Throw Away the Key

Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

Later that evening, Emma remained at the store after Zora and Granny had headed home. She decided to finish up the week’s inventory so that she would have less on her plate over the weekend. She made it over to the cookbook section, which always made her hungry, so she'd run out quickly for a burger and an order of duck fat fries from a nearby eatery. As she sat on the floor licking her fingers, her phone rang, and she imagined Zora watching her from one of their newly installed cameras. She’s probably about to bitch me out for making a mess.

Emma hastily rubbed her fingers against a napkin, trying to remove some of the grease from the duck fat before swiping at her phone and streaking the screen with oil. “Hello,” she answered on speaker, fries still filling her cheek as she chewed rapidly to swallow them down.

“Emma? Is this a bad time?” Sadie's husky voice filled the space and Emma pictured her scowling at hearing Emma speaking with her mouth full.

“No, no, this is a good time.” Emma wiped her mouth. “How are you?”

“Fine. I just called to let you know that all of your paperwork went through and you've been approved for the apartment.” There was a slight raspiness to her tone.

I wonder what she’d sound like on a podcast. She’d make a killing by reading people to sleep. “Oh my god, that's amazing! Thank you so much for your call.”

“Yes, well, somebody had to notify you, so that's why I called,” Sadie deadpanned.

Emma’s smile stopped halfway. “Right, well, thank you for that. I really do appreciate it. In terms of next steps, what timeline will we be working with? Should I plan to stop by to pick up the keys?” She grabbed her peanut butter Oreo shake and took a sip, a little shimmy activated as she savored the combination.

“Why don’t you give us the week? I want to just make sure we do one more walk through and a thorough cleaning before you come. But I would say a week from tomorrow.”

“That would be perfect. Are there any rules when it comes to moving trucks or anything like that? I'll likely have my friends helping me.”

“No strict policies. Just be careful and mind the walls as you're coming up the stairs. A lot of times people will just double park their moving truck out front so that they don’t block off the driveway to the parking in the back–that would be a sure way to piss off your neighbors. But out front, you can imagine that you still need to be relatively quick because people might need to access cars parked on the street. And I don't want to have to deal with the fallout.”

“No, no, I wouldn't ask that of you. I'll definitely make sure that we're considerate of the neighbors,” Emma assured her hastily. “Um, and, and I'd be happy to drop treats off to people in the building. Sort of a greeting my neighbors gesture.”

“That's really not necessary. And plus you have no idea what allergies people have these days,” Sadie said, matter of factly.

Emma thought about that for a minute. “I understand. And thank you so much. Do I need to come at a certain time to pick up the keys?”

“Ideally, you'll come at nine in the morning because I would prefer to have the rest of my day to do what I need to do.” Emma pictured Sadie’s face fixed into what seemed to be her signature scowl, though that glimpse of softness when she spoke with Granny came to mind.

“Of course, I want to be respectful of your time. Um, and is this your cell phone? Should I save it just in case?”

“Yes, this is my cell phone and as you move in, um, I will have additional numbers and some move-in guidelines in terms of when it's appropriate to contact me and when it's not, preferred service providers in terms of cable and internet, and all the things.”

“Okay, great. I'm really looking forward to next week, and I will be the best neighbor! I really will.” Emma hopped to her feet, her excitement shooting her full of adrenaline. She raised a fist above her head, bouncing from one foot to the other Rocky-style.

“Well, the best neighbors are the quiet ones. I'll see you next Saturday.”

Sheesh. “Got it. Thank you,” Emma hung up the phone before falling to a squealing heap on the floor. “This calls for something special. Ooh, maybe I should pick up a cake to take home and celebrate.”

She noted where she left off with inventory, picked up the rest of her food, and ambled for the front door, the street lights twinkling through the front windows.

“Oop, let me not forget my keys!” She turned back around and snatched them off of the counter. She locked up and headed for her favorite treats, the cool breeze whispering through her braids. “One week to go. Time for a new chapter.”