A Gloom with a View - The Coconut Chronicles: Two Guys, One Caribbean Dream House - page 43

Opening off the great room at the back was a large master bedroom and bath with an
enormous glass-brick shower. Although there were improvements to be made, the overall
layout was a winner.
“And how about the downstairs?” I asked once we'd finished our upstairs tour.
This was where things got tricky. Suddenly Armando and Tio switched to Spanish and
began a rapid-fire volley of words, ending in a fairly heated exchange.
Armando turned to us sheepishly.
“Unfortunately it won't be possible for you to see the downstairs today.”
We were speechless. We'd been through so much, and here, finally, was a house we
loved. And now we weren't going to be allowed to view it top to bottom.
“But we leave tomorrow,” I said hopelessly.
Armando spread his hands wide.
“I know. Lo siento . I'm sorry.”
Michael spoke up. “So what's the story?”
Armando looked sheepish.
“The owners don't have the keys. You see, they rent it out to their son-in-law. Recently
they had a small misunderstanding with him, and after the fight the son-in-law asked for
their set of keys to his apartment. They haven't been down there in weeks themselves.
Frankly, they're a little worried about what he's up to.”
This didn't sound encouraging.
“So even if we buy the house with part of it unseen, there's a chance the son-in-law
might give us trouble when it comes time for him to move out.”
Armando looked at me as if I'd taken leave of my senses.
“Absolutely not,” he said with a mixture of scorn and amusement.
“Why not?”
“Their son-in-law is my brother. He would never stand in the way of my commission.”
“If he's your brother, why can't you ask him to show us the downstairs?”
“It's a family matter. I don't want to interfere.”
We tried to reason with Armando, but he was immoveable. He obviously wanted to
make the sale (which, as previously noted, set him apart from most of the other agents on
the island), but he didn't want to become embroiled in family politics.
“It's very complicated,” he said.
“I'm sure,” Michael agreed. “And so is buying a house you haven't had a chance to
inspect.”
Armando nodded glumly. He looked lost. Then a sudden light appeared in his eyes.
“I have an idea. Why don't we go down and look through the windows?”
As tempted as we were to refuse this wacky proposition, we agreed. What else could
we do?