Black Jack's

Chapter 2: Negotiator

With an envelope full of cash stuffed in her right jean pocket, Shayna left the bank with her backpack over her shoulders once more. She was on a mission now that she had the funds needed to pay the rent at her future apartment she had inquired about months prior to leaving the adoption house. Using her alone time to search on her laptop, she managed to find a cheap apartment without anyone knowing about it. She bartered with the owner, lying slightly in order to secure the place. Shayna had no idea what she would do if she couldn't find a job in time to pay for the rent before the end of the month, but she was determined to find a way.

Carrying on down the street she used the change the teller had given her for a bus ride to the apartment on the other side of the city. Toledo had been her home since she could remember, so she wanted to stay if she could. To leave the city, or even the state would be an adventure she didn't want to partake in just yet. She wanted to get some solid ground under her feet first and then see what other opportunities there were for her.

Half an hour later she found herself standing in front of the aging brick building she would soon call home. She knew the apartment was dingy and probably had cockroaches in it, but she didn't care. Freedom was calling her name and that was good enough for her.

She entered the building through a glass door and headed to the reception office as instructed by email. Knocking on the door, she waited for an older bald, yet bearded man to open the door and smile down at her several seconds later.

"Can I help you?" He asked skeptically, lowering his left eyebrow.

"I'm Shayna," she answered. "We were talking by email about the apartment you have for rent."

"Oh, yes." He chuckled. "I almost forgot. The apartment is still available. Would you like to see it?"

"No, that's fine," she assured him. "Can I give you the money for it now?"

"Uhh... sure. If that's what you want to do." As he turned around and walked back toward his desk he asked, "Five hundred a month, right?"

"Yes," she confirmed, stepping slowly inside as he sat down and typed on his keyboard. "I have all five hundred right now."

The man continued typing on the computer and clicked the mouse a few times as he filled out the tenant form electronically for Shayna. She pulled the bank envelope from her pocket and then held it out for him as the printer began to spit out papers.

He took the envelope from Shayna and set it down on the edge of the dark brown wooden desk before he spun around and grabbed the papers. Shuffling them together, he aligned them before stapling them together and holding them out for her.

"This is your tenant agreement if you accept," he explained. "Read it thoroughly before you sign it and then I will get you the key."

Shayna took the papers and quickly skimmed through them before grabbing a pen from the holder on his desk. She signed the bottom of the last page and then handed it back to him with the pen.

Accepting it, he glanced at the signature and then gave her a look of disbelief before setting the pages on his desk. As he folded his arms he sighed.

"How old are you again?" He asked.

Her mouth dropped open as she prepared to answer the man's question. Inhaling slowly, Shayna braced herself.

"Eighteen."

"Hmm... and you have all five hundred dollars in this envelope for the rent?"

"Yes." She gulped.

The man sighed before picking up the narrow brown envelope and counting the money it contained. There was five hundred dollars there, but for some reason he couldn't accept it all.

"Here," he offered, holding out a stack of bills. "I want you to keep two hundred for groceries until you have a job."

Shayna furled her brow. She never told the man she was jobless.

"I have a job," she asserted, refusing to take the money.

Smiling, the man chuckled as he continued to hold the money out for her to take.

"Take the money, kid," he insisted. "I know you don't have a job. You're not the first one to come to me for an apartment."

As her jaw dropped open, she realized he saw right through her lies she had told in her emails. She felt embarrassed as she slowly took the stack of money and pocketed it.

"Don't worry, you'll still have an apartment. My last tenant was a druggie, so you can't be any worse than him."

Shayna smirked, finding the man's humor amusing.

"When you get your fridge stocked and have enough food to live off of, then you can start paying me the rent in full. Until then, take some time to find your footing in the world." The man rummaged through his desk drawer before pulling out two keys. He took one off the key ring and handed it to Shayna before tossing the other one back inside.

She took it from him and slipped it into her left pocket. Staring at the drawer, the man noticed her concern of him having the spare.

"Don't worry, I only use the spare if I haven't seen you in two days, or if the Police come with a warrant. If anyone else comes looking for you, I just play stupid."

A smile crept across Shayna's face.

"Good to know."

He nodded with a smile.

"If you ever need anything, just knock."

Shayna turned and began walking out of the office. As she reached the open door of the office, she spun around.

"Rick?"

Turning away from the monitor to look at her. "Shayna."

"What's the room number again?"

"710. And yes, the elevator still works."

Shayna didn't need to use the elevator, but she took it to the seventh floor anyway. It was old and rustic, serving its purpose well. As slow as it seemed to move, she was at her floor in what felt like seconds.

She stepped out and walked down the red carpeted hallway with its tan colored walls. Once at her apartment door, she pulled the key from her left pocket and unlocked the door.

Stepping inside she was surprised at how nice it looked compared to the photos online. It was still a dingy apartment in need of some cleaning up, but with a touch of paint it could be something completely different.

The kitchen was right next to the foyer, followed by the living room. At the end of the hallway there was a bathroom with a tub and sink and the single bedroom. Since Shayna felt confined in the adoption house, she felt as though she was now living in a mansion. She didn't feel claustrophobic anymore. There was no fear of being suffocated anymore either. This place was exactly what she needed.