In a real estate transaction, you're not "supposed" to meet the buyers, much less invite them in, or have dinner. So you could say we were surprised to receive a text from our realtor asking if the buyer of our home could stop by to measure the driveway.
The first time we met Mike was last fall in Bristol, Tn. He had rented a 40ft Ryder truck to test the driveway, careful to make certain his restored school bus would fit. Even though the roar of the truck greeted us initially, Mike's smile and bright eyes was our first glance at the gentleman who was buying our home.
With the Ryder truck nestled in the driveway, we walked through the house with Mike and Elena. As he pointed out and mentioned many of the details Matt had meticulously worked on, we felt our home would be in good hands. We were at peace with letting go of our labor of love. We had spent the previous six years restoring the 1924 craftsman style home. We even got married in the back yard under the oak trees surrounded by family and friends.
An hour and a half later, Mike invited us to dinner. We accepted without hesitation. Later that evening, laughter and tales of travel and homeownership filled the table for hours. This is when we learned we were almost switching cities. We were moving close to Mike the following month. We exchanged every contact info the four of us had while talking of plans to get together once Matt and I moved.
Unfortunately, closing day would be the last time we saw Mike. Once we moved and unpacked, Maryland locked down from the virus. We texted several times with thoughts to the future.
We are thankful for the short time we knew him. We knew he cherished those around him. We are deeply sorry for your loss.
