Last Night in Hawkins: A Memoir & Guide Written by & For Eloise Turner

If You Could Live Anywhere...

Here it was. Our potential new flat. We walked up to it and looked at each other before I rang the buzzer for Collins like I was told. Then, the door creaked open. "Miss Collins?" I asked.

"Yes?" said a grumpy old voice.

"It's Ellie and Jane," I said, "We spoke on the phone."

Jane waved and smiled. looked us up and down and said, "Oh, yes."

She opened the door and let us in. Turning on the lights, she said, "Room is on the top floor." Then, she led us up the stairs and said, "I've a few rules. Don't take smokers."

When we reached the top floor, Jane immediately said, "Oh. No. It's a bad smell."

Miss Collins then looked at me for a moment with an eyebrow raised. Then, I realised that she wanted to know if I was a smoker. Shaking out of my slight haze, I said, "Right. I don't smoke."

"No male visitors after 8:00."

"Not a problem," I said quickly, and then I looked at my roommate for answer. She very quickly shook her head. Yet another , Papa. "For either of us," I added.

"And no using the laundry room at night."

"Why?" Jane asked curiously.

"It rattles right through to mine," Miss Collins explained.

"I don't do laundry," I said.

Miss Collins looked at me in slight concern as she uttered, "Eh?"

"I mean... I don't do nighttime laundry. I do do laundry." This caused Jane to giggle. "I'm very clean," I insisted as I held back laughter.

"Good," the land lady replied. Then, she turned to my snickering friend and spoke. "And you?"

She stopped laughing and asked, "Sorry?"

"Do you do laundry?"

Jane shrugged and offered, "On Sunday mornings."

"Right before church," Miss Collins commented as she went to open the door to the rented room. "Bless."

"Oh. I don't go to church," Jane stated in a friendly tone.

"Ah. That's new," the old woman noted. Then, she looked out the window as she told Jane, "If you want a good synagogue, I recommend the one on Great Cumberland. It's a landmark."

"I'm not too religious, but thanks for the offer," she replied politely.

As the door to the room creaked open, I leaned over to Jane and whispered, "We'll check it sometime."

"It's a bit old-fashioned for some, but I won't do nothing to it," Miss Collins told us as we entered the room. "If you two don't like it, you can find somewhere else."

"It's perfect. ," I said. Then, I turned to my friend. "What do you think, Jane?" I asked as she took in the space. "Does it feel like home?" I questioned as she shut her eyes and let the sun shine on her face through the window.

"Feels like home," she answered with a smile, which I returned as Miss Collins directed us around the rest of the flat.

"Bed, kitchenette, bathroom." Then, she turned to us and said, "You won't have to worry about it until the summer, but then you'll have to keep the plugs in 'cause all the smells rise up."

Jane raised an eyebrow at that statement but then shook it off. "How long have you lived here?" I asked as I sat down on the single bed. I looked at Jane as she sat next to me on it.

"Oh, a long while," Miss Collins responded. "I used to work here, cleaning and such, back when round here was a bad spot. I bought it for buttons off the old owner."