office address is at the top. I charge a late fee after the fifth, so you want to have your check in the mail well before then. You have any trouble, you call my office.”
After a few more instructions, like where to find the breaker box and thermostat, Mr. Snyder left
and she stood alone in her apartment. It was surreal.
Scout turned slowly in a circle and took in the space that was now her home. Her cheeks pulled as a
grin slowly split her face, and suddenly she was jogging in place doing a happy dance and squealing
like a child.
She fell to the stiff carpet in a fit of giggles and held her stomach. “Home,” she whispered. “You
have a home.”
Chapter 4
Indulgences
The euphoria Scout experienced at having her own place to call home was unexpected and definitely welcome. When she finally dragged herself off the floor, she dug out her bank book and carefully
wrote:
Transaction
Check
+/-
Balance
L.
$35,000.00
BANC
-$300.00
$34,700.00
HOME
0001
-$1,300.00
$33,400.00
Tucking the checkbook back in her bag, she looked at her watch. She had two hundred and four
dollars and thirty-six cents left after the motel and breakfast. Gazing around her home she considered the necessities she needed.
She stood and opened the fridge. How incredible. The air that touched her hand was cold. She
opened the freezer—also cold. Amazing! She ran to the bathroom and turned on the water. Beautiful,
clear liquid flowed from the spigot. Cupping her hands, she drank a mouthful, laughing at the purity of the taste. Running water! In her bathroom!
She flushed the toilet and spun in place. Her fingers flipped the switch as she watched the simple
bulb behind the glass flicker with each click. On. Off. On. Off. On. Off.
Her cheeks cramped as her smile refused to abate. Sighing, she turned and faced her living room
slash bedroom. Decision made, she swept up her bag, dug out her key and nearly broke her neck as she
rushed down the steps.
Calm down, Keats. You want to be around to enjoy it.
After locking the door, she exited the alley and headed toward Clemons. Her eyes snagged on the
people in the insurance office below her apartment. Eventually she’d need to introduce herself to
them.
Her job was the perfect distance from her home. Every time she thought the word she beamed. She had a home!
A few doors down from Clemons Market was a mattress store. She was getting herself a bed! As she
approached the store, she took a deep breath. She’d never bought a big-ticket item, but this was
definitely a dream worth pursuing.
Scout pressed the glass door open and stepped into a showroom full of various white mattresses.
“Can I help you find something?”
Scout jumped. Where the hell did that guy come from? He wore a brown suit with a yellow shirt and
brown tie. He must work there. “I want to buy a bed.”
He smirked, as though they were old friends, which automatically made her uncomfortable. Oh,
well. She was getting a bed and this was the only bed store she knew of.
“Well, you came to the right place. Name’s Sal. What kind of bed are you looking for?”
“Um, the kind you sleep on. Do you guys deliver?”
“Yes. Thursday’s one of our delivery days, so you’re in luck if you were hoping to get it today. Will
you be shopping for a mattress and box spring as well?”
Yes, mattress, that’s what she meant. “What’s a box spring?”
“Box spring’s the support piece under the mattress.” He pointed to the bed closest to them and lifted
the plush mattress to show her the box spring. It looked like a mattress, but wasn’t cushioned.
“What does it do?”
Salesman Sal’s brow creased. “It lifts the mattress, offers more support. You don’t want to put a
mattress on the frame.”
“Frame?”
“The metal support.” He pointed to the brown metal beams that raised the mattress and box spring
off the ground.
“Oh, yes, I’d also like a box spring.” Her days of sleeping low to the ground were over.
“What size were you hoping for?”
“Um, square and a one-person.”
He frowned and laughed in a way that was insulting. “Well, they’re all square, dear. Let me show
you our twins.”
“It’s just for one person,” she explained.
“Right. That’s a twin.”
Oh.
They walked to the far left of the showroom. Several narrow, one-person beds were lined up on the
wall. “This is a good brand, one of our best sellers. Go ahead. Try it out.”
Eyeing him skeptically, she looked at the bed. Pockets of white curved up in firm diamond shaped
clouds, neatly sectioned off with ivory stitching. Cautiously, she stepped closer and sat on the edge. It was firm.
“Go ahead. Lay down. Get comfortable.”
Her brow tightened and, with shifting movements, she scooted more on the bed. As she eased back,
she was very aware of her breasts pressing into her shirt and Sal observing her. It was impossible to
get comfortable with him hovering over her. She sat up. Anything was better than the floor.
“How much is it?” she asked.