Room with a View

Unfortunately for me, the day I was going down to my leasing office to make my demands was the day that my family fell apart. I sat on the side of my bed, puffy eyed and my upper lip stained from the glass of red wine Scott poured me.

"I, um, I think I have everything," I murmured as I blankly looked at my suitcase.

"Do you have underwear? Socks?" he asked.

"I don't need socks. It's too warm for socks."

"But you're going up north. It's colder there than it is here."

"I'll be okay."

Scott wrapped his arms around me, quickly running a hand over the top of my head before resting it around my back, "Will you?"

I groaned, "Ugh, my apartment!"

"We'll go now."

The manager I've been working with wasn't there, so we made my demands to the assistant manager. After listening to everything I went through and everything I wanted, she said, "Well I can't make that decision without Gwen. So I'll just send her an e-mail and I'll give you a call."

"Don't call her," Scott interrupted. "She just had a few deaths in the family and she's on her way out of town. Give me a call and I'll run it by her when I talk to her."

I sat there mute. I was exhausted and I hadn't even driven the eight hours to the family farm yet. I was barely even packed. She requested Scott's numbers and we left.

"Good news, baby!" Scott chirped the next day. "Gwen's going to give you the larger apartment. You have a choice of three different floor plans. I already took the keys and looked at them. One has a study and a garden view, but I know you don't care for the garden view."

"I just refuse to pay extra for an apartment based on the view. I couldn't care less about a view. My last one overlooked the condos next door and had a partial city view and I was fine with that. Seriously, I'm not getting an apartment based on the view," I sighed. "Besides, you know the 'garden' is actually a pine island with a bush."

"Well, they had another one. It was bigger than the garden apartment, but it doesn't have a study. Instead this one has a huge balcony and overlooks the pool! I really think you'll like this one. It has a huge great room. You can put a kitchen table and bookshelves in it, plus your living room furniture."

"Well if the square footage is taken up by the balcony," I began. "You know I don't spend any time on there."

"But you will because of the pool view!" I clenched my fist. I don't care. about. a. view. It's more important to me to have space to live in. What good is it if it's outside and constructed by 2x4s?

"Well it excited me. And I'm out there a lot when I smoke," finished Scott. "I really think you'll like this one. It's so big."

I really had the best boyfriend. I had to go out of town and he had completely taken care of my apartment situation. He negotiated with my landlord, and is looking at the new floor plans for me, trying to decide whether I would like it or not. He knew I was under a lot of stress and he was doing everything he could to help.

"I trust you," I said somberly, the mood of the farm house engulfing me. Strangers coming over to offer me condolences. I had to sit, smile, and nod when I didn't even want to be in the house at all. "It just sucks that I can't even pick out my own apartment. I won't even see it until I move in. When am I moving?"

"Saturday. When are you coming home?"

"Tuesday."

That gave me three days.