The Last Thorn

9. A Cinnabon And A Latte

Florence doesn’t go out of the room for a whole day. Her stomach is still upset from yesterday and the talk with Eugene made it even worse. She spends whole day sorting through her stuff and throwing some most of the things out, so it’s easier to move out. She can’t afford a moving company and she’s too proud to ask for help from Garrett and Eugene now.

She’s left with a blanket, a pillow, 2 bed sheets and a laptop. She throws all flashy clothes Eugene bought for her in the corner. She’ll donate it. It’d be too much of a waste otherwise.

She never realized how many items of clothing and shoes Eugene has bought for her. All she’s left with are 2 pairs of jeans, 5 shirts, a brown pantsuit and 2 formal dresses. 

There are 2 pairs of sneakers. However, she’ll leave her nude high heels at work, so she ever doesn’t forget them. Even though they’re uncomfortable and a gift from Eugene, she doesn’t dare to run into her boss wearing sneakers. She will buy a more comfortable pair later.

Even though she bought some of the furniture, she won’t be able to transport it on her own, so she decides to just leave it here. Eugene can throw it out if he wants to.

“That’ll do,” she thinks and stretches. She’s tired, so she decides to go to sleep early. She’ll go and take a look at 5 flats first thing tomorrow morning.

As Florence turns off the light and lays down, she hears Garrett laughing out loudly from the room next to hers. It seems like he’s mocking her. Florence ignores it and closes her eyes.

…

An alarm rings. It seems like it’s been only 5 minutes since she went to sleep. However, it’s Sunday morning already.

Even though she doesn’t feel rested at all, she’s happy that she’ll have a good opportunity to get out of the house. She gets dressed, takes her phone and a wallet and gets out as fast as possible. The last thing she wants any time soon is to see Eugene or Garrett.

Florence goes to the metro. She excluded every flat option in 3 kilometre radius from Eugene’s place, so the chances of accidentally meeting him would be slim. She doesn't want to risk it. 

The option number one is 5 kilometres north, but it’s about the same distance from the office. Florence isn’t too eager to keep spending 2 hours a day in a metro, but she’ll give it a chance. The house isn’t fresh. There are some cracks in the walls and it looks like the last renovation was 10 years ago.

She meets the owner, a woman in her 50s. She seems like a person who’d come in regularly to check whether Florence keeps the flat tidy or not. It seems like too much of a hustle, plus the bathroom was pretty small and disgusting, so Florence thanks for her time and  tells her that she’s not interested straight away.

The rest of the flats are less than 20 minutes away from the office if she takes the metro. One of them was on the top floor, which she was enthusiastic about. However, she noticed some mold in the top corner because of humidity, so it was no option for her either.

Florence is exhausted. She expected to spend more time looking around. She’s looking at the last flat in an hour, so she decides to grab something to drink. She gets into the bakery and orders a cinnabon and a latte.

She sits at the table outside and lets her surroundings sink in. If the last flat turns out to be the one, she could walk or ride a bicycle to work. It’s on the other side of the park. She can even spot the building.

It would be beautiful to take a walk by the river every day. However, it probably wouldn’t be so great in winter. The roads get icy and slippery. Her watch sends an reminder that she’s meeting the last owner after 10 minutes, so she leaves the bakery.

There is an attractive man at the front door. She doesn’t register it’s the owner at first, because she doesn’t expect such a wealthy looking man to be renting a small studio apartment. He looks like someone who’d sell penthouses.

“Hey, you must be Florence,” he says as he offers his hand. He shows pearly white teeth as he smiles.

“Oh, James, I presume?” she asks.

“Come on in,” he says as he opens the door. “So there’s an elevator in the building. However, I think we can take the stairs, right? It’s just two floors.”

They walk up and he leads her to a wooden door. “Number thirteen,” he says and takes his keys out, “My favorite.”

He opens the door for Florence and closes it behind them. The flat is small, but there’s everything. She pays attention to the corners and any signs of the pests. James laughs, “No worries about little animals. They’ve never been in this building. There’s a conditioner and a radiator, too, so it’ll be nor too hot, nor too cold. The kitchen is new too.”

It’s not much, but it’s something. The kitchen is dark brown and super simple. There’s a sink, a counter top and a stove. There’s no place for a microwave and there’s no dishwasher, but that’s okay.

“Here’s a bed frame. However, you’ll have to buy the mattress. It’s 160 by 180 I believe,” James says.

“Can I paint the walls?” she asks. “I just hate it when they’re dark.”

“Well, if you’ll show me the color, it shouldn’t be the problem. However, please don’t ruin the floor. It’s real wood, so I’d have to take it from your lien if anything gets damaged.”

“I’ll manage,” she says. “You know, I think I like this.”

“Great! I expect everything to be paid by the 13th every month. Thirteen, get it?” However, Florence doesn’t find that amusing. She just looks at him confused. James clears his throat, “Anyway, I guess you’re in no rush to move in and nobody wants to do it on workdays, so does Saturday sound good to you to sign the papers and move in?”

“Actually, I think I could do this today,” Florence says. There are not many things for her to take. She’ll be able to bring them all here by taking the bus once.

James shakes his head, “Well, today, why not. Luckily I’ve got papers ready already. So you should fill out everything that’s checked. There’s the p*****t for the first month and a lien as well.”

“Can I transfer it to you by Revolut, please?” She asks as she realizes she has no folding money on her right now.

James smiles, “Thanks god. It’s so much easier that way. Here’s my number. If you’ve got any more questions, don’t be shy and ask me. Better text me though. I don’t like calling.”

Florence sends the money. All she’s left with are 70 dollars to spend for 3 weeks, including a water and electricity bill. It’ll be tight. She regrets spending all that money yesterday now. But it has to be done. “Done,” she says trying her best to conceal her concerns. James’ watch beeps.

“Great. So, here’s your keys and welcome to Valley Avenue,” he says as he motions around. “I’ll get myself out of your hair. Thank you for being so operative. It’ll save me a lot of time. “

James goes towards the door and says, “See you around. Don’t forget to lock yourself in,” he says as he closes the door.