can't talk about my other patients," she said immediately.
"I'm not asking about anyone in particular, just in general. You have patients that pay you."
"Yes. And I supervise a group of psychologists."
"So, you make the same kind of money a doctor makes."
"I am a doctor."
"That's evasive. You know what I'm trying to ask."
"Yes, I make the kind of money you expect."
"How much did you make last year."
"Michaela," she said. "I'm not going to talk about that."
"I made thirty-one thousand dollars last year," I said. "That's pretty good for a public servant without a high school diploma. Francesca said I'll make thirty-eight beginning next school year and more if I get a four-year degree. I bet you make ten or even twenty times that much."
She looked away. I'd never gotten her to look away before.
"More," I said.
"Yes, if you count investments."
"In one month, you make more than I paid for my house," I said. "I've done a lot on it in the eight years I've had it, so it's worth more than that, maybe even two months' salary for you. And you want to hear about my house? You don't care about my house. Why aren't you being honest with me?"
"I want to hear you tell me about your house," she said, looking straight at me. "And that's the truth."
I stared at her for a minute. I didn't trust her. "So, I start talking about my house, and then you ask a few harmless questions. And then you're going to ask about the places I lived before."
"No. Unless you bring it up, I don't intend to talk about anything from before you moved to Bayfield. Can we talk about your house, and Bayfield?"
"No tricks?"
"No tricks."
"All right," I said. "We can talk about my house, and about Bayfield. I'll even talk about the Apostle Islands, if you like."
"I would like that," she said. "Will you tell me about buying your house?"
"All right," I agreed. "I'd had my job for a while, and I was saving all my money. Robert and Virginia helped."
"Who are they?"
" Bree's parents. Bree is the girl I saved. I think you know about that."
She nodded.
"So, they helped. I didn't know much about money then, but Virginia declared me a fast learner. One evening over dinner, I told them I hoped I could buy my own house one day. And Robert said I could, and it didn't need to be 'one day'. It could be 'next week' if I really wanted."
I sighed, remembering. "I didn't know what he was talking about. I didn't have anywhere near enough money for a house, even a really bad house. He told me about loans. I laughed and told him no one would loan me money. He assured me they would. He said, 'you have a good job an d good references', and then he if necessary, he would co-sign a loan with me as long as I was sure I could make the payments."
"That was very generous," Vivian said.
"Have you always had money, Vivian?"
"Yes."
"So it's difficult for you to imagine not having money, I bet. Not having a home."
"Yes, it is."
"I didn't want his help," I told her. "I stayed late at work the next night and researched buying houses, loans, and everything. I saw that you need a credit rating, and I didn't have one. I hadn't done anything to build one. But I started wondering what a house would cost. I was living in a little apartment in Ashland, but I already knew I liked Bayfield better. So that weekend I found a realtor. I told her I didn't have much money, but I just wanted to know what houses cost. She told me if I promised to come back to her when I was ready to get serious, she'd give me a tour of what was available."
I sat back, remembering. "She started with expensive houses. Not expensive for you, but far too expensive for me, even now. Then she showed me more modest houses. They were cute, I guess. I asked her to show me the cheapest houses available. So she showed me some trailer homes, but I didn't like those at all. They looked like they would fall apart, and I wasn't going to spend my money on something that wasn't going to last."
"Very prudent," Vivian
"I'm not asking about anyone in particular, just in general. You have patients that pay you."
"Yes. And I supervise a group of psychologists."
"So, you make the same kind of money a doctor makes."
"I am a doctor."
"That's evasive. You know what I'm trying to ask."
"Yes, I make the kind of money you expect."
"How much did you make last year."
"Michaela," she said. "I'm not going to talk about that."
"I made thirty-one thousand dollars last year," I said. "That's pretty good for a public servant without a high school diploma. Francesca said I'll make thirty-eight beginning next school year and more if I get a four-year degree. I bet you make ten or even twenty times that much."
She looked away. I'd never gotten her to look away before.
"More," I said.
"Yes, if you count investments."
"In one month, you make more than I paid for my house," I said. "I've done a lot on it in the eight years I've had it, so it's worth more than that, maybe even two months' salary for you. And you want to hear about my house? You don't care about my house. Why aren't you being honest with me?"
"I want to hear you tell me about your house," she said, looking straight at me. "And that's the truth."
I stared at her for a minute. I didn't trust her. "So, I start talking about my house, and then you ask a few harmless questions. And then you're going to ask about the places I lived before."
"No. Unless you bring it up, I don't intend to talk about anything from before you moved to Bayfield. Can we talk about your house, and Bayfield?"
"No tricks?"
"No tricks."
"All right," I said. "We can talk about my house, and about Bayfield. I'll even talk about the Apostle Islands, if you like."
"I would like that," she said. "Will you tell me about buying your house?"
"All right," I agreed. "I'd had my job for a while, and I was saving all my money. Robert and Virginia helped."
"Who are they?"
" Bree's parents. Bree is the girl I saved. I think you know about that."
She nodded.
"So, they helped. I didn't know much about money then, but Virginia declared me a fast learner. One evening over dinner, I told them I hoped I could buy my own house one day. And Robert said I could, and it didn't need to be 'one day'. It could be 'next week' if I really wanted."
I sighed, remembering. "I didn't know what he was talking about. I didn't have anywhere near enough money for a house, even a really bad house. He told me about loans. I laughed and told him no one would loan me money. He assured me they would. He said, 'you have a good job an d good references', and then he if necessary, he would co-sign a loan with me as long as I was sure I could make the payments."
"That was very generous," Vivian said.
"Have you always had money, Vivian?"
"Yes."
"So it's difficult for you to imagine not having money, I bet. Not having a home."
"Yes, it is."
"I didn't want his help," I told her. "I stayed late at work the next night and researched buying houses, loans, and everything. I saw that you need a credit rating, and I didn't have one. I hadn't done anything to build one. But I started wondering what a house would cost. I was living in a little apartment in Ashland, but I already knew I liked Bayfield better. So that weekend I found a realtor. I told her I didn't have much money, but I just wanted to know what houses cost. She told me if I promised to come back to her when I was ready to get serious, she'd give me a tour of what was available."
I sat back, remembering. "She started with expensive houses. Not expensive for you, but far too expensive for me, even now. Then she showed me more modest houses. They were cute, I guess. I asked her to show me the cheapest houses available. So she showed me some trailer homes, but I didn't like those at all. They looked like they would fall apart, and I wasn't going to spend my money on something that wasn't going to last."
"Very prudent," Vivian
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