Chop and Change

“Needs a little work,” the realtor said cryptically.

“Define ‘little,’” Tom gave her a sideways glance.

We went to see it. She wasn’t kidding.

By the end of this year we will have replaced everything except the walls and floors. Literally everything is or soon will be new: kitchen, bathroom, appliances, windows, light fixtures, heating units, even the closet doors. In a neighborhood where other couples have matching dogs and track suits, Tom and I have his and hers Home Depot credit cards. Contractors in our neighborhood know us by our first names. I’ve learned to be quite the tape-measure holder.