Oh—by the way
I had a voicemail from our landlord
Did either of you guys get that call?
Jules
what????
no
I have nothing
Me
Let me check.
Oh—yes, I do. I’ll listen in a bit. What is it?
India
Don’t freak out, but he’s going to sell
Jules
our house??
India
Of course our house, DQ
BUT DON’T WORRY!
He said our rental contract will remain valid
“Honey, I’m home!”
I almost drop my phone at the sudden intrusion of noise in Roman’s quiet house on Friday afternoon. The front door slams closed, and a second later Roman himself strides into the kitchen, looking well-rested and much healthier than on Wednesday.
“There’s no need to yell,” I say, looking over at him from where I’m seated on the ground.
Despite no longer working at Soul2Soul, he’s still dressed the same as he did when he was there—a blazer and button-up with tan pants and brown shoes. He’s pulling off the jacket as he walks in, draping it over one arm, and his brows jump as his eyes fall on me.
“There you are,” he says. He grins at the mostly empty pantry and then at me. “Did you miss me?”
“I did not,” I say succinctly, checking the date on a can of green beans. My eyes skim over the jumble of numbers three times before my brain registers them.
Our house is changing hands? Jules is right to worry—DQ, our Dancing Queen—even though oftentimes she overreacts.
Everything could go smoothly—I don’t think it’s uncommon for rentals to change owners. I need to listen to the voicemail, but if India was told our lease will remain in place, things might be okay.
If a new landlord comes in and changes his mind about renting, though, we could be forced out.
Anxiety dances over my skin like writhing bugs, a feeling that makes me shudder as I squeeze my eyes shut to banish the sensation.
This is not the place or the time for me to freak out. I’m more or less at work in the house of a client, elbow deep in my current task.
I’m surrounded by cans and bags and boxes and canisters, a small army of non-perishables on this linoleum floor, and my hair is probably a little frizzy because it’s starting to get warmer out. I set the green beans down and pull my hair into a ponytail, uncrossing my legs to shake them out and get the blood flowing again.
