Singles Only
by Ashley O’Melia
“It’s a good thing you came along when you did,”
Mrs. Pritchett said as she climbed the steps. “This is the
last apartment I had available, and with all the college
kids coming into town I doubt you would find one anywhere else.”
I frowned at the ancient Victorian. It had been
carved up into apartments in the kind of architectural
slaughter that was pretty common in this small town.
Big, gorgeous homes weren’t needed anymore when
everyone was just trying to get by on their last dime. The
trees had dropped most of their leaves into the front
yard and driveway, making the house look as though it
had risen straight from the deciduous pile.
“How much did you say the deposit was?”
“Five hundred,” the
old woman responded,
holding up all the fingers
on her left hand as she
fished a key out of the
pocket of her trousers
with her right. A cursory
glance made her appear
as though she had gotten her wardrobe from
a pile of Goodwill rejects. Her yellow blouse
was covered in tiny red
flowers and hung on her
body like a springtime
circus tent. The purple
striped pants she wore
underneath it were an
interesting contrast; not
that I was one to be judging. With my current
financial situation, I’d be
dressed like that in six
months flat.
“And then five
hundred a month, right?
Does that include any
utilities?” For the millionth time, I mentally
calculated the expense of
moving. I blamed Jake. I
wouldn’t have to be doing any of this if he could
have just kept it in his
pants. We were at the top
of the stairs now, which had been incongruously placed
against the side of the house to give access to the second
story apartment. I could just imagine how much it was
going to suck to haul all my groceries up here.
Mrs. Pritchett didn’t respond right away. She was
too busy placing the key in the slot, jiggling it, taking
it out, and trying again, all the while cursing under her
breath. “What was that, dear?” She turned to glance at
me over her shoulder, and I caught a glimpse of cloudy
eyes set deep into her skull. I wasn’t sure how she managed to see at all. “Oh, yes. Water, sewer, and trash are
included. But you’ll have your own separate electric bill.
The meter is right here.” She pointed at a meter set into
the wall right next to the door.
“Okay.” Cha-ching. That went onto the list of