Excellent The ghosts in my Aunt's House. Joe and Aunt Grace by prettybluebirds

My uncle Claude built a beautiful home for my Aunt Grace as a wedding present. This was around 1928. It was a lovely place with a wrap- around porch and gorgeous polished oak floors. It was my Aunt's pride and joy. I drove by the place often over the passing of time and it made me sad to see how it was deteriorating. My aunt and uncle had been dead for several years but I knew they would be devastated if they could see their beautiful home now. About a year ago I was passing by Aunt Grace's old home and happened to notice this fellow walking across the yard. He was a pretty scruffy looking character but I thought I would just sit in the car and talk to him. I pulled into the driveway and introduced myself. I explained to him about how my aunt and uncle had lived in this home and that my uncle was the person who built the house. "Wow, I sure would like to know some of the history about this place", the scruffy guy said. He then told me his name was Joe and he had been living there for the last twenty years. So here is the culprit that destroyed my aunt's house I thought to myself. Well, Joe and I talked for a while and I told him some of the past facts about the house, I also mentioned that I had not been inside the house for some thirty years. Joe said, "Well come on in and look around I have been remodeling this house and trying to bring it up to code". "For twenty years? I thought to myself. Joe and I went into the house and it was really a shock to see the shape the house was in. All the beautiful varnished oak trim had been removed, the oak floors were destroyed, the lovely hand carved doors were gone from the cupboards, it literally made me feel ill. Even the beautiful banisters were gone from the stairway going upstairs. True, Joe had spent a lot of money dry-walling the house, but the character and original beauty of the house were gone. Also, the house was far from finished. I asked Joe why he had never completed the work on the house and he told me that he was having some major problems trying to work on the home. "What might that be", I asked him. Joe told me there were ghosts in the house and they did not like him. He said there was an old man who had knocked him off of his ladder several times and was always telling him to get out of the house. "There is also an old woman, I call her Gramma, and she is constantly locking me out of the house. I won't even sleep in there at night, Joe said, that is why I have the camper sitting outside". "Really, I thought to myself, Can't say as I blame Claude and Grace for kicking good old Joe out of their house, though. I would have done the same if I were in their place". Joe went on to tell me that he was a very spiritual person and was trying to work out some kind of agreement with Claude and Grace. Of course, Joe had not managed to do this for the last twenty years and I doubted he would ever get the job done, not the way he was going about things. I wished Joe good luck and went on my way. As I walked back to my car I gave Aunt Grace and Uncle Claude a thumb up. I could almost hear them chuckle. About six or seven months ago, I simply couldn't resist the urge to stop and see how Joe was getting along with his project. I had a lot of strawberries so I made Joe a strawberry pie as an excuse for stopping. The first thing I noticed was a for sale sign on Joe's camper trailer and, to my surprise, Joe had actually done quite a bit of work on the inside the house. Joe had done a lot of painting and put up ceiling fans in several rooms. Joe also informed me that he was in the process of selling his camper because he didn't need it anymore. "So did Claude and Grace agree to let you live in the house", I asked Joe. "Sort of, Joe replied, I had to agree to replace the porch and paint the house white again, among other things". Joe said Gramma (Aunt Grace) had sat him down and they had a long talk. Gramma told Joe that on no uncertain terms was Joe ever to bring THAT woman into the house again as she was not a good housekeeper and Gramma did not want her in her house. "And what woman is that", I had to ask. Joe explained that Gramma was talking about his ex-wife who was somewhat of a slob. Joe said, "Gramma used to lock my ex-wife out of the house all the time and one time Gramma locked my ex in the basement. Some of this stuff is the reason she is my ex-wife now. My ex- told me it was this house or her; I chose the house". By this time it was all I could do to keep a straight face; the laughter wanted to bubble up. I really didn't want to laugh at Joe, though, and what if he wasn't delusional and the ghosts of Aunt Grace and Uncle Claude truly do reside in their beloved home. If I made fun of Joe they might take it personal and I would be the one forever barred from their house. I don't want that to happen, I want to keep coming back and watch to see if this Joe ever does put the porch back on the house. This story is true. There really is a Joe and he really lives in My Aunt Grace and Uncle Claude's old home. I haven't decided whether to believe his story about ghosts or not; what do you think? I will keep going to visit Joe and let you know how things come out in the end. Recognized Author Notes I posted more of this story earlier last year. I cut it down a little for this contest. I haven't been back to see Joe lately as my husband has been ill. Joe did call me about a month ago because Aunt Grace told him to. At least, that is what he told me.

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