It's Just a Room

Part 1: 

Lyla:

I groaned into my hands, rubbing my aching temples with my fingers. Sitting at the table of our breakfast nook, I had papers strewn before me. I had to figure out some way to make extra money. I had already combed through the classifieds applying to any telecommuting job that I even remotely had skills for, to no avail. Three times a week I drove over an hour to check in on my Gran, who just turned 91 this past December. There is no way that I could risk an in-person job on the chance that I could get something that I could pass to her.

I had to come up with something, but what? Flipping over the local paper I saw a section that caught my eye. Tenants looking to rent rooms. This could be problematic as well as I didn't want to let anyone into my home who could carry the virus, or all this effort would be in vain. Skimming over the lines, I found a few possible that I resolved to contact to see what their employment situation was. I still had an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach, but this was a last resort kind of situation.

In posing the idea to my husband, Dan, but he did not mirror my hesitance. In fact, he seemed as unenthusiastic about this as he did everything else these days. I think the cancellation of this years' sports season combined with missing our friends groups has taken its toll on his mood. Preparing to email the four possible that I found in the listing, I kissed Dan goodbye as he headed off to work. He was an IT lead for a small e-learning company about half an hour from our home. While he had to go into the office each day, as was required by his contract, he was able to work isolated in a room separate from any coworkers. So he stayed as safe as his position would allow.

As I debated clicking send on my completed draft, Dan's words bounced around my head. "It's just a room." He said to me. Maybe for him, but for me it was a sign of defeat. We were struggling to afford the mortgage since this awful virus started. I was an event photographer, so my income dropped to virtually zero seemingly overnight.

Taking a deep breath, I clicked send. Resolving that this really was a good idea, and since I was out of work there was no shame in day-drinking I poured myself a tall glass of wine and continued my re-watching of the show Friends. God, I hope someone like Monica replies to me. That would be great.

I don't know when I fell asleep but I woke around mid-day. Opening my laptop, I refreshed my email to find that I had gotten three responses. The first was a young college student who would resume classes at our local university this coming August. While nice and polite, she did relay that she worked part-time on campus so would be there physically every day. The next reply was a cordial thank you but they had already rented a room elsewhere. I could feel my heart sink as I hesitated opening the last email. If this plan didn't work, I was out of options. I would have to have food delivered to my Gran's small apartment and hope for the best.

Opening the last email, my eyes were glued to the page as I read and re-read the message. It from was a single, 30 year old male, non-smoker. He was looking for a room to rent because he just got out of a long term relationship and needs to find alternate housing immediately. He was a website software developer, so worked from home. His name was Alex Cross.

Not waiting for Dan to get home to approve of the selection, I excitedly replied immediately. He was willing to pay my asking price, plus utilities and even offered to buy groceries every other week. This guy was a dream come true! I invited him to come over to see the room at the end of the week, not wanting to be too pushy about it.

Clicking send on the message, I stood to go catch up on some dishes, my mind whirling with the new development. I only took a few steps before I heard my laptop ping with new mail. He replied already! He asked if I had availability tomorrow to come tour our home. Smiling I sent him our address and driving instructions just in case he got lost. He was to arrive at 6 pm, so Dan could be home in time to meet him. Not that I was overly worried, but just in case he's a secret serial killer, I thought it best to have someone else present for his first visit.