Turns out remodels are expensive

"$62,000?" you repeat, unsure you heard him correctly.

"That's with the family discount too, by the way. I owe Ivan," Alexei responds.

You know Uncle Ivan would not have sent you a dishonest man, so you trust it to be a fair estimate. But still, that is a ton of money. More than you have.

"I'll be honest, Alexei, I simply don't have that much in cash. Do you have a payment plan or something?"

Alexei snorts, then answers, "I do. It's your uncle."

Of course. Now you know why Uncle Ivan was so familiar with the man. He was acting as a loanshark for Alexei.

"Maybe he'll cut you a deal on a loan," Alexei continues.

"I'm going to call him, can you two wait here?" you ask.

They nod, so you step outside and dial your uncle's phone number.

"Lev?" Ivan asks, picking up after a single ring.

"Hey Uncle," you start, "Alexei is here. Turns out that remodeling our house isn't so cheap. I asked about financing, but he said you're the one handling loans for him. It's sixty grand for what I need to do. Can you give me some more work, a loan, something?"

"Sixty grand?! Damn, Lev, what are you doing to the place? I'm kidding. Don't worry, we'll take care of you. Consider this your welcome gift to the organization. I'll loan you the money, no interest, to be paid back over the next twelve months. You'll have to work, but it should be doable. Deal?"

"Deal, deal, deal. Thank you, Uncle. As always, I appreciate your help."

"See you Monday, Lev."

"See you."

You head back inside to find Alexei and Manuel still in the kitchen, measuring appliances and cabinetry.

"Alright, I have the money. When can you start?"

"I can start as early as today, for some things. We'll have the crew here to begin tearing out the existing drywall and sanding the floors. You'll definitely want to stay somewhere else while we work."

"For how long?"

"Probably a week. We'll make quick work of this job, don't worry."

A week-long stay somewhere else? Perhaps you could get a hotel room. It'll be a nice break for the girls.

"Alright, let's get it started. I'll gather our things and take the girls to a hotel." You look down at the old kitchen table, barely standing. "By the way, could you toss the furniture too? We're going to replace it."

"Sure, Lev. Really going all out aren't you?" Alexei chuckles back.

"Absolutely." Your girls deserve the best, after all. Not this.

A few minutes later and you're dialing Nadia on the phone, telling her what happened. She had gone to visit Mia at work, explaining Karina's actions earlier. You grab your daughter from her room, too, and explain to all of them what happened.

The girls are just finished packing their things when the first workers arrive, already ready to start demolition.

"This is happening so fast," Nadia says to you, as you help them load their suitcases into the back of a taxi.

"I know, but the sooner we can get this done, the better," you answer. You stuff Karina's bags in on top of Mia's both of them full of clothes, makeup, and shoes. As you finish packing the bags in, you realize that none of the girls really had that much to bring, anyways.

"Personally, I can't wait to see what the house looks like when they're done," Mia says.

"Yeah, but you had to give them carte blanche? We don't get to pick out our own colors or whatever?" Karina asks.

"Well, I gave them some guidance. But ultimately, yes, Alexei has designers who will make everything nice and pretty for you."

"I hope so," Nadia says.

You settle into the taxi beside the girls and wrap your arms around their shoulders. The brownstone disappears into the background. "Me too," you say, the girls no longer listening.