"Not at this moment. Let me explain a little about the story that we want to convey."

Over the next hour, Mr. Fergus and Mr. Wilkes talked about the script and how they interpreted the screenplay. We were interrupted only long enough to order our food and then be served when it was ready. They were clearly very excited about the project. When they were through, we had an open discussion about the movie with Jennifer and Mr. Daniels joining in.

When the discussion began to slow down, Mr. Fergus said, "Well, Miss Ramsey, are you interested in our project?"

"Yes, Mr. Fergus. It sounds exciting."

"Then you'll accept the part?"

"As long as the financial considerations that Mr. Daniels has presented are acceptable to you."

"They are."

"Then I'm ready to sign."

Mr. Daniels said, "I have the contracts right here," as he opened his briefcase.

Jennifer said, "Wait. Let's move to a clean table so that I can get some nice pictures of the signing."

Ten minutes later, with the help of two waiters, we had a table set up for the signing and we inked the contracts. Then the waiters brought a bottle of champagne, and a bottle of sparkling water for me, and we toasted the new project. All the while, Jennifer snapped pictures of the little ceremony.

Mr. Daniels took me back to the airport in the limo afterwards.

"Congratulations, Crystal, you've broken the eight figure mark."

"The eight figure mark?"

"Yes. You're being paid 10 million for this new picture."

"10?"

"Yes. The Academy Award nomination pushed up your value to a movie project. Just having your name in the credits will bring people into the theatre. When you win the award your value will go up substantially again."

"Is that the only reason that they wanted me? The nomination?"

"No, of course not. They want your acting ability. But the nominations and awards of their actors represent drawing power and that translates directly into dollars at the box office. Also, Jennifer is doing a terrific job of building your name. Instant name recognition is also part of what the movie company buys. I'll give you an example. In 1999, an actress named Janet McTeer was nominated for 'Best Actress' for her role in 'Tumbleweeds'. Now, Janet McTeer is a fine actress who has appeared in more than a dozen movies, and probably as many television shows and plays, but if you stop 100 people on the street today and ask them who Janet McTeer is, I doubt if anyone will know for sure, because she doesn’t have very much name recognition outside of the entertainment industry. On the other hand we have somebody like Julia Roberts. Almost everyone would know her name. She's been in more than 25 movies, and just won her first Oscar for "Best Actress' a year ago. She gets 20 million per picture now."

I thought about it for a moment. "I understand, but it's getting expensive being famous. Mom and I have been house hunting. 2 million doesn't buy what it used to."

"I told you that your expenses were going to rise substantially as you got well known. Celebrities spend a lot of money for privacy and protection that most Americans never need. Where have you been looking?"

"We started around Beverly Hills but now we've expanded our area to as far away as Santa Barbara. There were a couple of possibilities but we had to leave for Idaho before we could tour them. We’ll start again when I finish with the picture."

"What are your requirements? I might be able to help. I sometimes hear about properties before they're listed. The seller can save as much as a million dollars if they find a buyer before the realtors get involved."

I listed the things we were looking for in a house and Mr. Daniels said that he would keep his eyes open. We had reached the airport and Mr. Daniels walked me to the gate.

"Have a good trip back to Idaho. I'll see you in a couple of months."

"Okay, Mr. Daniels, but no more new movies until March. I want a couple of months off after I finish the next one."

"Okay. I'll only call you if I find something really exceptional."

*****

On Saturday, we shot the scenes that I had missed on Friday. I had told Mom and Carol all about the new movie that I had signed to do, at dinner the evening before. Their reaction was mild interest. Their only real reaction came when I told them how much I was getting paid.

"Oh my God, Crys. TEN million dollars?" Carol had said.

"Yup. Outstanding isn't it?"

"It's crazy. No offense, sis, but ten million dollars for three months work?"

"It's not so crazy. It's purely financial. And the entertainment industry isn't the only place where such things happen. Financial wheelers and dealers sometimes make that much in a single day. I'm certainly not going to complain about it. We grew up without having much. It's our turn now to live like the privileged. Let's enjoy it."

*****

Over the next month and a half we made good progress with the movie. On the 11^th of August we celebrated my 19^th birthday and the caterer made me a birthday cake. We had a little celebration after dinner and everybody sang 'Happy Birthday' to me. Later on, at the house, I received my presents and we had some ice cream in further celebration. I was happy that Carol had remained at the site after being offered the part, and she had made enough money to buy herself a car when she got back to California.

*****

We finished up the picture on August 16^th and had a wrap party at the site that night. After celebrating for hours and saying our good-byes to all our friends, we returned to the house and went to bed right away. We would do our packing in the morning and catch a flight in the late afternoon. I was looking forward to getting back to the condo and being able to relax for a few days.

*****

When we got back to the condo, Carol moved her things into my bedroom so that we could give her room to Mrs. McGuire. Once we found a house, she would get the room back. I intended to keep the condo so as to have a place close to the city and the studios if we wound up being a couple of hours away.

I called Sharon the day after we got back to see how she and the twins were, but didn't go to see her for another day. I was tired from the grind of making the movie and I needed the time to get my batteries recharged.

Sharon looked great and the babies did also. The twins were seven months now and growing like crazy. I intended to do a little shopping in the next week to get them some more clothes.

"How're things, Sharon? Is Roy away again?"

"Yeah, the louse. He's only been home for a total of about 20 days since the twins were born. He says that he has to make money to support us now that we have a family, but I think that he just wants to be away from the crying and taking care of the twins. I can understand it a little, but I need a break also, some days. One baby would be okay, but two crying at the same time gives me such a headache."

I understood what she meant. I came over for a visit and then got to go home, but she was with the twins 24 hours a day. "It'll get better soon. You said that they're sleeping through the night now."

"Yes, it's better. I'm so tired of looking at these four walls though. I've led a very active life, always traveling and doing exciting things. I'm not used to being cooped up for so long. I can't wait to go back to work. I exercise every day and I'm almost back in shape. As soon as the twins are one year old I'm going to get a nanny for the girls and return to work. That thought is what's keeping me going these days."

"I'll be off from work in January. Let me know if I can help out."

"Thank you, sweetheart. That's so generous of you. I can't think of anyone that I'd rather have looking after the girls while I'm working. Do you have the room though?"

I hadn't meant to offer myself as the nanny but Sharon had interpreted it that way and I couldn't back out now. Besides I could always hire someone to help out.

"We don't have much room in the condo but I'm looking around for a new place, as you know. With any luck I'll have found something by then."

"If you don't you could always stay here with the kids."

"We'll see what happens. It's still more than 4 months away."

*****

I began visiting Sharon about every three days. On the other days we searched for a new house or went shopping. I also spent a couple of days doing voice work in a studio for 'The Moons of Kapatia' movie that was to be released in a couple of months.

When I was at the condo and I went to the pool I seemed to attract a small crowd, and although they didn't approach me, I felt uncomfortable being stared at so much when I wasn't performing, so I cut back severely on my time at the pool.

The houses that we looked at just didn't seem to be what I wanted. I didn't know exactly what that was but knew that I would know it when I saw it. Some houses were perfect in some ways, but not in others. There was always something that I felt that I couldn't live with. We had steadily worked our way up in price until we were looking at houses in the 10 million-dollar range.

On the Friday before Carol was to return to school Mr. Daniels called. He wanted to tell me that he had heard of a house that might suit us. The former owner had just recently passed away in a nursing home and the executor of the will was looking to sell the estate quickly to satisfy the demands from the heirs. He gave me the name and telephone number of the executor.

I called the number and spoke to Mr. Lampert. He gave me the particulars about the estate and it sounded interesting.

"When can we see the property, Mr. Lampert?"

"As soon as you like. You say that you're in LA?"

"A few miles north."

"Okay. It should take you about an hour to an hour and a half to get here at this time of day. The estate is right by Ventura. Let's say that we meet at the estate in two hours, just in case you run into traffic. Is that enough time?"

"That's fine. We'll be there in two hours. Can you give me directions from the highway?"

As soon as I was off the phone, I hurried to tell Mom and Carol about the house and then to hurry them along so that we could leave. Twenty minutes later we were driving west on the highway.

We found the directions adequate and arrived at the house twenty minutes early. The gate was locked and there wasn't any sign of Mr. Lampert so we went for a ride around the area. Most of the houses were on large pieces of property compared to the lot sizes found around LA. We hadn't even been able to see the house from the road.

At the designated time, we were back at the estate. The gate was wide open now so we drove in and followed the driveway to the house. The road rose upward gently for the first hundred feet and then leveled off as we emerged from the trees that blocked the house from the road. As soon as I saw it, I loved it. It was built like a sprawling Mexican Hacienda, with stucco walls and a tile roof.

As we pulled up in front of the house a mousy, little, old man came out the front door. Extending his knurled hand to me as we walked to the entrance, he said, "Welcome. Miss Ramsey?"

"Yes."

Looking at my older Subaru he said, "You understand that the asking price for the estate is quite high?"

I smiled. "Yes, I do. Don't let the age of the car throw you. It's part of the disguise to keep fans away."

"You're in show business?"

Apparently Jennifer's press releases weren't reaching everyone. "Yes. I'm an actress."

"Miss LaBarre was in show business also. At least she was when I met her. This was her retreat from the studios and her fans in the thirties. She had it built to her specifications. As I told you on the phone, there are eight bedrooms on the second floor, plus six bedrooms for staff in the servants' wing. Won't you come in?"

We walked into the house and found ourselves in a large entrance foyer that looked like it had come out of a 1930's movie. A winding stairway led to the second floor. There was a lot of dark wood used in the design of the downstairs, and all of the downstairs rooms had very high ceilings with beautiful, exposed ceiling beams.

The house was enormous inside and if it had been in Beverly Hills it would probably have been worth 20 million. There was a large, formal dining room, and small ballroom, in addition to an enormous living room, den/library, family dining room, office/study, indoor pool that looked out over the back yard, and a kitchen that was half the size of our condo, with a pantry that was the size of our kitchen. Upstairs, the bedrooms were gigantic also, with enormous closets and private baths. There was also a servant's wing that extended off the kitchen. Exiting through the back door on the first floor, we found a large patio that could be used to entertain a party of 50 and an empty swimming pool that was easily twice the size of the large indoor pool. The outside pool was at least as large as the Olympic size pool at the condo. There was a 5 car garage well off to the right side of the house, and a stable/barn a few hundred feet in back of the house. A buffer of trees effectively blocked the entire front of the estate from the road, but since the house was set back on a small hill, it had a magnificent view of the ocean.

After viewing the entire estate we returned to the family dining room to talk about the price.

"Mr. Daniels didn't mention a price, only that you were open to offers and that it was within my means. What is the price that you are asking, Mr. Lampert?"

"The heirs have asked me to sell the property as quickly as possible so I've set what I feel is a very fair price. Eight million dollars?"

"EIGHT MILLION DOLLARS?" Mom said in a loud, shocked voice.

 

(continued in Chapter 56)

I want to express my grateful appreciation to Lynn Jennings and Debbie Cybill for their very helpful suggestions, and proofreading services on this series.

 

 

 

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© 1999 by Crystal Sprite. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, compilation design) may printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without express written consent of the copyright holder.
Anyone wishing to make comments is welcome to e-mail me at crystal@storysite.org