After my divorce, I started a new life and a new career, in which my younger colleagues considered me too old. They laughed at me until I took on a house that no one else wanted to touch — the so-called ‘haunted house.’ But what I found there proved that age is not the only thing people get wrong.
You never know what life has in store for you. That’s both its beauty and its curse. Not long ago, I was a housewife in a thirty-year marriage, raising two grown children and worrying only about what to make for dinner.
Until one evening, I opened the door to our bedroom and saw my husband with a woman who could have been our daughter.
There were no screams, no plates flying, no tears. I just turned around, packed my suitcase and left. After all, I was too old for melodrama. The next morning, I filed for divorce.
Everyone said I was crazy.
My ex-husband, my daughter, even my son advised me to forgive him, to be ‘practical.’ They said that living alone at my age was a bad idea, that I would regret it.
But all my adult life I had taken care of others. For the first time, I had to take care of myself.
I tried different things, but nothing filled the void.
One evening, while looking through job ads, I noticed the phrase: ‘Real estate licence course — a new career at any age.’ Maybe it’s not too late.
The classes turned out to be more difficult than I expected. My memory isn’t what it used to be. But the real challenge was finding a job.
The classes turned out to be more difficult than I expected. My memory isn’t what it used to be. But finding a job proved to be the real challenge.
I sent out CVs again and again, went to interviews, smiled at polite rejections.
‘We’re looking for someone with more energy,’ said one broker.
‘With more experience,’ added another.
But their eyes gave away the truth:
You’re too old.
After several months of disappointment, I finally received a letter with the magic words: ‘We would like to offer you the position.’
On my first day at work, I stood in front of the mirror for almost an hour, adjusting my new dark blue suit.
It cost more than I could afford, but I wanted to look professional. The office was bright and modern, with shiny screens and even shinier people.
At lunch, the illusion shattered. Everyone gathered around a large table, laughing, and no one offered me a seat.
I took a salad and sat down at a small table by the window, pretending not to notice. I heard their whispers, and then louder laughter.
‘Did you see her outfit? My grandmother dresses like that,’ Tina giggled.
‘She won’t last two weeks,’ Jake laughed.
‘I give her one day of open house before she leaves,’ someone else added.
The words stung like cold water. I kept my head down, picking at my salad, pretending not to hear.
After lunch, I was walking to my desk when I heard familiar voices near the break room — Jake and Tina. I slowed down a little to listen.
‘I swear, this house is cursed,’ said Jake. ‘It’s been two years, and we can’t sell it. Every buyer turns it down.’
‘Then stop wasting your time on it,’ said Tina. ‘Pass it on to someone who isn’t afraid of failure.’
‘I swear, this house is cursed.’
Jake smirked. ‘Who would take it? It’s a dead property.’
‘I’ll take it,’ I said, walking inside.
They turned around, surprised and amused at the same time.
‘You?’ Jake raised an eyebrow. ‘Maggie, this isn’t some cosy family home. This place eats up newbies.’
‘I can handle it,’ I said.
Tina crossed her arms. ‘You don’t even know the history of this house.’
‘Then tell me,’ I said.
Jake leaned against the counter. ‘A young woman died there. It wasn’t murder, she was sick. But people love drama, so they started calling it the “haunted house”. Now no one wants to touch it.’
‘A young woman died there.’
Tina smirked. ‘Half the town says her ghost still lives there. You’ll be selling it to ghosts, Maggie.’
‘People die in houses every day,’ I said. ‘That doesn’t make them cursed.’
‘Half the town says her ghost still lives there.’
‘Well, I don’t believe in ghosts,’ I said.
He grinned. ‘Well, go ahead. But if you sell that house, I’ll eat my sock.’
‘Deal,’ I held out my hand.
Tina laughed, and Jake shook his head with a smile. ‘Okay. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.’
He took out a bunch of keys, found the right one, and threw it to me. ‘Good luck, granny.’
I didn’t answer, just turned and walked away.
‘Good luck, granny.’
The house stood on the outskirts of town, a two-storey building with a wide veranda and faded blue paint.
It wasn’t pretty, but it wasn’t cursed either.
Inside, everything was quiet. There were a few cobwebs and some peeling wallpaper, but the structure of the house was solid. I walked through all the rooms, taking photos and making notes.
That night, when the office was empty and the cleaner had already turned off the lights, I was still there.