untouchable

House or Home

The next day I put on a white t-shirt with jeans and white sneakers,my only pair of sneakers that are well worn, I throw a jean jacket on as well due to the fall season moving in,I pull my curls into a top knot and apply some lipgloss before heading downstairs where tasha sits at the kitchen counter eating breakfast,a plate I assume is for me sits next to her.

She holds up a glass of orange juice to me as I near

"Thank you",I say taking the glass and sipping.

She knods,"of course",
she continues eating,

"so are you sure you don't want me to come along? I have a lot of experience with this process".

I keep my eyes glued to my waffles picking up a piece of fruit with my fork to eat,I hadn't told tasha yet that Travis would be coming along with me today since she was asleep when I came in yesterday night.

"Um well, Travis  is coming actually"

I look up when she doesn't say anything to find her staring at me with a mischievous smile,

" Did I miss the wedding already?"

I roll my eyes as she laughs, " stop dreaming Tasha", I say.

---

Travis picks me up in his pickup truck, it glistens in the sunlight in excellent condition,getting out he meets me halfway and smiles, "Good Morning", he says, he then goes to open the passenger door for me.

I smile and say,"Good morning",

getting in,once we are both buckled up I tell him the address of our first showing so he can put it in his trucks GPS and he pulls away from tasha's house.

We ride in comfortable silence and surprisingly I find myself relaxing into the cars seat as low jazz plays from the radio.

After a while Travis speaks,"so are you excited ?".

I knod," yes I am,...I've never had a place of my own".

He glances over at me," Well you deserve one, so I'm happy for you".

I turn away to look out the window,not knowing what to say to the blunt display of earnest support.

We arrive at the first showing and I notice there's alot of people hanging around outside and trash litters the grounds.

I glance over at Travis noticing he hasn't said anything or made a move to get out and open my door like he usually does.

He stares out the windshield  frowning,"um..did you see any pictures of this property online ?".

I shake my head,"no,but it's affordable".

He knods slowly," well then...,let's go check it out".

He hops out and comes around to open my door,and I jump slightly startled when he places his hand on the small of my back guiding me to the apartment we are scheduled to see.

We meet the leasing agent inside

Who is an older indian man,he looks at his watch when he opens the apartment door,and I state that I'm here for the viewing,

" okay here it is-quickly please",he says in an accent,waving us forward.

The apartment is studio style with one small bathroom, and I notice the dingyness of the walls, and floors with some roaches crawling throughout.

I notice Tony squinting at the man his jaw clenched.

I know what he must be thinking,this place is a dump.

It's affordable though and little does he know I've stayed in worse.

I turn to the landlord who stands at the door looking impatient,

"How much is the rent again?", I ask him.

"Eight hundre a mont,do you want it or not?".

"I'll take it.",I say.

Tony raises his eyebrows and grabs my hand," can I speak with you a moment please? ",he pulls me to a corner not waiting for my reply.

"I know this is none of my business really, but I don't think you should stay here,the place is shady."

I shrug,"It's what I can afford and ...I've stayed in worse".

He frowns," let me show you something else before you accept this,..please".

--

Travis drives me to another neighborhood, a nice one,I can tell as the outdoor surroundings change from dirty and unkept to pristine and appealing.

I don't know what he's thinking but I know these places are out of my price range,suddenly I regret allowing him to join me in my search for a place today.

He pulls into the drive of a neat looking house with a perfect yard there's a front porch with a swinging bench.

I frown,surely he doesn't think I can afford a house,he can't be that oblivious.

I glance over at him about to pepper him with questions but he's already hopping out of the truck and opening my door.

I slowly get out and just stand there staring as he moves on to the porch and front door of the home,and I'm sure the shock shows on my face when he puts a key in the door unlocking it.

With the door now open he turns  around and calls me over," you coming ?",he knods his head in the direction of the house,walking inside leaving me to follow.

I walk slowly up the rest of the drive and onto the porch entering the house cautiously.

The house is cozy,warmly decorated with browns and beige, comfortable furniture and big windows allowing in alot of sunshine.

"Hey", Travis comes from what looks like is the kitchen area.

I lift my hands gesturing around the room,"where are we?",I ask.

He smiles,"home,..If you agree that is".

I raise my eyebrows

He holds out his hand,"come, I'll show you".

I walk past him ignoring the outstretched hand unable to mask my confused annoyance,though I still feel the sting of guilt at rejecting the gesture since he's always been such a gentleman,I don't want to be rude.

I walk through the kitchen and out the back door to a back yard and what looks like another smaller version of the main house.

"I built it myself,...it's a guest house".

-----
I walk around the guesthouse,it's furnished with the basics,including a couch,tv,bed and stainless steel appliances but left blank as far as decorating goes,waiting for someone to make it their own.

The large windows in the living room show the view of the backyard and the main house,I pause there admiring a bird I notice visiting a hanging bird feeder in the yard.

Travis breaks my focus,reminding me that he is still even there watching me tour the house,when he asks

" so...what do you think of it?"

I turn from the window to answer,

" you don't seriously expect me to live in your house do you?", I ask

He smiles coming to stand at the window as well," Well my rate is fair and the place isn't too bad, is it?".

I return his knowing look and sigh," no the place is lovely but,.. I couldn't".

He catches my gaze holding it," And I couldn't let you stay in a dump,so I had to offer but if you decline I understand".

I knod but pause before responding again.

I can't help but picture the dingy apartment with it's unprofessional landlord as I look around at this bright,clean and new house,that would be mine.

I turn back to travis,"how much is your rate?".

He smiles and says," $800 a month".