Page 8 of Love From the Ashes

“Did I do something wrong?” I peered warily at her, feeling uneasy. I couldn’t think of a reason why she’d need to talk to me.

“Of course not. I have good news, not bad, and I wanted to catch you before you left for work.”

“Okay. I’m almost done. I’ll be there in a minute.”

“No rush. I’ll be in my office when you’re ready.” Ms. Walker smiled as she turned away. She left the dining room and disappeared down the corridor to her office.

I finished my oatmeal and took my bowl and spoon into the kitchen, handing them to Nelda, who was preparing breakfast for the others. After smoothing the top of my hair and tucking a wayward strand that had slipped from my ponytail behind my ear, I trekked down the hallway to Ms. Walker’s office. Reaching the end of the corridor, I stood silently in her doorway.

“You’re here. Please sit down.” Ms. Walker motioned to the chair in front of her desk.

I sat on the edge of the wooden seat, fidgeting with my blouse’s hem while I waited for her to speak.

“Our program coordinator told me yesterday that we have a vacant unit in one of the low-income apartment buildings affiliated with our shelter. The rent is on a sliding scale based on income, and our generous donors supplied a voucher for the first month’s rent. Since you’ve been at Morgan Systems for a month now, and Ms. Morgan reports you’re doing well in your job, I wanted to offer the apartment to you. It’s a small studio unit in a refurbished building in the North End. Are you interested?”

“Yes! Definitely, yes,” I said gleefully. I could feel myself smiling from ear to ear.

“Well, let’s procure it for you.” Ms. Walker pulled a folder from the cabinet behind her and opened it on her desk. “You’ll need to go there after work and talk to the apartment manager, Ms. Vasquez. I’ve made an appointment for you for six o’clock. Here’s the bus schedule and a map of the area. I circled the location of the apartment complex. You’ll have to walk a few blocks from your job to the bus stop and then switch buses at the halfway point to get there.” Ms. Walker pushed the paperwork toward me before grabbing two more documents from the folder. “Here’s the voucher for the first month’s rent and the application for the apartment. I’ve filled out most of it, but you’ll need to complete the rest and sign it. Do you have any questions?”

“None that I can think of right now.”

“If you think of anything later, get a hold of me. Good luck, Sofie. This move is a monumental step in getting back on your feet, and you more than deserve the chance.”

“Thank you, Ms. Walker. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me.” I picked up the application and the other paperwork and practically skipped down the hall.

*

It had beenchallenging to stay focused at work, my thoughts constantly flipping back to my appointment this evening. I’d spent the last two hours glancing at the clock on the wall behind my desk, wishing it would move faster. But the time had crept by, and I still had a few minutes to go. I couldn’t wait to check out the studio apartment, reviewing the bus route and schedule several times to ensure I understood which bus to catch and when to be at my stop.

The minute hand on the clock finally struck the hour, and I felt relieved as I grabbed my purse and lunch bag from my drawer. I was about to head to the exit when Krista came out of the conference room and called my name.

“Sofie, I need you to scan my notes and email them to Jason since he couldn’t make our meeting.” Krista dropped her notepad on my counter and turned away without so much as a thank-you or goodbye.

Jason was our assistant marketing manager and Krista’s right-hand person. He was far more skilled to run the department than she was, besides being an all-around better human being and a more inclusive supervisor. Krista had favorites and only shared information with those in her circle, which was why so few in the department knew the company had hired me. If you weren’t privy to what was going on through direct communication from Krista, you had to learn about it through the gossip channels as Della did. Frowning at the notepad on my counter, I reached out to pick it up, knowing any delay would make me miss my bus.

“I’ll take care of it,” Della whispered. She had followed Krista from the conference room and stopped at my desk. “I saw the way you kept looking at the clock. You must have an appointment or something. I’ll make sure Jason gets the notes.”

“Are you sure?” I studied Della, wondering if I should trust her.

“Yes, I’m sure. Now go on. Krista has a meeting over in sales right now and won’t even know you’re gone.”

“Thanks.” I hurried to the door, hoping I wasn’t making a mistake. I caught the elevator in the hallway as the door was closing and squeezed inside, my body wedged between two men in business suits. Once I reached the lobby, I sprinted across the tile and trekked to the bus stop.

I stepped off the bus thirty-five minutes later, two blocks from the apartment complex. Although I still had time, I hurried down the street, eager for my appointment. When I got there, a woman buzzed me into the red brick building and met me in the hallway. She directed me into a small office.

“I’m Rosa Vasquez. You can call me Rosa. Go ahead and take a seat. Ms. Walker told me to expect you. Do you have the application and voucher with you?”

“I do.” I sat in the guest chair in front of Rosa’s desk and dug the paperwork from my purse. I handed it to her, studying her as she looked it over. Her face looked young, but she had streaks of gray in her dark hair. As hard as I tried, I couldn’t figure out her age.

“It looks like you have everything filled out appropriately. I have the references that Ms. Walker emailed to me this morning, so let’s have you take a look at the apartment before you sign the rental agreement.”

“That’s okay. I’ll go ahead and sign the agreement.”

“You don’t want to look at the apartment first? Are you sure?”

“I’m sure. At this point, what it looks like doesn’t matter. I’m happy to have four walls around me that I can call home.”

Rosa smiled at me, and I got the impression she knew perfectly well how I felt. She placed a document and pen in front of me and patiently waited while I looked the paper over.

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