There are over 70 thousand apartment buildings and over a million residential apartments crammed into New York City's 300-square miles. One may say it was the low, yet still ridiculously high, rent at The Mare's Nest that drew her in. Or the fact it...
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"These are beautiful, Harry," Kathleen notes, taking in the scent of the daisies and white baby's breath. "I can't even remember the last time I received flowers."
Harry smiles sweetly as he tugs on the sleeve of his corduroy blazer. Mara brings out a glass from her cabinet and pours a small helping of white wine for Harry. He smiles at the object of his affection. For that brief 10 seconds, he admires how the curls fall from her ponytail. How the excess of her mascara bleed onto her lower lash line. How her cheeks are flush with nerves and alcohol.
What an adorable creature.
"Tell me about yourself, Harry," Kathleen requests. "I want to know more about this boy that's taken up so much of my girl's attention."
Harry sits down on the couch beside her. He shifts nervously in his seat and takes a sip of his drink. "What do you want to know?"
"Tell me about your family." Kathleen takes an already-tipsy sip of her drink and narrows her eyes at Harry. She's accepting at the surface, but she's still overly judgmental of the stranger. No matter what Mara says to her or how much alcohol she's consumed, there's no way of hiding it.
"Sorry, I'm really warm," Harry says, sliding his blazer off his arms. He places it off to the side and continues. He hopes his outfit was impressive. He hears the voice of Betty ringing in his ears. "My grandmum, Betty, and my grandfather have taken care of me for as long as I can remember. I've been here at The Mare's Nest pretty much my whole life."
"Very sweet," Kathleen comments, spilling more wine into her cup. "Mara's told me a bit about you. Do you like being a super here?"
"Yes! I feel like each apartment has a memory of mine buried in it somewhere," Harry looks over at Mara, her smiling face giving him reassurance. Her bright eyes and excited gestures egg him on to continue. He opens up in a way he hasn't before. This is a topic he's actually passionate about. "I really love being the one tasked with fixing things here. I love—"
"But what about your parents?" Kathleen crosses her legs and sits back, her body language signaling that she's still on guard.
"O-Oh... um... my parents?" Harry shifts, his gaze going down to the translucent liquid in his glass. He studies each wave of his drink as he swishes it around against the faux crystal. He tries to figure out the perfect response. In that brief moment of confidence, the reality of his deep history is brought to the forefront. "M-m-my parents... they... I think..."
"Mom, it's really getting late. I think it's time for you to go to bed," Mara says, grabbing her mom's elbow and directing her to the bedroom.
Kathleen picks up on the social cues.
"I think I need to lay down. It was lovely meeting you, Harry." Kathleen says. She gives the two a knowing look before disappearing into the bedroom.
