I had placed an ad in the paper to rent a room. Having to pay all of the rent for such a large house was draining my resources. Besides, a guy of 18 who had moved away from his parents watchful eyes, needed to show them that he was self sufficient!
The ad said, “Wanted, male, 18 to 24, to share 2 bedroom house, with same. Rent, $200 per month. Call.” And the number was listed. I had the ad running for a few weeks and a number of guys came by to look. The house was a typical bachelor pad, sparse furniture and no frills. It was located in a quiet neighborhood and far back far from the street and other houses. I was renting from a couple who had moved to Florida and wanted someone to take care of the house.
I guess that either the house was too far away from civilization, or my house keeping was atrocious, because I had no takers. My money was starting to run low and having no extra income as I had planned, was getting to be a real drag. Then I got a phone call from Julie. I hadn’t considered renting the room to a girl, as I thought that it could cause some complications when I brought a date home.
She was in terrible need of a place to stay. Her apartment complex had been sold and the rent was increasing to a point where she couldn’t afford to live there anymore. I told her that I didn’t really want to rent to a female, but she must have sensed that I was getting desperate to find a renter. She talked me into letting her look the place over.
(more…)