Page 96 of Love Is an Art
“We’re newly engaged and looking for an apartment in that building.” I came up with that on the fly, but it definitely fits my goal of getting us closer.
Zeke blinks. “We’re engaged?”
Chapter thirty-one
Zeke
Tessawinksatme.“Keep up with the program.”
She grabs my hand and pulls me along to the playground entrance. I grip her hand back. It’s so small, and yet, she’s such a force. She unhooks the playground gate and swings it open. The small playground has a slide, a swing set off in the corner behind another gated enclosure, a colorful, yellow-and-blue, metal structure for climbing, and a square sandlot.
“I don’t think this is a good idea,” I say, following her inside the playground.
She hooks the gate closed. “That’s great. You should look reluctant. That will make this seem more credible.”
“I’m not acting.”
“Excellent. You should also not think of this as acting.”
She’s definitely not listening to me.
She pulls me over to where the neighbor is sitting on a bench, watching her children play in a sandlot.
“Excuse me. I know this is extremely forward and random, but we’re looking for apartments in this neighborhood, and I thought we should ask some people who might live around here for advice. We just got engaged.” Tessa waves at the playground. “I thought you might live nearby.”
“I do,” the woman says slowly, cautiously, as one should when approached by a stranger in New York City asking personal information.
“Great.” Tessa sits next to her and pats the bench for me to join her. I stay standing.
“He’s a little shy,” Tessa says. “Anyway, we’re looking at Garden Towers. Do you know anything about that building? I’m hoping most tenants are long term. It seems like a stable building with a lot of families and married couples. How is the super? Is he responsive? Any issues with heat or noise?”
“Give her a chance to talk,” I mutter.
“Sorry,” Tessa says. “I wanted to make sure she knew I had legitimate questions.”
“I do live there. It’s a good building. The super has been there many years and feels like family. Our neighbors have lived across from us for about ten years. They’re planning to move, so maybe their apartment will open up.”
“A couple lives in the apartment? Is it a one bedroom?” Tessa asks.
“Yes, a couple lives there,” she says. “It’s a one bedroom.”
“Why are they moving? Not because of the building, I hope?”
“They found a new apartment in the city, closer to her job.”
“That’s the dream. We can’t afford that yet,” Tessa says. “He’s a photographer, and I’m going to be working for FLAFL.”
My head whips toward hers.I’m a what?Way to invent on the fly.
“FLAFL? Are you a lawyer?” the neighbor asks.
“Yes.”
“That’s great. My friend needs a lawyer.” She pulls out her phone. “And you’re a photographer?”
I nod. Reluctantly.
“Can you take a picture of my kids for me?”
