Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 49348 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 247(@200wpm)___ 197(@250wpm)___ 164(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49348 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 247(@200wpm)___ 197(@250wpm)___ 164(@300wpm)
“Bye, Gabe.” I hit the end button and get this show back on the road, more than ready to be back home, this time for good.
3
CARSYNN
“Home sweet home.” I unlock the door to my place. It’s nice and quiet, the only noise is the heater running in the background. Still, there’s a briskness to the air because I kick the dial down when I leave each morning and turn it up when I get home before I take a much-needed shower. It was sheer luck or some random act of kindness to find this place when I did. The pictures on the social media marketplace seemed nice, and to be honest, pickiness was the least of my concerns. Anything is better than where I came from. My home doesn’t have a ceiling covered in water stains, the walls aren’t yellowed, and the place is beautifully kept up. The air is fresh, the appliances work, and I can take a long hot shower or bath without worrying about someone banging the door down because they need to use the toilet.
I kick off my shoes in the small, tiled foyer. The carpets are beige, and the vacuum lines are still perfect where I haven’t walked after I cleaned the small one-bedroom detached house. It’s not a studio apartment, which was a major selling point. I’ve also gotten into the habit of cleaning every night. Obsessive much? Probably so, but this place is mine, and the last thing I want to do is live in filth. I take my jacket off, hang it on the hook the owner has placed behind the door, and do the same with my purse. The first order of business is a glass of ice water, the book I picked up at the library, and a hot bath. My number one priority when I rolled into town was to secure a place, which I did, in cash. Depleting the majority of my bank account by handing over first month’s rent and a deposit was hard but so worth it. The apartment came furnished, so all I needed was bedding, towels, cleaning supplies, and food. The second order of business was to find a job, which didn’t take me long, seeing as how The Sunshine Diner had a Now Hiring sign up in the window. I filled out the application, and Nikki hired me on the spot. I started the very next day, and after work, even though I was dead on my feet and had zero energy in my bones, I left the diner and walked right to the library.
“Start the water first. The hot water is going to take a minute to heat up,” I breathe out loud. There aren’t a lot of downfalls to my home here in New Hampshire, minus the well that’s run for water. It’s downright cold water coming from the faucet, and it takes a while to come out hot. I walk through the tranquil living room. A small couch, coffee table, and end table are on one side, opposite a console table with a flat-screen television. It’s small and cozy, not that the TV is on a whole lot, only long enough in the mornings and evenings to check the weather. I’d rather not sit around listening to the news, or anything else for that matter. I prefer my nose stuck in a book or, on the rare occurrence when my tips are exceptionally well, a home decorating magazine.
I make my way into the kitchen, desperately thirsty for water after working at the diner. The weather is getting colder by the day. Ice will be forming on the roads here soon, and I know I’ll need to get my car looked at sooner or later to make sure the old girl can navigate the mountain roads. The cream walls are carried through the entirety of the house, making it easy to envision what I can add to the space when spring comes around and there will be more garage and rummage sales. The wooden kitchen cabinets are beautiful, and for this place being a rental, the owner really did go a long way in making it feel cozy. I open the cabinet, grab a plastic cup, and then move to the fridge for my iced water. So much for starting the bathtub first. Clearly, my thirst got the best of me. I don’t even bother filling the cup all the way before I’m guzzling it back. Once I’ve finished the first, I refill it and then head to the bathroom. I guess I’ll start the water while I do other tasks. The other thing I’m going to do is kick up the heat before anything else. There’s no way I’m going to be naked and freezing, no thanks. Just because I chose to move further north doesn’t mean I want to be an ice cube.