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Write about a couple touring an empty apartment they might rent.

Posted in Narrative on Nov 1, 2022

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✍️ 27 stories

The Taming of the Prude

Submitted to Contest #148

Content Warning: language, sexual references, nudity (not descriptive).Vrrrttttt. Vrrrttttt. Vrrr-“Fuck off,” Mandy mumbled, backhanding her phone screen.-ttt. Vrrrttttt. Vrrrttttt. Vr-“It ain’t gonna snooze, Mands. It’s a phone call,” Brad groaned from the other side of the bed.-rrttttt. Vrrrttttt. Vrrr-“Good morning, Mandy speaking. Oh, hi Kate, how are you? Yes, of course. Oh- oh, you’re outside? No, sorry, I didn’t hear. Yes, er, yes, the viewing is still today. Would you mind- er, would you mind giving me a few moments to make some fina...

29 likes 26 comments 26
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Shifting Roots

Submitted to Contest #148

I know you are miffed with me right now, but you will thank me when I’m not around.When I showed you the e-brochure of Saket Retirement Homes last week, you scoffed at the grey-haired, brightly clothed couple cornering a football on the lawn, and remarked, “As if they can kick it around without getting a cramp and their backs singing to them at night.” This ridicule, when I had carefully eliminated the ones that were named as senior homes, old age homes, and assisted living! I knew you would have never even considered taking a look at them. ...

21 likes 21 comments 21
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Hollow Healer

Submitted to Contest #148

TW: Sex, swearing and troubled pasts. Wooden floorboards creak beneath Billie’s bare feet. She told me to take off my shoes at the door so I’m there in my threadbare socks as if I care about the view from the window. The letting agent is spouting the usual bullshit. All I’m thinking about is that she tried to shake my hand when I entered.             I can’t shake people’s hands. A touch is never just a touch with me. When my flesh touches someone else’s I see all the worst parts ...

20 likes 12 comments 12
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Tight Market

Submitted to Contest #148

"Norah's from my group. I trust her. She'll find us something." Olivia nodded to herself. Ethan stopped at the light. He smiled. "You think being in your group recommends her?" She rolled her eyes. "Of course. She works in real estate. She's not only in my group. She's a friend." Noah accelerated. He scanned the apartment buildings they passed. "From the look of these, the rule is, 'get the best place in a bad neighborhood...'" She touched his arm. "Give her a chance, okay? She knows the market." "I'll be good. I'm playing." "She said it's g...

14 likes 6 comments 6
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If the Walls Could Talk

Submitted to Contest #148

That Mole! It stared at me as I tried my hardest to concentrate on what she was saying. Jenny Langstrom, our realtor had been droning on for what seemed like days. Jenny was showing us this apartment for the second time because my wife liked it so much. I kept looking at that huge mole that sat on her top lip like a bird perched on a fence. I felt my wife’s hand touch my arm. She knew I wasn’t concentrating. Emily knew I was basically a child in a man’s body. I slowly turned my head towards her, and she flashed me an annoyed look. I took a...

14 likes 2 comments 2
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Hotspot

Submitted to Contest #148

Carol hadn’t wanted anything to do with her old man’s business. Taking care of an apartment complex is no easy feat. Sure, it kept money in her pocket, but most of that money went right back into broken appliances. When it wasn’t the washing machine, it was the drier. When it wasn’t the drier, it was the sink. When it wasn’t the sink, it was the toilet. Carol had to keep a list of every messed-up machine in the complex.And that wasn’t even mentioning the worst part: the tenants. Mrs. Donald’s had five cats that scratched up the furniture and...

14 likes 2 comments 2
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A Lease on Love

Submitted to Contest #148

A Lease on Love            Beams of sunlight emitted through the blindless windows, casting a spotlight on the dust dancing in the air. The fresh smell of Pine-Sol invaded the noses of anyone who toured the apartment. Freshly painted white walls added to the cleansed ambience but could not hide the slight imperfections caused by the previous owner’s bedframe. Naomi had been looking for an affordable place to rent for ages, and through a good word from her friend Gwen (who worked in a r...

12 likes 2 comments 2
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The Voices at Home

Submitted to Contest #148

TW: Miscarriage and InfertilityColleen Richie wore bright clothes in the photos online, beaming over scores of 5-star reviews. She was no different in person. Bryce and I exited the elevator, where she stood wearing a teal two piece with chunky pink jewelry. The tiny red springs that were her hair were tousled atop her head in a bun. She walked with importance and reached her hand out to each of us.“So lovely to meet you two. I think you’ll just love this place. I mean the view…”We would have to follow her to find out what the view was, beca...

12 likes 7 comments 7
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Your New View Awaits

Submitted to Contest #148

The property agent cancels at the last minute. “But the key’s in a lockbox so you can still go in and have a look at this beauty,” she assures us in her breezy, overconfident way. With some key-jiggling, I unlock the door to the recently advertised “Your New View Awaits - Classy 1 BDRM Walk-up” I step inside, looping my finger around my purse strap, stretched as tight as it will go, and feel the purse’s weight bump against me, heavy as doubt. Dave barges into the middle of the biggest room, clacking his hard-soled boots, and cocks an eye a...

12 likes 8 comments 8
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La Celda de la Muerte

Submitted to Contest #148

Before the tent crashed in, the arguing voices had already woken him up and Juan's skin prickled with apprehension, how could he protect his sister and himself? Looking out into the bluish tint, something was new, the noise and talking outside were always loud, but the shouting voices were fighting, over what? He couldn't make it out, fear bounced around in his head like a soccer ball. Living on Broadway of the migrant Camp, there were people around their tent all hours of the day and night. He tried to fall asleep but could not get comfor...

12 likes 4 comments 4
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An Apartment

Submitted to Contest #148

Tom and Gloria stood outside a magnificent brick building as they waited for the broker to arrive. Tom observed his surroundings with his keen gray eyes. He took note of the make and models of all the cars parked along the tree-lined street, guessing at the year of each. He made sure to say, “how do you do?” along with a courteous nod to the people walking their dogs, keeping an eye on them long after they had passed. ‘Did they pick up after their pets?’ he wondered. Of the five or so pet owners who had passed, the answer was always ‘yes’.&n...

11 likes 4 comments 4
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A Happy, Happy Agent

Submitted to Contest #148

A Happy, Happy Agent “Hi! You must be Kathy! And you,” the chipper real estate agent points at my name tag, “you must be Scott!” I laugh along and nod, but with a quick glance at Kath, no one’s called her Kathy since Pre-K, I can tell she’s about ready to tap out of this tour.  “I am,” Kath says through gritted teeth, she extended her hand to Lisa, our frizzy haired, red-headed agent. It is typical to have a personal agent for houses, but apartment complexes typically came with one, as shown by our guide standing in the doorway ahea...

11 likes 2 comments 2
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Why Doesn't Anyone Rent This Place?

Submitted to Contest #148

The sky rips over us as we drive out of our old familiar, our parents’ neighborhood and their stuffy old ways and the beat-up old buildings that used to be something special and now lie as monuments to our society’s collective sense of neglect and waste. We make for the ocean, not to live there, but to make a day out of the experience like many others from more blue-collar zip codes. We packed few things; stood on the beach until we couldn’t take it anymore, as if we wanted to ‘get our monies worth’ out of the sun and sand; and then I chose...

11 likes 2 comments 2
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The Writing on the Old Man's Wall

Submitted to Contest #148

The Writing on the Old Man’s Wall Hello fellow physicists. My name is Harry and my associate’s name is Sue. We are here to present to you how we were able to make our unbelievable discovery. We will begin with a story, in order that we can give credit where credit is truly due. In the language of baseball, we are the closers, not the one who pitched the first eight innings. Our story begins two years ago. Neither one of us could believe that it was on the marker. Not only that, but it was at a price that, be...

10 likes 0 comments 0
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Sweet Tooth

Submitted to Contest #148

Martha and James have been looking for a new apartment for the last few months. The housing market is outrageous right now and prices for rent, and mortgage are through the roof which has made this whole experience for them feel like an impossible task. Martha is a newly graduated nurse who just landed her dream job in the Emergency department at St. Theresa's Hospital which is an inner-city hospital that receives all the high-level traumas within the city. She wants to get all the best experience and to establish herself as a competent t...

10 likes 2 comments 2
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