This story is a part of Picture’s March Devotion situation, exploring numerous types of reverence, love and worship.
One thing unusual occurred final yr once I went on the lookout for flats.
My landlord was promoting her place in Larchmont, and I needed to discover a new spot throughout the month. I’d been in Los Angeles solely a yr and had no ties to any specific neighborhood; I used to be open to completely different places.
It was a Sunday afternoon in late Might, simply earlier than my thirty third birthday, and I had a while, although not a lot, to have a look. To commit myself to the hours of driving and parking and asking questions and ensuring that numerous bathe heads expelled the scalding sizzling water I required.
The primary spot was in East Hollywood, strolling distance from good Thai. No parking, however the value was proper. I needed to circle the block twice to discover a spot. It wasn’t an excellent omen, however I attempted to maintain an open thoughts. My restricted price range meant I’d must make sacrifices, irrespective of the place I selected.
I rang the doorbell and a person appeared behind the display. He seemed acquainted, as a result of he was: We’d gone out a couple of occasions once I first moved to L.A.
“Greg,” I mentioned. “Hello.” It was so uncommon to run into somebody you knew right here that I used to be blissful to see him — till I remembered how heartbroken I’d been when he’d gone again to an ex-girlfriend as a substitute of constant to see me.
“Alice,” he mentioned. “Good to see you.”
“When did you become a landlord?” I requested. When he and I had dated, he was working as a therapist. He at all times whined about his purchasers. This one’s ego, that one’s lateness. One lady who saved sleeping with males who had been low cost in the very same manner as her father. Plenty of males who had been hooked on porn. Greg believed folks may change, however none of his purchasers appeared to make any progress.
“This month,” Greg mentioned. “Trying to make some passive income.”
“Of all the gin joints …” I mentioned.
“Casablanca,” he mentioned. “You know they have that piano at the Academy Museum?” He was from L.A. and at all times making an attempt to promote me on its vacationer appeals.
“Yeah,” I mentioned. “I just went recently. On a date.”
“Oh, yeah?” Greg mentioned. However I couldn’t see his face, couldn’t register any indifference or jealousy, as a result of his again was turned as he walked down the corridor. Greg unlocked the door of Unit No. 2. The very first thing I noticed, to the appropriate of the entryway, was built-in bookshelves. I remembered that night the yr earlier than, when Greg had taken me to a mediocre Italian restaurant, then into his mattress. Earlier than I left that night, he walked me to his personal bookshelf and pulled out a quantity of Freud. “Smell it,” he’d mentioned, cracking the backbone. “‘Beyond the Pleasure Principle.’ It’s a family heirloom.”
Greg and I stood within the empty house, and I reminded myself that locations at all times appeared smaller earlier than you place furnishings in them. The again window seemed out over an alley and a dumpster. There was pure mild however no view.
“How does being a landlord square with your volunteering at the tenants’ union?” I requested.
Greg scowled at me. “You publish any novels yet?”
“How are things going with Kathy?” I requested.
I remembered this identify for 2 causes: It recommended that she was not Jewish, and it was the identify of my childhood babysitter, who’d as soon as bought my father her pink Mustang convertible — so uncommon for my sensible Midwestern mother and father.
Greg shook his head. “It’s over. I remembered why we broke up in the first place. Let me show you the kitchen.”
Our footsteps squeaked as we walked throughout the darkish wooden floorboards. I remembered how his canine had barked your entire time I used to be intimate with Greg.
These weren’t ultimate situations for house procuring. It was arduous to consider the issues I actually valued whereas I veered into sexual reverie concerning the landlord.
The following spot was by La Brea. I bid adieu to Greg and drove west. Greg or no Greg, the East Hollywood spot’s parking state of affairs appeared like a deal breaker.
This second place had an assigned out of doors spot, simply past the gate that led into the house advanced. I known as the quantity I’d discovered on the app. There was an open home till 5 p.m.
A person got here to the gate. He was about 5-foot-11 and bald. It was Greg.
“What are you doing here?” I requested.
“What are you talking about?” Greg mentioned.
“You just showed me the East Hollywood spot,” I mentioned. “You didn’t tell me you were managing more properties.”
“I’m not,” Greg mentioned. “But it’s good to see you, Alice. How are things?”
“You have no memory of showing me the apartment an hour ago?” I mentioned.
“Are you OK?” Greg requested. “Do you want some water?”
I’d assumed that house procuring can be hell, however this was actually one thing else. Once more, nonetheless, the value for this place was proper. It was the biggest house of the three on my checklist, though it was the farthest from work.
Greg confirmed me the accessible area, which seemed out over a tree-lined avenue.
“No fridge,” I mentioned.
“You can get a fridge,” Greg mentioned.
“Who’s going to carry it up for me?” I requested.
“A man?” Greg mentioned. “Are you seeing anyone?”
I shook my head. “I keep dating men who seem different, and then they turn out the same.”
Greg nodded. “Kathy and I broke up,” he mentioned.
“You told me that.”
Greg seemed puzzled, however I didn’t have it in me to clarify. After I mentioned goodbye, I puzzled if had I stayed and continued the dialog, Greg might need requested me for espresso. Now that we had been each single once more and all.
Once I reached the final spot, over in Eagle Rock, I used to be drained and in my head concerning the Greg state of affairs and why I’d chosen this nonsensical east-west-east route to start with.
I needn’t have apprehensive. It was Greg, once more, who opened the door to me.
“It’s you,” I mentioned. His acquainted face was virtually a consolation at this level.
“What do you mean?” Greg mentioned. “Alice, this is a surprise.”
Greg walked me by means of this third place. I disliked the vertical blinds, however I used to be charmed by the sunny breakfast nook. There have been most likely higher locations than the three I’d chosen to see right this moment, however I used to be drained by this search and all of the miles I used to be placing on my automotive.
The water within the toilet was sizzling and robust. There was a parking area and a fridge. A pleasant communal courtyard sat on the heart of the advanced.
“What do you think?” Greg requested after he’d as soon as once more ended the tour.
“I’m exhausted,” I mentioned. I used to be in no way of thinking to decide, though I nonetheless puzzled whether or not I may do higher. And wherever I selected, it appeared Greg would at all times be close by.
“I might take one more look next weekend,” I mentioned. “I saw a few other places that appealed.”
“So you’re done looking for the day?” Greg mentioned. “Do you want to grab a drink?”
There was no motive for me to imagine that issues would go any higher with Greg this time round. However he was enticing, and in entrance of me, and I wanted one thing to do whereas I found out the place I needed to finish up.
“Yeah,” I mentioned. “That sounds great.”
A. Cerisse Cohen is a author dwelling in Los Angeles. She holds an MFA from the College of Montana and has obtained help from Excessive Desert Take a look at Websites, Joshua Tree. Her writing has appeared within the New York Instances, Artsy, Los Angeles Evaluate of Books, BOMB and different publications.
