Was This a Personality Mismatch or Something Much Darker- Part 3?
“To wish was to hope, and to hope was to expect” ― Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility
Amy dragged her luggage into her new apartment. Her room did not look as creepy as the stairs she descended from. Not that it made her feel much better. She looked around the room that was to be hers for the next few days. Of course, she did not know how long she’ll be staying. It could be a week, two weeks, or more.
Her luggage crowded the room; in such a way she felt too overwhelmed to unpack. Yet, it was not hard for her to see that this room paled in comparison to her previous one. Right there, she could see her pillowcases were not changed. There was no bedside lamp. There was no dustbin. She did not how she felt; lonely, sad, depressed, or angry. She looked at her suitcases and bags. She had not labeled them the way people who moved houses do. So she was not sure where she had packed her beddings.
After doing some guessing in her head, she found a fresh bedsheet and pillowcases. She then laid the bedsheet over the one in her new room. She swapped the pillowcases. She took out a duvet she had planned on giving out and threw it on the bed. She doubted that the duvet had were laundered. Remember, the pillowcases were soiled.
She got out other essentials. First, her toiletries then other personal effects, a few snacks, and essential clothing. She was not going to get too comfortable. The room lacked the spirit. She then remembered she owed herself a bathroom break. So she walked out of the room to the restroom next door. She sighed; It was clean. There was toilet paper. Where the hell was the wash hand basin? Who on earth installs a restroom without a wash hand basin? At least, leave a hand sanitizer nearby or a bucket of water with a bowl and soap? Wonders don’t end. At this rate, nothing was going to shock her again.
She finished her business and found her pocket-size hand sanitizer. She applied it. She then wandered outside her restroom. She encountered a door before the creaking stairs. She opened it. It was the laundry room. There was no sink here either. It was only the machines and laundry consumables. What kind of house was this?
Next, she ascended the stairs. It creaked louder than when she arrived. She breathed a sigh of relief as she got to the landing. At least, she did not fall through the cracks! As she began another ascent, she knew her days here were numbered. At the top of the second flight, she arrived at the kitchen.
It was well lit; good. The caretaker had tried to make it homely by hanging pictures on the wall and equipping as best as she could. But, the dishes in the sink gave it away. They were piled high and already growing mold. Not again, Amy groaned. My horrors are unending. She did some calculation in her mind; should I eat out during my stay? But what do I do with all the food supplies I came with? I have an addiction to cooking. It will not thrive here. I doubt these moldy plates are one-off.
As she was deep in her thought, Amy did not notice that she had company. She heard someone say to her: “Are you new here?” She turned around and answered: “Yes.” You moved in downstairs?” “Yes,” Amy was already tired of the questions. Who was this creepy dude monitoring who moved in and out? She did not feel like being friendly at all. The ambiance of the house was taking a toll on her.
She made her way out of the kitchen and found the bathroom. It looked decent, at least compared to her last house. She then made her way to the kitchen to ask the ‘creepy dude’ how many people lived in the house. He said seven. He confirmed her worst fears when he told her that the bathroom was the only one in the house. Of course, that’s why that ‘makeshift’ restroom had been built[without a wash hand basin.]
Amy went downstairs to her room. She cried herself to sleep. In the morning, she woke up to her phone ringing. It was her friend. “Babe, how are you?” “I do not know how I am. Can you imagine this place?” Amy rattled out everything she had observed on her first night. Her friend to show support, listened in silence. Amy then finally said: “I need to get away from this place, I don’t know what I am doing here.”
