Tea For Two

           Clarissa opened her front door.

           “Hi!” said the man in the gray suit.

           She could tell he was taller and heavier than her. He carried a briefcase of worn black leather. “We spoke on the phone yesterday,” he commented. “Is it alright if I come in?”

           Clarissa stepped to the side and waved him in. She shut the door behind him. He walked to the end of her foyer and turned back towards her. “Where do you want to talk?” he asked with a cheerful smile.

           “How long is the conversation?” she asked.

           The man shrugged. “I would say only a minute or two,” he responded. “I want to cover the details before the next steps.”

           Clarissa waved towards her living room. The man turned away from the foyer and lumbered to the circular table standing in the nearby area before the sofa and the television stand. He sat down, put his briefcase on the table, and opened it up. Clarissa sighed and moved forward to sit in another chair while he pulled out documents and set them on the table.

           “What’s your name again?” she asked.

           He smiled at her. “I’m Frank,” he said. “It’s nice to meet you in person.”

           She nodded but said nothing. Frank looked back at the documents he had put on the table. After glancing through them, he turned his attention back to her. “Alright,” he said. “I understand you want to sell this property. Is it alright if I ask you some related questions?”

           Clarissa waved demonstratively, expecting him to continue. Frank asked questions she found repetitive, boring, or both. He inquired about her desired timeline for sale, her possession of living space, and whether she was satisfied with his estimate of the market price point for her house. He mentioned his proposal for the baseline price. She found it acceptable even though it led her to believe he was describing a high price solely so he could play a negotiation game.

           “Thanks for letting me go through all the rigamarole,” Frank said after he finished writing down his notes. “Now I need to conduct a home inspection.”

           Clarissa frowned. “What are you going to do?” she asked in a suspicious tone of voice.

           Frank waved his arms apologetically. “I promise that it is nothing much,” he said. “I have to go room to room and confirm some basic structural information. I also need to look in the basement or the attic, or both, and check the utilities equipment.”

           “I don’t see anything you have to check electricals and gases,” Clarissa said.

           Frank laughed. “I appreciated your perspective on my competence,” he joked. “I am not an engineer, just a realtor. I promise not to poke anything.”

           Clarissa nodded to demonstrate her understanding. “Given my age, I have to tell you I can’t walk the entire house room to room,” she said. “I don’t know if you need to hear anything from me, but I don’t think I can share enough.”

           Frank immediately raised his hands to show that Clarissa’s commentary was not of significant concern. “Not a problem,” he said. “If it’s ok that I do the inspection myself, please confirm and I’ll move room to room as quickly as possible.”

           Clarissa nodded. “That sounds fine,” she said, then pointed at the kitchen. “I think I want some tea. Would you like me to make you some as well?”

           “Yes, please,” Frank said.

           He took off at a slow running base as Clarissa rose and walked into the kitchen to start a kettle boiling. The house was entirely carpeted so she found it difficult to hear exactly where he was, but she assumed that he was inspecting point by point from a selected starting point just to make sure he covered every detail in a linear fashion. She was more interested in getting the teapot filled and putting it on the table with teacups.

           Frank returned at the exact time the tea was ready. Clarissa invited him to sit back down and poured them both cups. The tea had cooled to the exact right drinking temperature where it was very warm but not too hot to sip. Frank picked up his cup, gave her a symbolic cheers, and drank. “My lord,” he said after doing so. “That is delicious. What is it?”

           “It’s called lapsang souchong,” Clarissa told him. “A friend recommended it to me. It’s my favorite type of tea.”

           “I can see why,” Frank remarked. “I’m going to write that down in my notes. I’ve never had any tea like that.”

           Clarissa nodded to express her thanks. Frank told her about the inspection. He was descriptive about observations but told her directly that he had not found anything requiring repair or reconsideration. “The price point I mentioned earlier seems perfectly viable,” he said after another sip of tea. “I propose we move forward if you are comfortable with it.”

           She nodded in response. “What do I have to do now?” she asked.

           “I’ll fill out the documentation and send it to you tomorrow,” he said. “I assume you would rather sign it here then come to my office.”

           Clarissa nodded. “Are you going to bring it in yourself?” she asked.

           “Of course,” Frank said. He sounded surprised that she thought otherwise. “You are a client. I am happy to provide you the best service that I can. I’ll be back tomorrow morning. Can I have some more of this delightful tea?”

           “Let’s call that the deal,” Clarissa responded. “I’ll sign your paperwork and give you some tea for putting in the effort.”

           Frank waved to express his thanks. He drank the rest of his cup with Clarissa. “I suppose I should ask,” she said as they drank, “if you want anything to eat.”

He shook his head. “No thanks,” he said. “I don’t want to bug you. Also, I have some allergies that limit what I should eat, including a gluten one that is very inconvenient.”

After a half hour of chit-chat, he stood up to go. Looking mildly jealous that there was still tea left in the pot as he did so, he still thanked her for her availability. “I really hope this deal goes well for you,” he said to Clarissa before he walked out of the front door.

           The next day he returned early with a large stack of paperwork. He spent over an hour sharing all the requisite details with Clarissa regarding the sale process and its presumed timeline. He gave her insurance information as well as details on amelioration and the requirements affiliated with it.

Clarissa did not ask any questions during the lecture. She had already made a pot of tea when she expected his arrival. He thanked her profusely. She poured it for him whenever he finished his cup. When he had concluded his business talk, they chatted about irrelevant matters. “Where are you moving off to?” he asked.

“I’ve got a nephew in a nearby town,” she said. “I think I’m going to go there and find someplace to rent.”

“Not buying new?” Frank asked in between sips.

Clarissa shook her head. “I don’t really want to,” she responded.

           At noon, Frank passed Clarissa a copy of the final document. She signed it at the very end and passed it back. He lifted his teacup to give her a final cheers and swallowed the last of it. Then he picked up the document and walked out. Clarissa found herself pleased to have given him tea he had enjoyed and equally pleased to have watched him disappear.

           There were no further developments immediately after the long discussion they had shared. Clarissa wondered how the situation would evolve. It took almost two full days before someone knocked on her door. She looked through the eyehole to inspect and then opened the door. It was early afternoon.

           A different man in a full business suit stood at the door and asked Clarissa if he could come inside to talk. She attempted to be as polite as possible and invited him inside to her living room table. He came in, sat down, and opened his own briefcase. It looked to be made of a similar leather material as Frank’s, but newer and more modern.

           The man pulled out a tight bundle of paperwork. “Let’s start with the unfortunate news,” he said.

           Clarissa felt concerned but did not know how to respond. “I think you met with my former colleague Frank recently,” the man said, “to document the upcoming sale of this property. Is that correct?”

           She nodded. The stranger continued. “Frank passed away very recently,” he said. “I am sorry to mention his loss.”

           Clarissa was not sure how to respond in any way. She put a hand over her lips to prevent a fearful expression. “What happened?” she asked after a moment.

           The man put a finger in front of his own lip in a thoughtful gesture. “Evidently it was a severe allergic reaction,” he said. “I think the term is anaphylactic shock. He felt fine getting home but had a heart attack while away from anyone else. He was not found until one of our other colleagues tried to contact him and could not.”

“Did anyone know about the allergy?” Cassandra asked. “How did it happen?”

The man shrugged. “I’m told lots of consumables can trigger it,” he brought up. “Examples are peanuts, shrimp, and soybeans. Chamomile tea and things with sesame seeds or oil also can. We knew about things that bugged him because he told everyone so he could participate in group dining. Anyone else you talked to would have shared the information with you if necessary.”

Clarissa nodded as she thought about what the man was telling her. “I am working on closing out his previous deals,” he said. “I know his very most recent one was with you. I wanted to let you know that the signed contract contained a statement providing a benefit. It seems tough to say that after Frank’s passing, but I thought I should could tell you up front.”

“What kind of benefit?” Clarissa asked.

The man adopted a sorrowful expression. “Well, it isn’t a major one,” he said. “The sale won’t continue under these conditions with our firm for a period if you wish it to. In recompense, the document says you will be given ten thousand dollars in consideration and the hope that we can move forward as soon as possible.”

“You are giving me ten thousand dollars?” Clarissa asked.

The man nodded. He pulled a cashier’s check out of his briefcase. “It’s here,” he said. “Now there is another thing I need to say. I have a document you need to sign stating that you and Frank were working on business unrelated to his passing, and that he was fine as you went through it.”

She nodded in understanding. The man provided a document and pen. She read through it as best she was able and asked no questions. When she felt she understood it, she signed. The man thanked her and took it from her. After he stuffed it into his briefcase, he handed her the cashier’s check and left the home.

She glanced at the check. Then Clarissa smiled and went to make some tea for herself.