2016 – Day 40

Start writing a story that...

Step 1: begins with this sentence: When he finally decided...

Step 2: add this word: baggage

Step 3: add a scene that takes place: in an abandoned house -------

When he finally decided to move out of his parents' house, David was 32. He had told friends he moved back home after college for financial reasons, and then stayed longer because his dad got sick and he didn't think his mom could handle taking care of him by herself. After his dad recovered, the financial crisis hit and so David remained at home.

Then, the day after his 32nd birthday, David's parents bought an elliptical machine set it up in the dining room. As they maneuvered their way around it each night while setting and clearing the dinner dishes, they began dropping hints that having an exercise room in the house would be fantastic. David asked them if they were planning on building an addition onto the house. They said no.

It wasn't as if David found the setup at his parents' house ideal, either. Although he was on a decent career track in IT, dating had become a significant challenge. Girls understood if you had baggage from your relationship with your parents; they didn't understand if your issues involved being upset because your mother refused to buy the kind of yogurt you liked because they don't carry it at her usual grocery store. It was a no-win situation.

As he began to search for his own place, David created a long list of criteria. He was not interested in finding 20-something-year-old roommates on Craigslist.  Nor did he want a tiny studio like an idiot who's just starting out. He wanted a living room, a dining room, a modern kitchen, a home office, and a large bedroom. The windows had to let in a lot of natural light and the apartment below or above his should not have children. David's last girlfriend lived above a family with a four-year-old, and the constant running and banging gave him stress headaches any time he visited.

As he searched online for the right rental, David found only three properties he deemed worthy of a visit. However, all three resulted in extreme disappointment. Photos of the first two apartments had clearly been taken at odd angles. And at the third, he could definitely hear children squealing in the unit above. He made it known to Theresa, the realtor representing the final property, how upset he was with the false advertising.

Theresa smiled and said she understood.

"Most people don't have such discriminating taste," she said. "I could show them an amazing property, but they'd dismiss it because they'd be focused on the wrong things."

She looked around the room, as if to make certain they were alone.

"David, I have this incredible property that I've been asked to save for the right buyer," she said, her voice low. "I can show it to you, but you have to be able to look beyond the now and focus on the what if. Do you know what I mean?"

David nodded. He liked the way her short blond hair stayed firmly in place even as she tilted her head to the side.

"I can show it to you now, if you have time," she said.

David said he did and Theresa drove him in her Prius to a neighborhood he didn't know. They stopped outside a large, dilapidated house whose windows were clouded with filth and whose yard was overrun with foot-high weeds.

"Are you sure this is the place?" David asked.

"Yes, but I understand if you're not interested in checking it out."

From the passenger seat, David stared out at the building. Its door held a large crack down the center and the siding looked to be in the process of peeling off.

"You know, I shouldn't have brought you," Theresa said, starting up the car. "Most people don't have the vision for a place like this. The landlord told me to be exclusive. Please don't tell anyone you saw it, okay?"

"No, wait! Please show it to me." David suddenly felt anxious. He opened the car door and stepped outside, then leaned down to look through the car window. "Please?"

Theresa smiled and turned off the car.