As the storyteller, I tagged along the LePine crew 3 cruel summers and 2 treacherous winters.
I know, not pretty words.
The sun, having the upper hand of mid July, left our skins peeling of burns, defeating all the spf’s and aloe vera lathered generously on us. Hot air was visible as streams of distorted images burst from the grayish tar underneath our feet. To look up would be a grave mistake as our visions will be pierced by the luminous beams.
December came and LePine was still in the blueprints, Lx 17 was all bones. So bare that whenever a meeting was held at the construction site, all that’s heard was clattering of teeth and blowing of frozen fingertips. The wind was closer to foe than being a friend. On some days it howled to mute any attempt of exchanging words, on the rest it would put the layers of fleece and military-grade wind-breakers to test.
Surprisingly, the only one who complained was me, the daughter, the tagalong and on occasions, the stowaway. The weather seemed to have tailored the LePine crew attires that spoke nothing but hardship. Glistening coats of sweat and funny knit patterns on cold, numbed skin. Regardless of the weather, walls were built and torn down, planks of hardwood and panels of glass fell into place, sealing the indoor climate from the harsh outdoors.
Like I said, 3 cruel summers and 2 treacherous winters, just like clockwork, our lovely crew armed with power tools and tape measures, took the battlefield of a dream home. From my humble perspective, to see peeking from the twisty spine of my notepad, a porch, a roof, flowers and vines growing from the gray cement frame of a house is one of the best feelings ever. Each visit brings a new surprise. Sometimes pleasant, like how the golden lights finally shone from the other side of the door, and on occasion, calamities struck, costing us to rebuild the whole air vent system.
Saying the final salute to my fair skin, I hereby present to you, the readers, visitors and wanderers: The LePine house! Mid July of 22, we drove the last nail into the walls of Lx17 and took a step back to see what this troublesome yet exciting journey has taken us. A new chapter in life, with more of driving back and forth between the bustling city and lakeside willow trees, with a promising new family business and with something finally that took the blank space in our hearts.