Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 63174 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63174 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
He didn’t say anything, so I pressed ahead with, “I spent the first part of my twenties doing stuff that made me unhappy, and I never want to revert back to that. I tried going to college because it was what my mom wanted for me, but I hated it. I dropped out and went back and dropped out again before finally admitting it was wrong for me. I wanted to learn by doing, not by passively sitting in a classroom, being spoon-fed information.”
The condensation dripped off my glass when I picked it up. After I took a drink, I continued, “After my college attempts, I spent over four years working in my stepdad’s company. They manufacture and sell vinyl siding. He wanted me to follow in his footsteps and take over the business when he retired. I really tried to stick with it, but it was sucking the life out of me. As much as I hated to disappoint him, I couldn’t stand working in an airless office and pretending to care about such a boring product, day in and day out.”
“Maybe that’s why you wanted to believe the psychic’s prediction,” Kit said, “because it gave you an excuse to leave a job you hated.”
“I was going to quit anyway. It just gave me a push to do it sooner.”
He murmured, “I see,” even though I knew he really didn’t.
“I’ve had this same conversation with a lot of people over the last three years. Most of them thought I was nuts, so it’s fine if you do, too. I’m used to it.”
“I don’t think you’re nuts. I think you’re interesting.”
I smiled at him. “That’s good.”
“I’m curious about your bucket list. What’s on it?”
“All sorts of things. Some are huge and life-changing. Others are silly and fun. I’d show you, but it’s in the journal I’ve kept for the last three years, which is inside my backpack.”
“Maybe I can help you get it back,” he said. “Your former landlord probably won’t expect you to come right back after threatening you with a sword. What if I knock on his door and distract him while you break in again and grab the backpack? Just the backpack though, so you can be in and out quickly.”
“Really? You’d be willing to help me?”
“Sure, because your photos and journal are important. How did you get in last time?”
“I had to climb onto a dumpster, so I could reach the bottom of the fire escape and pull myself up. Then I used a credit card to jimmy the lock on the window of my former bedroom, but my stuff wasn’t in there. It turned out he’d stuck it in the hall closet. I’d just found it and was gathering it up when he came home and spotted me. When he grabbed one of the swords off his wall, I panicked and ran.”
“I wonder why he didn’t throw your stuff out.”
“He might have planned to sell it, since he’s a total opportunist,” I said. “I guess he hadn’t gotten around to it yet.”
“When did he kick you out?”
“Yesterday. I spent last night in a hotel, and when I came back for my things in the morning, he yelled at me and slammed the door in my face. That was when I realized I’d have to break in if I wanted my stuff back.”
“How long do you need to get in again and grab your backpack?”
“The lock took me about five minutes last time, but now that I’ve had some practice I bet I can open it in under a minute.”
“I can keep him talking for a few minutes. I just need an excuse to knock on his door.”
I pulled my phone from my pocket, and after clicking through to Craigslist, I showed Kit the screen. “His ad for a roommate is up again. Maybe you could call and ask to see the apartment.”
“Good idea.”
As he pulled his phone from the pocket of his pale blue cardigan, I had second thoughts. “You don’t have to help me, though. This guy’s not exactly rational, and downright scary when you factor in the medieval weaponry. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“How would I get hurt? I’m just going to go see the apartment, keep him talking for a few minutes, tell him I’ll think about it, and leave. He’ll probably be on his best behavior, because he’ll be trying to get me to move in. When you went to see the apartment for the first time, he seemed fine, right?”
“Yeah. I just thought the swords and the squirrel meant he was eccentric. I had no idea he was a creep at that point.”
“When did you figure it out?”
“Not until last night, when he got me drunk and tried to force himself on me. As soon as I shot him down, he became irrationally angry. He grabbed my key off the table by the door and told me to get out. I was more than happy to go. The next morning when I came back for my stuff, he told me he was keeping it and my security deposit to teach me a lesson. He said it was what a tease like me deserved.”