The Nuisance Across The Hall

One: New Place, New Us

     The elevator doors slid open and I stepped into my soon to be familiar hallway. The three boxes in my arms blocked my sight but I still managed to locate my new apartment, 4C.

     As I went to set my stuff down, I stumbled over my own feet and the boxes came crashing to the ground. Luckily, nothing breakable was in the cardboard containers.

     I heard someone snickering nearby as I stood up, brushing the dirt off my knees. They should really clean these floors more.

     Once I was up, I looked around for the one who laughed. Standing next to the apartment door across from mine was a young man about my age. He had short, light brown hair and bright green eyes. His sweatpants and tank top fit him well.

     "Have a nice fall?" The mystery dude asked me, not trying to hide his amusement.

     Although it was a rude comment to someone you don't know, I pushed it aside. I wanted to make good friends here, for both for mine and Sophia's sake.

     I stuck out my hand and said "Hi, I'm Naomi. I'm moving in here." I planted a friendly smile on my face and awaited his name.

     "Yeah, like I care." The guy scoffed with an eye roll. Before I could say anything else, he turned around and entered the apartment across from mine, ignoring my friendly gesture to shake my hand.

     Baffled, I mumbled "Rude much?" And turned to face my apartment door. I dug the key out of my pocket and shoved it into the lock.

     I pushed the door open, revealing my new home. Only the big furniture and appliances were occupying the space. The moving truck had come earlier and they, surprisingly, did a good job. This was the first, and hopefully last, moving day for me for a while.

     I picked up the three previously dropped boxes and walked into the living room. Sitting them on the small couch, I took in the rest of my apartment.

     The main door opened into the living room. Next to the living room was an open kitchen that consisted of an old oven, old fridge, and an old microwave. In general, it was an old kitchen. Against the back wall of the living room were two doors that led to my room and Sophia's room. On an adjacent wall was the bathroom.

     I took a deep breath and sighed. It may have been one hell of a hassle, but I managed to find a cheap place close to the university, the bar I work nights at, and Sophia's pre-school. Despite the rude dude across the hall, I felt we would be happy here. It was a fresh start for both of us.

     I spent the rest of the afternoon walking from my car to the apartment. Carrying tubs and boxes of all of our stuff. For a four-year-old girl, Sophia had a lot of clothes. Probably more than I did.

     When the time came, I paused on unpacking and went to pick up Sophia. The pre-school was only five minutes away and hardly any traffic seemed to be in the way.

     Waiting in the pick-up line, I pulled out my cell phone and texted my best friend, Sky.

     N: Almost done settling in. Picking up Sophia now. Still good with this?

     S: Of course. I love that sassy bundle of joy :)

     Sky worked during the day so when she heard I had to go to school during the day and work at night, she offered to stay with Sophia until I made it home. I would've never asked her of something like this but she offered. I even told her I'd pay her but she refused. That's just who Sky is, if she can help someone, she will. And it was helping me out tremendously.