My Fiancée Forced Me to Buy a Big House, So I Bought a Rundown One Instead

My fiancee was pregnant, and every single day she pushed me to lock down the wedding house.

The original plan had been a nice unit, about eleven hundred square feet.

But she wouldn't have it. She kept telling me all her girlfriends lived in big luxury condos.

She'd rather die than live in some ordinary apartment complex.

Then the agent called and asked me to come look at a place, around sixteen hundred square feet. Nothing wrong with it, he said on the phone, just a little old. And the price. Half of what it should have gone for.

That got my attention right away, so I brought Phyllis along to see it.

Then she saw it was a run-down second-hand house.

She lost it on the spot, crying and shouting her warning at me. "Theo Simmons, don't say I didn't warn you. If you dare buy a second-hand dump not even a dog would live in, I'll go straight to the clinic and have an abortion!"

The place really was old, and there was some strange, foul stench hanging in the air. I was about to lay into the agent when, out of nowhere, a child's voice came to my ear. "Mister, buy this house."

The hair on my neck stood straight up. Who said that?

Then the voice came again.

"There's money in the house. A lot of money, hidden away."

"If you buy this house."

"You'll be set for the rest of your life."

...

I stood there stunned, looking left and right, making sure there was no child anywhere near me. Just me, my fiancee, and the agent selling the place.

The agent smiled at me. "Mr. Simmons, this is a real steal. Look at the light, all this space. And the price is the best part."

I wiped the shock off my face.

Puzzled, I asked him, "Where did the owner go?"

"Moved overseas for good."

"The price has been cut again and again."

"Mr. Simmons, a chance like this doesn't come twice."

"Even if you don't live in it yourself, buy it as an investment and you can't lose."

He had a point, I thought.

Mostly, though, it was that voice in my ear that had my interest in this house running deep.

"Knock a little more off the price."

"It's already cheap enough."

"Take another thirty grand off. We're getting married soon, I need the money for the wedding. You talk to the owner for me, and if it works out I'll throw in an extra three thousand commission."

The moment the agent heard there was money in it for him.

He agreed to go talk to the owner right away.

After he stepped outside to make the call.

Phyllis Pruitt gave my arm a hard pinch.

Her eyes were rimmed red, but she was glaring at me.

"Theo Simmons, are we still getting married or not?"

"Of course we are."

"I think you just don't take me seriously."

"I want a big luxury condo."

"Not some run-down second-hand house!"

"Can't you understand that?"

"Baby, just take it easy."

"We'll live here for now, as a stepping stone."

"Once I'm making money down the road."

"Forget a luxury condo, I'll buy you a huge mansion."

"You're dangling a carrot in front of me?"

Phyllis was so angry her chest was trembling. She jabbed a finger at me. "I'm giving you one last chance. Are you buying the luxury condo or not?"

"I'll buy it, of course I will, I'll buy it for you down the road."

"Bullshit, you just don't care about me!"

"That's not true."

"It's just that the money isn't there right now."

"No money, so get a loan!"

I hurried to calm her down. "I can pay the whole thing in cash. Why would I take out a loan?"