Her face unknotted itself. “Oh! Yeah. That. My phone died while I was at work. And I packed my charger in a bag that was, like, at the bottom of everything. So, yeah, I couldn’t respond. But I mean, I said I’d be here today, and it istodaystill, right?”
My anxiety took a big gulp. “Well, technically, yes. Todayistoday,” I had to agree.
“Then we’re good! Up top!” She held up a hand for me to give her a high five.
And I did, before I realized it, because I couldn’t come up with a sharp response in time to beat her happy gesture.
“Before I forget, here’s the money for next month.” She pulledout a wad of cash from her tight jeans pocket and shoved it toward me. “Can I get a receipt? I’m a stickler for good accounting.”
That, I could appreciate. Punctual payment and meticulousness. Overly good manners kept me from counting the money out loud, I suppose. “Sure thing. Let me give you a tour, and then I’ll get my book.”
“Cool.”
We entered through her door, and again, Gabriella’s face pulled wide with a smile. “Home sweet home.”
The neutral walls made the space seem bigger than it was. “This is your great room. Over here to the left, your bedroom and bathroom.” I showed her the private space, remembering all those episodes of home-shopping shows I watched. Being sure to point out the positive details. Walk-in closet, natural light she’d get from the two windows in the daytime, the spacious countertop in the bathroom.
Gabriella ran a hand along the granite. “It’s even better than the pictures.”
“Thank you.”
“I can’t wait to see the kitchen,” she chirped. “It’s where I spend most of my time when I’m not working.”
“Oh! You love to cook?” I asked.
“Iliveto cook,” she said passionately, her eyes nearly twinkling with the correction. “One day I want my own Blaxican restaurant.”
“Black who?”
“Black and Mexican. Blaxican. Spanish soul food. And then I’ll get married, travel, have kids, and teach them all to cook so they can carry on my legacy.”
I hadn’t exactly asked for the map of her yellow brick road, but all righty then. I remembered being that young and optimistic. Along time ago. Before decades of reality swarmed in and dreams fizzed out. “That’s good” was my solemn reply.
“Out there’s your extended patio.” I gestured slightly as we passed her back door. Her feet continued to shuffle on behind me, so I didn’t bother to open it. She wanted to see the kitchen.
“Voilà!” I announced as I flicked the switch to show the kitchen. It wasn’t worthy of a gourmet chef, but she should be able to stir up some fancy meals so long as she owned the right tools.
I twirled around, expecting to see her delightful smile, but instead her lips were as straight as a ruler. “I see.” She leaned past me. “Ummm… Is it…open to the other side?”
A zing of fear sprinted from my heart to my feet and back up again. “Yes. I was clear about that in my advertisement.”
Gabriella whipped her phone out of her pocket. “The listing said I’d have my own kitchen.Updatedkitchen.”
“That was my original plan,” I clarified, “but the contractors said it wasn’t possible. So I re-listed.”
Undeterred, Gabriella thrust her shaking phone in my face. “See?”
Sure enough, the words:Enjoy your own bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen in this completely remodeled, updated duplex home.Somehow she had stumbled on the old ad. Which also meant she must have given me the old rent amount in that yet-uncounted roll of money.
“I’m so sorry. That was the old ad. Looks like there’s been a mistake. I don’t know how all this works on the internet… I guess the old ad didn’t delete everywhere. I’m charging two hundred dollars less because it’s gonna be a while before they finish the kitchen.”
Gabriella lowered the phone, and her flushed, tight face returned to focus. “How long?”
“I don’t know,” I answered as honestly as I could, then gulped down the anxiety climbing up my throat. “It was an honest mistake. But if you don’t want to stay, I understand. Seems like cooking in your own kitchen is quite important to you.”
“It is. Was,” she barely could whisper.
Tears began filling her eyes, and I fought the urge to hug her and fuss at her at the same time, as I did to Terri when she got to her college dorm and realized her room was about half the size she’d imagined it would be.
