Janine Matthews (scarlet_j) wrote in light_of_may, @ 2014-06-16 17:37:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | #solo, 2009-10-08, jani |
Step One: Roof Over Head
Who: Jani, Margie (NPC) (solo)
Where: Around town
When: Morning, wrapping up around noon
Although the sun was just starting to peek out over the horizon as she drove into town, Jani was far too exhausted to appreciate the beauty of it. Besides, there was too much to do to pay attention to the landscape. No, she needed to just get to the hotel, park the moving truck there, unhitch her car, and drive around to find a place to live. Unsurprisingly, she had a list of addresses for apartments and other places for rent that she'd taken precious time to research before making the journey. Needless to say, she hadn't got much sleep since being released from the hospital.
And it showed. She looked as exhausted as she felt, with dark circles under her eyes, her hair in an unkempt, messy ponytail, her clothes wrinkled and loose, as if she'd lost more weight than she could afford in a very short time. Pulling up at the first apartment complex, she took a moment to look in the rear view mirror, cursing at her appearance. Breathing a sigh, she leaned back in the driver's seat and closed her eyes.
Oh well, she thought with another sigh. There was nothing to do about it now. She would just have to hope that property managers wouldn't hold her appearance against her. Her logic and negotiating skills were good enough to balance out her unkempt appearance, she hoped. It probably wouldn't hurt that she'd been extremely responsible in her financial planning, and so could afford to rent even though she didn't have a job lined up. That was next on her to-do list, and she was just as confident that she would have a job before the month was out.
Of course, Jani thought three hours later after talking to five different property managers on her list, just because she could get approved for a place didn't mean she wanted to live there. Three out of the five she'd seen had been absolute dumps, and the other two had been grossly overpriced. No, she would just have to keep looking.
Although she'd intended to continue on down her list, she kept an eye out for any possibilities that hadn't been listed online, signs in yard for houses for rent or smaller-scale, family owned townhouses or apartments. It was only because of that that she noticed the small 'for rent' sign in the yard of a large building that looked to house three townhomes. Jani slowed down to look, noticing one of the front doors open and nothing visible through the window. Just then, a woman came out with a bucket of what looked like cleaning supplies, so she decided to take a chance.
Jani pulled into one of the empty parking spots, absently taking note that there were six of them, parked, and then got out of the car. Although she knew she looked like crap, she put on her best charming smile and gave the woman a small wave as she walked to a truck parked two spots down from her.
"Excuse me," she said, hoping to further gain the woman's attention. "Are you the manager of this place?" As she got a closer look at the woman, she took note of her apparent age, thinking she probably had a handful of teenage grandchildren.
"I am, yes," the woman said with a friendly smile. After setting the bucket in the bed of the truck, she detoured over to where Jani stood near her car. "Are you looking to rent?"
The woman, who had introduced herself as Margie, seemed very sweet, that much was obvious within the first few minutes of conversation. She invited Jani in to see the place, explained that the kitchen appliances had just been upgraded and the carpet would be replaced later that day. The place was, in a word, beautiful. It was so open, the rooms larger than she'd have imagined, and though the kitchen seemed a little small, she didn't really think she needed one much bigger anyway. She liked that there were two bedrooms, as she'd had a spare/guest room in Denver too. Maybe she would let Liam come visit sometime. As if she could stop him.
"Well," Margie said once they were back downstairs and had gone over all the paperwork required. "It really sounds like you'd be an ideal tenet. I'll just call to confirm a few things on here, but I don't see there being anything that should keep you from being able to move in tomorrow."
Jani couldn't believe her luck. She'd found a place she fell in love with right away, an owner/manager who was friendly and willing to take a chance on someone new to the area who was unemployed (though she had a feeling her ample savings account had paved the way for acceptance there), and should her luck continue, she would be able to move in tomorrow. It was better than she'd thought things would turn out on her arrival here, but maybe it was just more proof that she'd done right listening to that small voice inside her that had drawn her here in the first place.
She went back to the hotel around noon with a certain bounce in her step, despite the exhaustion that was creeping up on her, despite the hunger that was clawing in her stomach unacknowledged. Things would be better here.
They had to be.