336 Bonny Link Drive which, at one point, could have been considered the jewel of Norwich county, now existed as little more than one of the areas many eye-soars. It had all the makings of a successful commercial development what with its proximity to Acadia University, the underachieving younger sister of such prestigious collegiate institutions as Harvard and Yale, its adjacency to a small, split-level assortment of rentable office space and specialty stores.and its signature boastings of "the best damn pecan pies this side of the Alleghenies."
Of course, all good things do eventually come to pass. A particularly scathing review in the Norwich Journal on the presence of a deep-fried cockroach amidst a plate of crispy fresh, cheesy tater tots resulted in the rapid decline of business for Gordon's Diner, ½ of the aforementioned address. With the star attraction of the area quickly bankrupt, the traffic to the specialty stores came to a gradual halt, thus driving them out of business as well. The office spaces became undesirable to lease due to the run down quality that their surroundings quickly took on, and, eventually, the mildly trendy two-bedroom apartment above Gordon's became the diamond-in-the-rough—the only salvageable aspect of the property.
This apartment went through a few rounds of university students seeking an escape from the oppressions of dorm life before, as you might expect, falling into the hands of a singular tenant equally escapist, but instead from the stir-crazy tendencies of another year at home with the folks.
"Licorice?"
Oh, let me be correct about this. Into the hands of a singular tenant and their adorable little cat.
"Licoriiiice?"
And so here I am, squirming around on my hands and knees in that mildly trendy apartment—my mildly trendy apartment, scoring every crevice for my particularly adventurous cat.
"Lico—oh! There you are, cutie-pie!" With luck, the aforementioned feline has been discovered snoozing soundly betwixt the legs of my coffee table, a set of grayscale nesting tables left behind by the previous tenants. Gingerly, I retrieved my drowsy roommate from the depths of slumber, reveling in the touch of her soft, onyx fur.
Licorice and I are unfamiliar friends at this point, having only known each other for about a month after picking her up at a special "Black Cat" adoption even the neighborhood pound hosted to clear up some kennel space.
Although she is far from being a kitten, Licorice releases a weary mew—the sort of noise one scarlessly overhears of an adult cat, and I scratch beneath her chin affectionately.
"Time for breakfast, kiddo," I decree, wincing a little as a place her down in front of a small, cheetah-print bowl outfitted with a cheesy marque of "Princess" around the rim. Licorice, having previously been called "Baby" by the animal shelter, has yet to adapt to her name change. Therefore, it probably wasn't helping the process along any to bombard her with my propensity for nicknames. She doesn't skip a beat before plunging right into her portion of "savory salmon filet" otherwise known as humongous, off-color meat blob and I leave her to it, my feet making quick work of the distance between her food bowl and my computer desk.
As today's chit-chat with my mother had reminded me, there was business awaiting that I simply could not put off any longer. With a whirl of my swivel chair, and wiggle of my mouse, the monitor illuminates with the contents of a lingering tab, CartersList.com. With a nervous sigh, my fingertips find the keys.
SUBJECT: SEEKING ROOMMATE – 2 Bdrm, 2 Bth (336 Bonny Link Drive)
BODY: Seeking roommate for spacious upstairs apartment, includes 2 bedrooms and 2 full baths. Non-smoking. Must love cats. Cost of rent will be split—363$/mo for spare bedroom including utilities. Close proximity to AU or quick commute to NCC; great parking.
CONTACT: fatpurplefigs[at]blurbpress[dot]com / 555-9057
YOU ARE READING
Fat Purple Figs
RomanceEllery Young is twenty-three years old and far from mastering the world of adulthood she's been thrown into by stepping out on her own. As if this transition weren't hard enough, the plus-sized literary fanatic has been forced to take on a roommate...
