The available apartment for rent is located in the basement
of the building. You enter the apartment by stepping into a tiny-carpeted
corridor with an eight-foot ceiling with and a single bar bulb overhead to
illuminate it.
The landlord reaches for the cord that dangles in front of him
and gives it a tug, we hear a little “click” and the little room barely becomes any
brighter. The landlord fumbles in his pockets for the key and after four tries,
finds the correct key, puts it in the lock and the door swings inwards.
Immediately, the height of the ceiling drops about two feet
shorter. The landlord nervously laughs as he explains that the ceiling directly
above my head is exactly six feet, two inches from the floor. I stand in at six
feet, six foot one and Kim is about five foot four on a tall day. The landlord’s
head is tipped to the left during the entire tour of the property. Kim whispers
“ six five” and I whisper back “six three.”
The living room is rather large, the walls are painted a
bright sunny yellow and the floor is concrete. “I rarely get to come in here,”
the landlords smiles while he motions “Vanna White like” around the room. There
are two windows in the living room that look out onto the street. Pulling the
drapes back I look out. From this viewpoint, I will have a clear view of people’s
ankles and any garbage blowing around on the street.
The next room he shows us is the kitchen. There is a tiny
step up into the kitchen, which forces the ceiling to become lower. The
landlord now hunches forward, placing his hands on his upper thighs.
The kitchen of the house is clearly the main hub; every room
can be entered from here. The two bedrooms that were listed in the ad are
located on opposite sides of the kitchen from each other; there is also an
entrance into a “dressing room” that then leads into the bathroom and a doorway
that leads into a “back room.” Every room is a step down from the kitchen and
once you step into the rooms the ceiling returns to match the height of the
ceiling in the living room. So if we live here I will not be able to “jump up
and down” while I am cooking.
On one side of the kitchen are two windows that look
directly into the lot next door and on the other side of the kitchen sits the
water heater for the entire building. The space is split by a kitchen table, it
is the only piece of furniture we see anywhere. “The dressing room” leads into
a windowless bathroom that houses a toilet and a claw footed tub. Kim
immediately falls in love with the tub and decides that we need to move
in. “I want this,” she whispers cupping
her hand to my ear.
The last room on the tour sits behind an innocent looking
door off the kitchen. The landlord steps forward, grabs the knob, pauses and
smiles nervously at us. “No one goes in here anymore” he says. I hear the theme
from “The Exorcist” tinkle somewhere in my brain.
The door swings inwards as the landlord steps back. Again he
motions in a Vanna White way that clearly says “After you.” Kim and I step into
the room. Well actually I get pushed into the room by Kim as she holds a piece
of my t-shirt and a piece of my back skin. Before us sits two cement rooms, one
after the other. We walk in as if we are in an episode of “Scooby Doo.” The
landlord stands at the door still talking to us, he will stay there the entire
time we are back here.
The story he tells is about two rooms that used to be
here, an old woman and her son and a fire that took the rooms with it. “Did anyone
die?” I immediately ask. “Oh, I don’t think so,” chuckles the landlord. I
immediately place my follow up question, “Is this place haunted?”
To be continued…….
Geoffrey Doig-Marx holds all written and electronic rights to his writing "A Day in the Life". It can not be reprinted in part or whole without his written consent.
Geoffrey Doig-Marx holds all written and electronic rights to his writing "A Day in the Life". It can not be reprinted in part or whole without his written consent.
Dear Readers of: A Day in the Life/Down the Rabbit Hole. The
blog and its writer will be going on vacation and will return in September.
Have an amazing summer and I will see you in the fall. During the summer I will
be posting the Full Blog in order. Thank you for reading and “Much love to you!“
Geoff