She shook the letter. It was written in very formal language, and she couldn’t slow her mind down enough to comprehend what it said. Just looking at it made her nervous. She knew that whatever the letter said, it was big. She could tell by the way Frank was acting.
“You’re gonna make me say it, huh?” Frank asked.
“Yes,” said, “and fast. I’m late for work.”
“I sold the building. It’s being torn down. You have to move.”
“What?” said, not comprehending his words, even though his sentences were clear and to the point. Denial clouded her mind.
This can’t be true.
This is my home.
Frank wouldn’t do something like this.
“You have to go, . I’m sorry.”
“I live here,” said. She looked down the hallway at the other two doors on her floor. “So do your other tenants. We’ve all been here for years. We’re a community. A family. You know that.”
Frank looked crushed. “I don’t know what else to say, . I told you, I sold the building.”
“To who? When? I mean… this is like down the road, right? A few years away?” He’ll change his mind, she thought, there’s no way he’s going through with this.
“The deal’s been in the works for a year,” Frank said. “I kept on saying no, but he made an offer I couldn’t refuse. I mean, really. I couldn’t. I have a family… kids I have to put through college. You gotta understand that.”
“Who?” demanded. “Who made a deal you couldn’t refuse?”
Her mind raced towards a solution to her problem. So, Frank won’t be your landlord. It will be someone else. You can convince them to keep the place as it is, and you can rent from them.
“A man named Martin Cable,” Frank said. “He’s very convincing.”
The name wasn’t familiar to . “Who does he work with? Will he still be renting units out?”
Frank shook his head. “You need to move, . That’s what I’m telling you. You have a month to find a new place to live. Your lease will be terminated in one month.”
“One month?!” shouted. “You have got to be kidding me!” She looked down the hallway, half expecting a crew of camera men to appear, and for Frank to burst out in his characteristic chuckle. “I’m being punked, right Frank? You got me,” she said, waiting for Frank to laugh.
He looked even more uncomfortable, if that was possible. His jowls wobbled as he shook his head.
“It’s not a joke, . This is life. Shit happens sometimes. Read the notice. There are some resources on there to help you relocate,” he said, pointing to the paper.
Relocate.
The word seemed to work its way into ’s gut and twist her insides into a knot. I don’t want to relocate, she thought. This is home. Where will I go?
“I gotta deliver eleven more of these,” Frank said, holding the papers up and giving them a waggle. “I’ll be back on Friday with a few construction guys. They need to take some measurements for the demolition crew.”
The word ‘demolition’ sliced through , adding to the discomfort that ‘relocate’ had initiated. She felt woozy, as if she needed to sit down.
She barely heard Frank as he continued to excuse himself.
As he walked down the hallway, she realized that she was now definitely late for work. It hardly seemed important, compared to the news she’d just received.
On autopilot, she locked the apartment door and descended the three narrow, dark flights of crooked wooden stairs. The dazzling sunshine did nothing to snap her out of her intense funk, and she was barely aware of time passing as she walked to the office.
When she finally crossed the threshold into the small private practice doctor’s office she worked in, she saw the ramifications of being late. A line of patients sat along the wall in the waiting room, and Sandy and Dr. Norden were both hunched over the single computer at the front desk.
They glanced up simultaneously when walked in.
Sandy looked concerned. “What happened?” she asked as rounded the desk. “I thought you were leaving your place half an hour ago?”
“Sorry,” said, both to Sandy and the doctor. “I had something come up.”
“You okay?” Sandy asked, looking quizzically over . could tell that her friend and coworker had picked up on her upset state.
Dr. Norden seemed oblivious.
A person in the waiting room coughed.
un-shouldered her bag and pulled the rolling chair out, making the doctor and Sandy move in the process. She made it clear that she wanted the two to back away from the desktop computer.
“I’ll tell you later,” said. “Why are you guys looking at tomorrow’s schedule?”
“Oh!” Dr. Norden said. “Is that what’s happening? We couldn’t figure out why none of the nine o’clock patients were here yet.”
switched swiftly to the Monday schedule, and pulled up the nine o’clocks.