Beep. Beep. Beep.
I opened my eyes in a haze and looked at the ceiling. I didn’t recognize it. I didn’t recognize anything in the room. The night stand, the beeping alarm clock, the old CR TV. And all of it was apparently now mine to enjoy.
As I got out of the bed and hit the alarm, I began to remember the previous day. Hiroi ended up hiring me as a handyman and even moved me into an already furnished apartment! All I had to do was wake up at-
“7 am,” I said out loud as I looked at the large, analog display through crusty eyes. I was able to pull off getting up early two days ago for Mike Smith’s old job, but that was a one-time thing. Having to do it every weekday would be something else entirely.
On my way out of the bedroom, I bumped into the end table. The pain pushed me back a foot, and since there wasn’t much space, I fell back down onto my mattress. I took a deep breath and considered staying there. “Fuck, this place is cramped!”
I ended up deciding otherwise and quickly got up and headed to the bathroom, ignoring the bruise forming on my leg. The whole event somehow took a good five minutes according to my clock, so I had to settle for just brushing my teeth and washing my face. I’d take a proper shower in the afternoon, I didn’t trust myself not to zone out and be late for my first day on the job.
After freshening up, I went into the kitchen to get myself a cup of coffee. My gourmet latte was made of a cup of milk I put in the microwave for a minute, mixed with a spoonful of sugar and instant coffee powder. Could I do better? Sure. But why bother when all I needed was that sweet, sweet caffeine.
My mind began to drift off into what I would be doing if I didn’t have to wake up so early, and I remembered my time from back home. Being up all night, waking up the next day at noon with a massive headache… I snapped back to reality and took a massive swig of my drink. Hell, I’d wake up before sunrise if it meant I didn’t have to go back to that!
I threw the paper cup into the trash and made my way outside.
The sun had been up for some time and many of the residents were leaving their own homes alongside me, headed to work or just wanting to get some of the fresh, morning air. Most of the latter were retirees from the D building. My neighbors.
“Hello there, you look like a new face!” exclaimed an old woman as soon as she saw me. Her hair was pure white and her skin looked like it had more wrinkles than actual skin. “Did you just move in?”
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“Yeah, yesterday in fact,” I replied with a nod. “I’m the new handyman, Mike Smith.”
“Well hello, Mike. I’m Glinda! And hold on, you said new one? I heard rumors that the last one quit, so it must be true.” She nodded somberly. “But it’s good to see Hiroi be proactive and already have a new one ready!”
It took my caffeine-addled brain a moment to process what she’d said. I started to blush. “Wait no, I’m not replacing that guy. I mean, I’m replacing his old position, but not what his position was right before he quit.”
Glinda had already begun to walk away.
I watched her leave while ignoring everything I was saying, and decided to just let out a sigh and continue on with my day. What was the worst one mistaken old lady going to do anyway?
The apartment complex’s main office wasn’t far off from where I stopped. Another minute of walking and I was at the front door. I knocked and entered, coming face to face with my new boss.
“Mike, you’re here!” exclaimed Hiroi, completely unfazed by the early hour. “I’ve already gotten a call for you! Just grab the toolbox and manual on washing machines, and head over to apartment A205.”
“You got it, boss.” I picked up everything I would need and headed back out the door towards building A.
I shuffled my way there with half-open eyes that were still in the process of properly opening, the coffee still taking effect. But the caffeine fully hit me as I reached A205, and made my heart skip a beat. The front window was boarded up with cardboard and the grass in front of it had orange cones in front of it. No, it wasn’t my coffee that had me on edge. I recognized this place.
With a gulp, I made my way to the front door and rang the doorbell. It took less than three seconds for the door to open. A woman wearing a slightly see-through nightgown greeted me with a smirk and hungry eyes.
“So you’re the new repairman, huh? I need your help to fix something, do you think you’re up to the task?”
I let out a slow exhale and focused all of my willpower into keeping eye contact with her. I didn’t let my gaze go downwards towards her exposed cleavage.
“Is something wrong?” she asked. She held her smile, but her eyes told a different story. “Are you going to stand there staring at me or come inside?”
“Is Harold here?” I asked.
“My husband? You know him?”
“I was here yesterday to fix your oven.”
“Oh, that was you! Well don’t worry, he’s not here today, and he won’t be back until much later.” She turned around and walked inside, pausing once in a while to thrust her hips one way or another. It was probably supposed to be seductive.
I shrugged and walked inside. Hiroi said that the wives had a good handle on their husbands’ schedules, so I was probably safe. Just in case, I shook my head to wake myself up even more. I wanted to get in and out as fast as possible.