Page 58 of The Jerk in Apartment 1B

While I’m thinking about it, I decide to go get some traps. The grocery store Trina works at sells a little of everything, not just food, which is really convenient when you run out of stuff.

When I get to the store, I head straight to the hardware section where they keep the traps.

“Got a mouse problem?” someone says.

Turning back, I see Frank standing there, a big grin on his face. Living nearby, I come here a lot, enough that Frank and I have become friends.

“Hey, Frank. How’s it going?”

“I’m good. How about you? Other than the mouse problem.”

I smile. “It’s not a problem yet. It’s more of a preventative thing. I got a new tenant who’s worried about rats getting in her apartment.”

“You talking about Trina? You know I hired her, right?”

“Yeah, I came by when she was working last Saturday.”

Trina was so embarrassed to be seen wearing that smock. She kept glancing at it, which just drew more attention to it. She looked like a school lunch lady, but not the kind I had. She was the really hot kind, which probably doesn’t exist.

“She’s a great little worker,” Frank says. “She races back and forth to that stockroom like no one I’ve ever seen. By the time she goes home, she’s got all the shelves stocked. I’ve never had an employee work that hard.”

“You should tell her that,” I say, thinking she could use a boost to her self esteem. Maybe it’d help her realize she deserves better than her loser ex-boyfriend.

“I will,” Frank says. “I might even give her a little bonus.”

Turning back to the shelf, I look over the traps. “You got one you recommend?”

“The black box.” He points to it. “With that one, you won’t even see them. There’s an indicator on top that tells you if you got one.”

“Sounds good. I’ll get a few.” I take four from the shelf.

“She got a boyfriend?” Frank asks.

I turn to him. “Who?”

“Your new tenant.”

“I’m not sure.”

“You haven’t asked her?”

“I try to stay out of my tenants’ personal lives.”

He laughs. “That’s not true. Half the people living there are your friends.”

It’s actually more than that.

“She mentioned having a boyfriend,” I say. “But they’re not really together anymore.”

They’re not together, but she’s waiting around for him. Putting her life on hold while her ex figures out if he wants her. I can’t believe Trina agreed to that.

“You should ask her out,” Frank says.

“Why would I do that?”

He shrugs. “I think you and her would make a good couple.”

“Me and Trina?” I laugh. “Yeah, I don’t think so. And you know how I feel about relationships.”

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