Exasperated, Aron said, "I already told you I bought the house myself!"
He couldn't believe how difficult it was to talk to Albert's family. It was as if the people he was talking to were crazy.
Fiona kept needling him. "Who knows?
Word of mouth is never a guarantee." Her next words left Mike and Joanna with no alternative. "Father, Mother, we want to make this easy for you. You either allow us to live here, in this house or… you buy a house for us. Those are your only choices." Looking at the couple with a glint in her eye, she added, "The decision is yours."
Before either one could reply, Fiona quickly ordered Colin, "Take your luggage upstairs and choose a room."
He said okay and proceeded to follow his mother's order, lugging his heavy bags up the stairs. Seeing their family quarrel always upset Mike and Joanna. How they wished everyone would just get along with one another! But since that was not likely to happen, they knew the only solution to prevent fights was to buy a house for Albert and Fiona.
Before Mike or Joanna could speak, Aron raised his hand and said, "Okay, I want to make a proposition…"
He glanced at his grandparents before turning to his uncle and aunt. "You can go buy a house you like. And I will take care of the down payment. However, the rest of the payment will be your responsibility."
Aron didn't want to put Mike and Joanna in a difficult position, so he made a compromise. 'If a house must be bought, so be it. But I will not allow my grandparents to pay for it!
Contrary to what they may be thinking, my grandparents do not have a lot of money.' "Down payment?" Albert blurted out. "You have got to be kidding!"
His face turned pale just thinking about owing money. A life in debt was something he would not be able to endure.
Fiona, however, decided to play it smart. "Okay."
She patted Albert's arm to assure him. "Aron wants to buy a house for us to show respect. We had better accept his kindness." To her nephew, she said, "We will look for a house tomorrow."
"All right, " Aron nodded to acknowledge her. He hoped things were settled and there would soon be peace.
Albert, Fiona, and Colin headed upstairs. Colin wanted to stay in Aron's bedroom, so he asked his cousin, "Could you let me sleep in your room? Anyway, it is just for one night."
Fiona further pushed and said, "Be considerate with your family. We are your guests after all."
Her statement made Aron snap. "Guests, are you?
So now you realize you are just guests, " he said with disdain.
"You've been living abroad for too long. Have you never heard of the saying that guests should never impose on the host?"
Aron held his temper in check but stressed every word. "I'm warning you. If you do not want to be thrown out of this house, you had better take your things out of my bedroom."
Sensing Aron was serious, Fiona blurted, "Oh, just forget it!"
She pulled at Colin and said, "There is no need to quarrel with him. Besides, we will have our own house by tomorrow."
Colin was annoyed and grudgingly took his luggage out of Aron's room, then moved his stuff to a smaller bedroom.
When they were in bed getting ready to sleep, Albert complained to his wife. "Why did you stop me from arguing with Aron about him paying for just the down payment of our house?" Still bristling, he declared, "I cannot accept living like a destitute. He should pay that in full!"
Fiona patted her husband. "There's no need to worry."
She shared her plan. "Tomorrow, we will ask your parents to go check out houses with us. Do you actually think they will refuse to pay for the house if Aron was not around to interfere?" Fiona said. She was confident they would not even have to wrangle over cost, knowing how soft-hearted Albert's parents were. She thought, 'If we beg them, they will easily be persuaded.'
After careful consideration, Albert smiled a little. "You're right. They will definitely pay for the house."
He realized that Fiona's plan made sense. Although his parents tended to favor Aron, they could not turn down their own son.
'Whatever I want, they will get for me, ' he thought smugly.
Albert rubbed Fiona's shoulder and was satisfied with the plan. "Let's get some sleep. We will be busy looking at houses tomorrow, "
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