Yesterday, at 8:30 in the morning, I looked at an apartment in Borough Park, Brooklyn. I liked the neighborhood, the amount of space, the layout, the big kitchen. I liked just about everything about it, especially the price, and the long commute doesn't really bother me because it means that I can come home to a quiet neighborhood. So I made an executive decision then and there that I would take it. Julia, the woman who is moving out and responsible for finding a new tenant for her room, said I seemed perfect, a great fit for the three other roommates. However, she had one more person coming to look at the space today and she wanted to be fair and give them a chance. I would be notified on Monday evening of the final decision. So I thanked her and headed to church. At coffee hour, which was about three hours later, I receive a text from her that if I could pay that evening, I could have the room. I was so happy that I burst into a chant of "Yes! Yes! Yes!" in the middle of the fellowship hall, perhaps to the surprise of those around me. My friend looked at me and said, "So I guess you got the apartment?" Then we headed off to the beach for a proper send off of said friend, Maryah.
After the beach, which was all the way at the very top of the Bronx, I headed to the very bottom of Brooklyn to give Julia the check and get the keys. Now it is official, and I am ready to start moving in tomorrow morning.
The following is a poem that I wrote in March, when I was living somewhere wholly unpleasant and looking for a new place to live. I wanted to find a home that was more than a place to crash. I wrote this poem as a meditation on what a home can be, what I should look for in a home. I am publishing it here to remind myself to treat myself and my new home well.
_____________________
Walking through the concrete facade
of happy buyers buying and bristling off
on a street full of faces familiar and not,
without a plan in my head I meander
here and there until I can get my fix.
Something to hold me over,
to occupy my mind and hands
and force myself to believe that it's all real.
For a time I'm sedated, and the worries at bay
While I smile and play the part of happy customer
Eyes twinkling in anticipation and gratitude
A swipe of a card and a stroke of a pen.
Belly full and tongue sugar coated,
ashamed of my wasting, I step
out into the night, or maybe it's day,
and ask once again just where should I go?
If home were an option, I'd go there right now
I wouldn't waste time with these embarrassing games.
I'd enter my temple with serene jubilation
Massaging my soul with my passions and love.
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Hopefully I like my roommates...
UPDATE!!!
The situation described in the above post turned out to be a scam. Upon further reflection, some things about the situation were red flags. For example, she said she did not have the contact information for the landlady or her son (who manages the property), she did not suggest that I meet the roommates, she told me to meet her at the apartment to exchange check for keys, but at the last minute, her "ride's tire broke" and we had to meet in a remote location. Fortunately, I realized these things before she had tried to cash the checks, so I was able to cancel them. Let the lesson be learned to take your time and really consider the merits of a situation. Do not let them push you around, or scare you with competition. If it is legit, you will not feel like you have been run through the mill, and there will not be a thousand things to "explain". I consider myself quite lucky to have gone through this situation, and not to have lost my money in the lesson. Remember to be careful!!!
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