Page 64 of Hale Damage
That makes me laugh, and I watch as she turns and walks to her vehicle before I roll up my window and open the Twix. I eat it the proper way, scraping off the top layer of chocolate and caramel with my teeth and saving the cookie for last. It gives me a little boost, and I lick the remnants of melted chocolate from my fingers.
It’s okay to pivot.The woman’s message rings in my ears, and that’s exactly what I intend to do.
My pivot is a big one, namely starting from scratch on my apartment search. Gone are my dreams of hardwood floors and an amazing tub. Now I’m dealing with reality, and to be honest, it kinda sucks donkey balls.
It’s only temporary, I tell myself, looking around the shabby studio apartment that smells strongly like asparagus pee. The floors are carpeted in an avocado-colored shag that looks like it’s been there since the Nixon administration. And there’s no tub, clawfoot or otherwise, only a small shower stall with a moldy curtain covering the opening.
“You want it?” the landlord, who identified himself only as Apollo, asks gruffly. He doesn’t look like an Apollo. He looks more like a Norman or perhaps a Clarence.
“The deposit is only a hundred dollars?” I clarify.
The injudiciously named Apollo scratches his belly, which is barely contained by a stained wife-beater that might have been white at one point. One of his eyebrows is significantly bushier than the other. It seems to have its own life force, and I’m pretty sure it’s staring at me. I look away just to be safe.
“Yup.”
I walk around the space again, which takes approximately five seconds. The paint is chipping off in several places, and there are a few dead bugs around the baseboards. I don’t spot any crickets though. That totally would have been a deal-breaker for me.
It’s only temporary.I’ve deemed that my new mantra. I could deal with this for a few months until I get a few paychecks under my belt. The rent is dirt cheap, which is exactly what I need right now, and it comes furnished. Well, kind of furnished. There’s a bed with a surprisingly clean-looking mattress, a tiny dining table with one chair, and a lime-green bean bag.
“What’s the shortest lease I can sign?”
Apollo pulls up his shirt a couple inches and picks some lint from his belly button. At least I hope like hell it’s lint.
“Four months,” he replies in a bored tone before stuffing his belly button treasure in the pocket of his cargo jeans.Jesus.
“Okay, so it will be up in December,” I muse, doing thequick calculation. Worried that my current state of unemployed-ness will keep me from being able to rent, I jerk a thumb over my shoulder. “I’ll take the apartment, but I need to run to my car to get proof of employment. I mean, I don’t actually start the job until next week, but I brought my contract with me so you can see that I’ll be making enough to pay the rent here. I promise it?—”
He cuts off my nervous rambling with a simple statement. “Don’t give a shit. Just pay by the fifth every month or you’re out.”
“Alrighty then,” I reply in my best Jim Carrey impersonation. The eyebrow of doom rises, which I think means it’s impressed. It should be.
“My name recently changed,” I tell Apollo as we head down the rickety stairs to the first floor of the building. “I was going to go to the DMV when I’m done here, but for right now, my ID is under my old name.”
He sighs heavily as we walk into his office. There are at least eight cats lounging on various surfaces. “Look, lady. You can put Santa Claus on the lease as long as you pay your rent.”
Well. He’s certainly a lot more flexible than my new bank.
After leaving the convenience store earlier, I stopped by Aunt Lorraine’s house and found the name change paperwork in the mailbox. Then I headed directly to Reliant Bank and Trust to start a new account with the cash I had saved up. Even with the paperwork, they insisted on putting McCoy as my last name on the account because I didn’t have proper identification with Espinoza listed but assured me I can easily change it later when my new license comes in.
We make quick work of the lease agreement, and Apollo hands over the keys to my new shitty apartment. But to me, it’s the most beautiful thing in the world because it represents my independence.
Next step? Get some cleaning supplies. Including an industrial-sized can of Lysol.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Big news
Remington
I’mat my office in London going over expense reports when my assistant rings through. “Mr. Hale, don’t forget you have that call with your family in five minutes.”
“Thank you, Pauletta. You can go ahead and leave for the day,” I respond, marking an item on my report with a red pen. Then I set that aside and log on to my laptop. A few minutes later, my siblings and their spouses begin popping up on the screen, first Perri, then Phoenix and Jordie. We chat a bit about Jordie’s upcoming football season with the Houston Dragons while we wait for Helix and Nicolette. As soon as the clock ticks over to five o’clock, they appear.
As always, we take turns updating the others on what’s going on in our lives. I’m fully aware we do this mainly for my benefit since they all live in Houston and can see each other any time they want.
Our sister gives us a very detailed and exciting account of what she’s been up to at Hale Cosmetics. Perri’s always excited about everything, so that’s nothing new.
“As for my personal life, I went on a date last weekend,” she announces.
