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.
I edited the photos, wrote the perfect description, and made sure everything looked flawless.
I didn’t stop until the ad appeared online.
The next morning, as soon as I sat down at my desk, the phone rang.
‘Hi, this is Chloe,’ said a young voice. ‘My fiancé and I saw the listing for the house on Maple Street. We’d like to see it today.’
‘Great,’ I said. ‘Would noon work for you?’
‘Perfect,’ she replied cheerfully.
When I hung up, Jake leaned against my desk with a smug smile.
‘Already found someone for the haunted house?’ he asked.
‘Yes,’ I said.
Tina giggled. ‘Better bring some holy water.’
‘At least you won’t go grey with fear — you’re already there,’ Jake added.
I looked him in the eye. ‘Keep a sock handy,’ I said and grabbed my bag.
At noon, I drove to the house. A young man was waiting on the porch. ‘Hi, I’m Ethan,’ he said. ‘Chloe is still in town, so I’ll take a look myself.’
‘Sure,’ I said. ‘Let’s go inside.’
I led him through the kitchen, living room, and upstairs hallway.
He seemed genuinely interested, touching the walls, opening doors, asking questions about the neighbourhood.
Everything was going smoothly until suddenly there was a scream.
I rushed over and saw Ethan in one of the bedrooms, frozen, staring at the far corner.
‘There’s… someone there,’ he whispered.
I followed his gaze. For a second, I saw the faint silhouette of a woman in white. Then it disappeared.
‘There… someone’s there.’
Ethan backed away, pale. ‘No way. I’m not buying it. I’m not dying here.’
He rushed down the stairs, and by the time I reached the porch, he had already driven away.
I stood there, trying to make sense of the situation. Ghosts don’t exist.
‘No way. I’m not buying it. I’m not going to die here.’
I went back to the bedroom and looked around. I looked carefully and noticed a faint line on the wall.
Pressing on it, I discovered a small hidden door leading to a narrow cupboard. It was empty.
As I turned around, something shiny on the floor caught my eye. I bent down and picked up a single gold earring, modern and elegant.
‘Ghosts don’t wear jewellery,’ I muttered.
I put it in my pocket and smiled slightly. Someone wanted me to fail.
They chose the wrong woman.
The next morning, when I entered the office, I saw everyone there. Jake looked at me with a smile.
‘So, how was the haunted house tour? Did Casper propose?’
‘Or did he run away screaming?’ Tina laughed.
I didn’t answer, just put down my bag and started working.
A few minutes later, coming out of the toilet, I noticed a framed photo on Jake’s desk: him with a young woman.
I looked closer. The woman was wearing gold earrings similar to the ones I had in my pocket.
‘Who’s that?’ I asked, pointing to the photo.
‘My sister. Why?’ Jake frowned.
‘No reason,’ I replied quickly and returned to my desk.
Later, I heard Jake on the phone: his voice was sharp and low.
‘We had an agreement,’ he hissed. ‘Just stick to the plan.’
Around noon, my phone rang again.
‘Hi, it’s Chloe,’ she said cheerfully. “About the house. We discussed it and decided to buy it if the price drops by half. Because of the ghost, you know.”
‘Let’s discuss it in person. Can you meet today?’
‘Of course,’ she replied quickly.
When I arrived, Chloe and Ethan were already waiting on the porch. I recognised her immediately — the same woman from Jake’s photo.
‘Good to see you again,’ I said. ‘Brave enough to come back?’
Ethan smiled weakly. ‘We decided we could handle the ghosts if the deal was right.’
‘Brave enough to come back?’
Chloe blinked. ‘What do you mean?’
I took the earring out of my pocket. ‘You dropped this,’ I said, holding it out to her.
Her hand flew to her ear—one earring was missing.
‘You dropped this.’
‘I found it near the wardrobe in the bedroom,’ I continued. ‘Right where your ghost disappeared.’
Ethan froze. ‘Wait, what?’
I turned to him. ‘She wasn’t the only one involved. You both planned this, didn’t you? A little performance to get the price you wanted.’
‘You have no proof.’
‘Oh, I have plenty,’ I said. ‘You’re Jake’s sister. He told you everything about the house, didn’t he? You used inside information and staged a ghost.’
‘You should be grateful to me!’ Chloe shouted. ‘It was Jake’s idea. He wanted us to keep the rumours going so the house would never sell. But we thought, why not use it to our advantage and buy it for half price?’
‘You should be grateful to me!’
I smiled. ‘Here’s what will happen. I can give you a small discount, and you buy the house legally, or I go straight to the police and report you both for fraud.’
They looked at each other silently, while I stood there smiling, completely calm.
‘You buy the house legally, or I’ll go straight to the police and report both of you for fraud.’
An hour later, I walked into the office and placed the signed papers on Jake’s desk.
He froze, stunned. ‘You… sold it?’
‘Full price,’ I said.
Patrick came over and looked at the documents. ‘Is this the house on Maple Street? The one we’ve been holding for two years?’
‘Yes,’ I said.
Patrick smiled. ‘Well done, Maggie. Looks like we finally have someone who can work miracles. Expect a bonus in your next pay cheque.’
When he left, the room fell silent. Jake’s jaw clenched.
I looked at him and smiled. ‘So, Jake, which sock for lunch — left or right?’
Finally, I didn’t feel like someone’s ex-wife or someone’s mother. I was Maggie — the woman who sold the “haunted house”.
