Imani's Dilemma (Drumbeats Romance)
Page 11
They were greeted by a rather grumpy-looking guard demanding to know their reason for coming. When Makena told him they were there for an apartment viewing, he scowled suspiciously, thrusting a register at them. Alisha wondered if he suspected some skulduggery. It was almost as if he knew she was ‘using influence’ to nab the apartment.
With each step she took, Alisha felt more and more excited about the place. Unlike the approach to other places, this one actually looked and felt like a proper residence. In fact, there was a well-maintained lawn in the front, an oasis of green, and the stairs gleamed, suggesting that they actually saw soap and water with some regularity. No trash adorning the staircases, no smell of lingering tobacco or obvious reminders of ‘the night before’ dropped at the floors. Alisha remembered the corridors of Fresh Air and noted the stark contrast between the two places with relief.
Once they’d climbed to the third floor, they were greeted by a matronly looking woman.
“Apartment viewing? 3B?” she asked and Makena nodded.
“Ah yes I’ve been expecting you. Makena Kabura and friend?” She smiled and gestured them down the well-lit corridor. She came to a halt outside the last flat and turned a heavy key in the lock to let them in.
It was love at first sight for Alisha. The floors were polished, the walls painted and crack-free; the stark white paint reflecting the shine of the warm wooden flooring, radiating an air of serenity, an air of home. A pleasant breeze streamed in through the open windows. The room was airy, flooded with light, cavernous in its emptiness, yet welcoming, the gleaming surfaces twinkling as if inviting her to claim the house as her abode.
“Oh, Makena, this place is perfecto!”
“Don’t you want to see the rest of the flat first?” her friend laughed.
The rest of the house was as beautiful. Off the hall was the kitchen, with its inbuilt cupboards and stone breakfast counter and a lingering fragrance of lavender and lemon disinfectant. Alisha could almost taste the pasta and wine that she would cook for her first meal when she moved in. Smiling broadly, Alisha moved in further, to check out the bedrooms.
There were two of them, each with an attached bathroom. The bedrooms were huge, by student standards, with large closets and inbuilt dressers; the master bedroom even had a little alcove. But it was the smaller one that she loved, with its cream walls and the dome-shaped windows, which had such broad ledges that she could actually sit on them. Alisha imagined perching on the window-sill on a stormy night, watching rain lash the windows as she made herself cosy with blankets, a novel and a cup of cocoa.
There was also a small shared balcony that offered a lovely view of the surrounding farms. For Alisha, who had lived for three years in an 8 by 10 room, the amount of space was almost overwhelming.
“So babe, tell me who was crazy enough to let such a lovely place go?”
Alisha couldn’t help wondering which poor soul she had to thank for their foolishness and inadvertent generosity.
“Oh, that’s an interesting story. So apparently, this couple were sharing the place for two years, but they broke up last week. They had taken the place on a joint lease but when they split, things got nasty. He tried to throw her out and she tried to throw him out. They couldn’t agree who was going to leave. I hear there was chaos … suitcases on the stairs each time one threw the other out! They had signed a contract, so management said either they both stayed or no one did. They couldn’t stand the idea of staying together, so both left.”
Alisha chuckled, “I’m telling you, these kinds of arrangements always end badly. When will guys learn not to shack up with randomers?”
But even as she spoke the thought, her enthusiasm was punctured and her dreams of pasta and wine evaporated
“Now, serious matters,” she said, “I love this place, I really do. But I can’t stay here …”
Makena’s smile faded too, “Why not?”
“Babe, I’m sure this place is out of my league. I get 25k a month all inclusive and I’m sure the rent for this place is much more than my total allowance.”
Makena shook her head reassuringly. “It’s only 30k per month. And you’re my friend; I’m sure dad will be happy to give you a discount. And you can pay the rest in instalments …”
“No way! First I jump the waitlist and then I pay half the rent?” Alisha shook her head vigorously. “That would really be taking advantage of our friendship. It’s not fair to your parents; they could easily get a proper tenant. I can’t accept such a huge favour. Besides, it’s a place for two and I’m alone – it would be wasted on me.”
Alisha turned away sadly. She had really had her heart set on this place; it had somehow felt like home already.
“Al, sometimes you are so obtuse, I wonder how you’ve managed that GPA! You can solve both these problems easily!”
“Enlighten me, please.”
“You just need to find a flatmate! You can pay half the rent. That leaves you with enough money for bills and food and stuff. And the other person can have half the house, so it’s not wasted, and they can pay half the rent. In fact, you’ll save money since you’ll split bills too.”
Share a flat? Will that work? Alisha was unconvinced. Imagine rooming with some crazy chic who wakes up in the wee hours of the morning. Seeing this, Makena grabbed her and gave her a shake.
“Wake up, woman! You need a clean, safe place to stay and they don’t come better than this. So now what’s your problem? That it’s out of your budget and too big? If you don’t stop being so picky, you’re going to end up homeless.”
She’s right. Alisha knew her options were limited, and she really liked the apartment. “You’re right. Someone to share the rent and bills and chores may not be such a bad thing!”
The more she thought about it, the less awful it seemed. Finally, smiling broadly, she threw her arms around her friend.
“You’ve got a deal, landlady!”
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