‘Yes.’
‘The cabin that’s eighty yards from our house…thatcabin?’
‘It’s more like a hundred and twenty yards, but yes.’
‘I can’t believe she rented you the cabin. When?’
‘About seven months ago.’
‘I don’t believe you.’
‘Ask her, then.’
‘I can’t; she’s gone on a cruise.’
‘I take it that’s why you’re here.’
‘Yes, that’s why I’m here. Someone has to look after the old man and unfortunately I drew the short straw.’
‘And you’re angry about that? Because you sound kind of angry.’
‘I’m not angry, I’m pissed off.’
I processed this. ‘Isn’t that the same thing?’
‘I just can’t believe she never mentioned you. We talk on the phone atleastonce a week. She’s told me all about Ray’s disgusting earwax and her hairdresser’s scandalous affair with a married man, but did she ever mention the fact that she’s rented out the family cabin to some random stranger?’
‘Uh,’ I started to answer, but she continued on without waiting.
‘I mean, who even are you? And how did this all come about? Surely, she didn’t advertise the cabin for rent? Why would she? She doesn’t exactly need the money. And how did you even find out about it? Has everything been done properly, through the proper channels, with an actual tenancy agreement? Did she bother doing any reference checks before letting a complete stranger move in?’
I waited.
‘Well?’ she demanded.
‘Oh, you’re asking me this time. That was a lot of questions, but let me see if I can ease some of your concerns. My name is Jack. No, she didn’t advertise. Someone mentioned the cabin one day at work, a friend of your mother’s, so I drove out and asked her if she would consider leasing it to me. There isn’t a formal agreement, but we shook hands on it. As far as I’m concerned, that’s as good as any legal document. Your mother seemed happy with that too. She said that she’s good at reading people, and could tell I am a good person. I haven’t missed a payment yet and I won’t. I also help your mom out by doing the lawns and other odd jobs around the place. This arrangement suits us both and is working well. You have nothing to worry about, I promise.’
‘That’s easy for you to say. But my mother is, how do I say this? She’s kind and caring, but she’s also easily taken advantage of. I’m not sure I’m comfortable with your arrangement.’
‘I’ve been living here for seven months already. Don’t you think that if I was trying to scam your mother in some way, I’d have done it already?’
A long pause. ‘Good point. I’m still not happy about it though, and you better believe I’ll be doing some background checks. What’s your last name, Jack?’
‘Garrity.’
‘And where do you hail from, Jack Garrity?’
‘L.A.’
‘L.A.?’ She whistled. ‘You’re a long way from home.’
‘I am.’ I didn’t want to go down that track and have to answer questions about why I’d leftthere, or why I’d movedhere, so I changed the subject. ‘Do you think that now we’ve got the introductions out of the way and established that neither of us are actually here illegally, I could get into the water? It’s muggy as hell and all I can think about is getting in that water.’
There was a long pause.
‘I supposetechnicallythat’s within your rights as a tenant.’
‘Is that a yes?’
