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“But how am I supposed to make you less stressed if you’re running around looking at apartments?”
“You could come along and make it more enjoyable,” I suggested.
Adam rubbed his forehead. “I have no expertise in apartments.”
“Well, what do you live in?”
“A small house that I built with my friends.”
“Seriously? You built your own house?”
“Uh-huh.” He nodded.
“Do you have a picture? I want to see it.”
Adam was leaning against the kitchen counter and shifted his balance from one foot to the other. “It’s not a pretty house. It’s practical, small, and fits my needs.”
“So no picture?”
He shook his head. “I don’t think I have one, and I’m not going to go through my phone to look for it.”
“Tell me about it,” I said slowly. “I remember you telling me that you live from paycheck to paycheck. What exactly do you do for money?”
“I run a therapeutic program for veterans with PSTD and I do spiritual counseling.”
“And that pays the bills?”
“Barely. Sometimes I help out at my friend’s company; he’s in the construction business.”
“Okay. Is he the one who helped you build your house?”
“Him and some other pals.”
I was intrigued and drilled down further. “Do you have many friends?”
“I would say so. It comes with being part of a tribe.”
“Nice.”
Hugh, the real estate guy, called me a few minutes later. He was a distant friend of my father who had helped me find this apartment four years ago.
“Thanks for calling me. The thing is, I need a new place asap. Can you help me sell this apartment and get a new place quickly?”
“Of course – what are you looking for?”
“Something safer.”
“Good choice, I’ve heard crime is going up in our neighborhood. Someone got shot recently and only yesterday there was an attack on an innocent woman. You don’t want to live there.”
“Very funny. You know that was me, right?” I was reminded that he had a very dry sense of humor, but I didn’t mind.
His voice dropped and he sounded sincerely sad. “I heard. I’m sorry that happened to you.”
“So you understand the rush.”
“Just tell me what to look for, and I’ll throw aside everything to make it happen,” he assured me.
“Something a bit bigger and with a better view than my current apartment. It still has to be close to restaurants, and, oh… like I said, high security is a must.”
