AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Thud. Thud. Thud.
“Ms. Castile!”
My eyes pop open. “I’m coming!”
I’d know that voice anywhere, Andy, my landlord. The rent was due last Tuesday, and I didn’t have the full amount.
I scramble out of bed, wearing next to nothing, and dart to my dresser to grab a large shirt and workout shorts. While Andy may enjoy a nice show this Saturday morning, the idea of that creep seeing me uncovered causes bile to rise in my throat.
I frown at the sweater thrown into the heaping laundry basket. Guess it’s laundry day. The hoodie displays Hudson Community College on the front and after a quick sniff, I decide it’s stench free.
Running out my bedroom door, I search for my bag that I dumped on the table last night. My apartment is a small, one-bedroom in a crappy building with the bare minimum. I barely make ends meet. I’ve discussed moving home to my mom’s, but I can’t deal with the constant rotation of men in her home.
Don’t get me wrong. I love my mother, but after losing my dad she stopped working in favor of drinking and traveling with her newest fling, on their dime, of course.
I snatch the bag and drag my feet toward the door. There go my tips from last night. Unbolting my deadlock, I put on my biggest smile and fling the door open.
“Andy! So good to see you this lovely Saturday morning!” I fake the cheesiest smile, and Andy glances down my bare legs and back up to my face.
“Ms. Castile,” he says, pushing his oversized glasses up his nose, “I need the other half of your rent. You said you’d have it today.” He blinks at me entirely too fast to be normal, while he licks his lips.
“I have it, Andy. One second.” I lift my bag and dig through it to pull out the wad of bills from last night. Counting out $1,800 in fifties and twenties, I hand it to him.
“You are $200 short, Kate. I understand the economy is tough right now, but I could rent this apartment for double the amount you’re paying grandfathered in.”
He’s right. I got this place for a steal. $4,000 for a one-bedroom is unheard of right now. The building is a hell hole, and it’s run-down, but the location for my job is perfect, and I can walk or ride the subway easily. Finding another place within my budget wouldn’t put me within a fifty-mile radius of my job. Plus, I keep my car off the road unless I’m traveling outside the city.
I wince as I survey the pitiful kitchen with a small rusty fridge and a sorry excuse for a stove. “One second,” I say, holding up a finger and dipping to the kitchen counter.
I unscrew the lid of my washed-out pickle jar. The decrepit, half-torn label reads VET SCHOOL. Grabbing four fifty-dollar bills, I pout at the dwindling funds and plant a kiss on top of the jar. I’ve had to dip into this jar far too many times this month. Between rent, groceries, and a new uniform for work, the amount stashed away keeps decreasing.
“Here Andy, sorry about that.”
Andy shuffles back and forth on his feet. “It’s okay, Kate.” He pockets the money. “Hope you have a great weekend.”
Yeah, you and I both.
But instead, I say, “Thanks, Andy.”
I shut the door, head over to my table, and pull out the only chair I have at it. The round two-person table and chair were purchased off a marketplace website for cheap with the intention of refinishing them, but I haven’t had the time.
Sitting down, I lean both my elbows on the table and plaster my face in my hands, anxiety rolling through me and attaching itself for the day.
* * *
“You could get a roommate?”Lacy says, and she slams her locker shut.
Our catering company owns a significant rental space in the city that has lavish facilities for its employees. We split our time between functions hosted here and catering at various high-end locations around the city. Emporium Events was a job a professor at school mentioned when he noticed I was having trouble making ends meet in college. I worked part time while I finished my two years of community college and went full time once I realized my dream of going to a four-year university was dead. Or at least temporarily postponed for a while.
“I have a one-bedroom apartment,” I reply. “Unless said roommate wants the couch I don’t own, I doubt having a roommate will work.”
“Oh yeah, I forgot.” Lacy gives me a sad frown. “Well hey, it’s coming up on fall and winter seasons, the events will be picking up. That’s good!” Lacy sits on the bench, tying up her black tennis shoes.
Yes, fall and winter were our busiest times, and we get paid by the hour per event plus tips.
Friends are hard to find as an adult, especially because I work a lot and don’t have money to go out often, but I would consider Lacy a friend. She started with Emporium around the same time I did, making us instant training buddies. While she is mostly behind the bar as one wicked talented bartender, we watch out for each other at events.
I pull at my white button-down and reach up into my locker for my bridge vest. Rolling it around to my back, I pull my arms through and take the buttons one by one. I’m ultra-careful with my work uniforms because any damage outside an event comes out of our own pockets.
