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“I agree. I don’t know why I was born a brunette when I was clearly meant to be a fiery redhead.”
“Get up.” She ripped off the cape covering my body.
“Wow. I bet the world is lining up for you to do their hair with this kind of service.”
“You bet your sweet ass they are. But no, my clients are early.” Holly stared out the window of our salon as I fished my debit card out of my back pocket. “I can’t believe it’s almost Christmas. This year has flown by.”
I stared at the adorable pink tree she had decorated by the front desk, and a sharp pain snagged my chest. There would be no Christmas for me. I hadn’t put up a tree or celebrated the holiday since Gran passed. A tree in my ratty ass apartment would look absurd anyway.
My phone rang as I paid. I frowned as I looked at the screen.
“Who is it?” Holly asked.
“My landlord.”
“Have you paid rent?”
“Of course, I’ve paid rent. I always pay my bills, thank you!”
“Then why would she be calling?”
That bubbling of unease dipped into my stomach. “I don’t know.” I answered the call. “Hello?”
“Eugene, this is Yolanda, your landlord.”
“Hi, Yolanda.” I pressed my hand against Holly’s lips when she kept mouthing,what is she saying?
“I’m afraid I have terrible news. It seems the tenants above your apartment have had a bathroom leak for a few months now.”
“Yes. Remember, I mentioned the state of the ceiling in my bathroom because of their leak?”
“Right. Well, their tub fell through.”
“Can you repeat that?”
???
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.It’s fine. Everything’s fine.My ass knew the ceiling was in rough shape. The wetness was growing, and black mold was setting in. I kept the door closed and only went into the bathroom to take a quick shower and use the toilet. Some mold was in the rest of the apartment, but not as bad. I’d lived in worse.
But I fucking knew better. I didn’t allow myself the luxury of acting surprised when I tiptoed over the mess in my bathroom. When I looked up at the gaping hole in my ceiling and saw the little boy snickering, I waved, and he waved back.
I saw myself in that smiling child with an optimism not many could have in our situation. He laughed, peeking his head over the hole, then hiding himself from my view as he continued to whisper hi to me. He was so innocent; he probably didn’t realize we were all about to be kicked out. The police were questioning Yolanda when I arrived. I caught bits and pieces of the conversation, but the woman in the tub had gotten hurt and likely filed a complaint.
It was negligence on Yolanda’s part. Most likely, I wasn’t the only one complaining about the condition of those apartments. I should have moved months ago, but I wanted to save. There were so many things I needed money for.
I told myself that once I paid off my car, I’d find a better place to live. Maybe even buy a home. Once I had a home, I would finally take the plunge and open a shop. A book café was my absolute dream. The bad thing was, I wanted the book café more than I wanted a place to live, which was a fucking problem.
“We can’t let anyone stay here,” the policeman said as he rubbed his chin. “It’s a wonder how none of you aren’t sick with the condition of these walls. I’d recommend a trip to the doctor.”
There it was. I didn’t have a place to live.
???
I sat in my blue Kia Soul, parked at Dairy Queen. I had gone through the drive-thru and grabbed a burger. Food was good while I pondered my living situation. My churning stomach might disagree, though.
I didn’t own much. I bought a cheap futon at Walmart when I moved into the apartment to keep from overspending. My washer and dryer came from my brother’s brother-in-law, who happened to be someone I kicked in the balls when he kept pushing himself on me one night. I bought my fridge from Facebook Marketplace, which could be a shady place to buy from, but it worked out for me. It didn’t always. Once, a woman tried to sell me a twenty-four-inch TV for a hundred bucks but claimed it was a fifty-five inch. I didn’t buy it once I met up with her and saw the TV. When I thought back, I realized the deal had been too good to be true to begin with. I didn’t know which of us were sillier. Me falling for the post or her thinking I wouldn’t realize it wasn’t a fifty-five inch the second I saw it.
You live, and you learn.
