With a heavy heart, Giselle sent Bernadette, the agent, a message. When it delivered to the other phone, she saw a small check mark appear next to it and took a deep breath. "How unlucky can a girl be?", she asked no one in particular and looked up at her girlfriend who just emerged from the bathroom. They'd be going out. See a movie, have dinner, enjoy the last weekend that Giselle would be staying in this apartment block without being a guest. The mental pressure weighing down on both of them left them quiet and melancholic when they walked up the stairs late at night. Annie had done her best to distract. They had made some memories that the brunette wouldn't forget anytime soon.
Monday morning came and Giselle made her way to the bus stop. Only four more days remained. The driver roared down the right-most lane of the wide street leading downtown. She passed the cemetery that Annie and her visited by accident when she dashed out of the bus so many days ago. Then she passed another side street where she had tried to get an apartment once, making her wonder if anyone had agreed to live under a private techno club by now. Big towns, cities and metropolitan areas offered an anonymity that bugged her. No one out there would spare her a second glance. No one suspected that she was more or less forced out of her home, for a hefty sum, but still. Before hopping off the bus, she texted her mother.
Giselle: "Hey mom. I haven't found anything so far. Most likely I'll be dropping by your place on Thursday afternoon with two bags. I hope you don't mind..."
Unfortunately her mind realised in this moment that she had forgotten to pack. It had been on her agenda for the weekend, but being distracted by that fanatic and the adventures and date with Annie, it was Monday now. Nothing was packed. Giselle sighed and sought through her contacts for the number of the storage unit. She gave the number a ring and explained briefly that she'd take the unit and whether she could drop by after work for the key. The owner ensured her that the space was dry and clean, and even had its own electricity outlet that ran on her account, should she use it. Since it was just ten minutes walk from the apartment, she would be able to see Jake, the owner, at six'ish.
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Laureen had already started to open the store, but she leaned against the side entrance to Dean's attire for the gentleman and rang up the moving company. A nice lady, probably someone doing phone service, since it wasn't who she talked to two weeks prior, took the details for the storage unit. Giselle reminded her that she would package the place, but disassembly of the furniture would be required from the moving service. The lady noted that down and didn't expect it to be any issue, since there would be no assembly in the storage unit. The brunette agreed with that assessment and they said their goodbyes.
A long day at work followed. Rarely had she felt this annoyed by literally any person entering the store. When they closed up, Laury squinted at her tormented expression, "It went bad, didn't it?". "You mean today? I dunno, guess I'm tense and stressed", Giselle responded wearily. "I can see that much, but I meant last Saturday". "Ah that. Yeah. Some religious lunatic chased me out of the stairwell", she summed up the events briefly. "Good grief. I'm sorry, dear". "Thanks, Laury. But I gotta go, I'm meeting Jake for the storage unit key now". "Oh, okay. Take care, Giselle!", her friend waved and they parted ways.
The path to the storage units was wide enough for a truck. Left and right were rows of units, stacked on two levels with the occasional metal stairway up to a wide access balcony. When she walked down the straight path, a rather corpulent man came down to greet her. He was likely in his forties with huge glasses, a dirty baseball cap and a dirty one-piece that reminded her of the clothes a mechanic would wear. "Oi, y'must be Giselle. Nice ta meet ya!", Jake grumbled and smiled, exposing yellow teeth. He brushed his hand across the one-piece and offered his hand. Of course it was still dirty, but Giselle took it anyway. "Yes I am. Nice to make your acquaintance", she said formally and turned as he gestured toward the left. "That, 'ere, that'a be yers! What's tha, 38, me believe. I show ya", he explained and started walking toward the number 38 which was located directly accessible from the ground. He fumbled a set of keys from his pocket and opened up.
At least he hadn't lied about the size and how clean it was. With a flick on the switch, a dim industrial light turned on. "Y'like it?", he wondered and chewed on his cheek. "Perfect! Can we finish the formalities now?", she smiled and felt a flash of good fortune in her mind.