REINER - MY OWN PLACE

“Basically, these places fit the criteria based on the information that you’ve provided but personally, I

would recommend these three places first because it’s ready for you to move in as soon as tomorrow if

you need to. You did mention that you were sort of in a rush, right?” the woman said before smiling at

me.

I scanned the information and photos of the three places that she mentioned, and they all looked fine.

Honestly, I wasn’t picky at that point. As long as the place fit the location requirement, was decently

clean, and fits within my budget, then I was fine with it.

“Can we visit these places today?” I asked.

“Of course. I can take you there. They’re all within the same area anyways based on your requirement

so it shouldn’t take too long for us to cover them all,” the woman said encouragingly.

“Let’s go then, what are we waiting for?” Kat said excitedly.

Just like that, we were on our way to visit the first apartment. This one was the cheapest from the three

options and was located conveniently close to a grocery store. The building was middle-sized for an

apartment complex. The building seemed well maintained although it was far from new. There were

many small apartment units and the building seemed to be quite packed with residents.

“Come inside,” the woman invited us into the empty studio room.

The room had a large balcony and windows that let in a lot of natural light. The flow of air seemed good

too and the room size seemed perfect for one person. There was very basic furnishing such as the

bed, a desk and chair, and a small closet. A door led to the adjoined bathroom.

“Do you like it?” Kat asked.

“It’s nice and simple enough,” I replied.

“I think the natural light makes the room seem homey and nice…” Kat comment.

“Let’s keep this in our back pocket for now,” I replied with a smile.

“Yes. Let’s go to the next place!” Kat announced enthusiastically.

Her level of positive energy never failed to amaze me. I wondered how lonely and sad my life would be

right now if I wasn’t introduced to her and if we didn’t become friends.

The second apartment was just a short walk from the first option. The building was taller and seemed

newer. This studio apartment was a little more expensive than the first option. There was an elevator in

the building which helped because the unit was located on the 15th floor. Walking up would be a good

exercise but if I forgot something in the room, walking up 15 floors just to get it would drive me insane.

Having an elevator was probably a necessity in a building of this height.

“You’re welcomed to take a look inside,” the woman said as she gestured for us to enter.

“Wow…I like this room…” Kat murmured after taking a look inside.

The room was bigger than the first option and the natural light coming in from the outside wasn’t too

bright. I opened the door that led to the bathroom and was pleasantly surprised that the bathroom

wasn’t super small. The room had basic furnishing that looked new like it had just been replaced.

Overall, it seemed like a very good deal.

“The couple that was living here together broke up suddenly and went their separate ways, leaving all

the deposit with the owner because they terminated the contract early. The owner of the room wanted

to rent it out as soon as possible and that is why the price is what it is. It’s a very good deal. You don’t

normally get a room like this for this price to be honest,” the woman informed us.

I wasn’t sure if her story was entirely true, but the room did seem like a good deal.

“Should we see the third option?” Kat asked.

I glanced down at the paper that was in my hand and reread the description of the third option. The

third option was even more expensive than this one and seemed to be located further away from the

office.

“There’s no need. I’ll go with this room,” I said decisively.

“Oh, that was fast. Great!” the woman exclaimed in delight.

I doubt many of her customers made up their minds as quickly as I did. This room was more than good

enough for me right now and I didn’t want to spend more money on rent. Finances were tight and it

wasn’t like I had money to spare or throw around.

“If you say so. I like this room too,” Kat said encouragingly.

“You mentioned that I could move in as early as tomorrow, right?” I asked.

“Yes, dear. You just need to pay the deposit and the rent upfront as per the contract and get the

contract signed back at our agency. After that is all done, I can give you the keys to this place and you

can move in whenever,” the woman explained simply.

“Great. Let’s do that. Thank you very much,” I said before smiling appreciatively at her.

…

After paying for the room’s deposit and advance rent as required and signing the rent contract, I held

the key to my new apartment in my hand. It felt strangely exciting but also very fulfilling to finally have

my own place. For the first time in my life, I had a place that I could truly call my own. Sure, it was

rented but it was still being paid with my own hard-earned money. I used to call Lucien’s mansion my

home, but it wasn’t truly my own place because it belonged to Lucien and before that it was his

father’s. This belongs to : ©.

I looked down at the key in my hand and couldn’t help but smile. Slowly and bit by bit, I was making

some progress in building my own life. Renting out my own place was a big step for me and that meant

that now I had more financial responsibility, namely the monthly rent and utility bills.

“Thanks for coming with me, Kat,” I thanked my dear friend.

--To be continued…