Over a year ago I lived with 5 other women in an old four three bedroom apartment. It was an experience. During that time, I wrote up a little parody based on what life was like living with so many women. Not sure if I’ll finish it, but it makes me smile.
It was called: The 6 Spinsters of Paladino
It was summer. You could feel the heat radiating off of the concrete and the stickiness of your clothes in your nooks and crannies. The way the sweat rolled down your forehead to be diverted by your brows, somehow became normal and routine. It was summer after all.
Lyla hoisted an overstuffed bag of luggage with a grunt into the trunk of her car. Her mother stood pensively, with arms folded at the doorway of their apartment building.
The day had arrived. Lyla was leaving the nest, or at least testing her wings. She was 31 years old.
Like any wise mother bird, Charlotte was not going to interfere. That did not mean that she was not going to worry.
Lyla walked across the parking lot to say good bye to her mother.
“All loaded up?” Charlotte asked.
“Yep. I’m dreading hauling all of that back here if this doesn’t work out.”
“Well, we’ll help you.”
“I’m a bit nervous, Mom.”
“Just be yourself. Be courteous and pick up after yourself. You should be fine.”
Lyla pulled her mother into a quick embrace, and fearing that she might lose her courage to see this long awaited flight from the nest through, let go and with a hasty wave, made her way to her car.
—
Paladino stood on the edge of the city’s downtown. Vines climbed its sides and bats inhabited its rooftops. It was brick and stucco, with a creeky, rotting set of back stairs.
Once owned by an Italian family by the same name, Paladino had seen the passing of 8 decades as well as numerous owners and tenants. At the time of Lyla’s arrival the current inhabitants were diverse to say the least.
Birgitte seemed to bounce from excitement as she animatedly told Lyla the stories of their neighbors.
“Just below us we have James and Harriet, they’re British.”
“Really?”
“Mmhmm, very interesting couple. James is 15 years older than Harriet, I think, and they’re musicians. You’ll hear them play on the balcony in the evenings while the weather’s nice.”
“Is that what they do for a living?”
“No, not sure what James does, but Harriet works at the Library if I remember right.” Birgitte, must have decided she was hungry mid-thought and began rifling through the cabinets for a pot and the ingredients for spaghetti. She didn’t miss a beat, “Next door, is vacant right now, but we used to have the most darling old Vietnamese couple there. One time they let me taste some of their dinner and oh! It was to die for. Just below them is Paul. He’s a retired teacher and mostly keeps to himself. I think he’s divorced. It’s just been him and a cat or two down there for years.”
At the word ‘cat’, Birgitte’s cat Rupert lumbered in from where he had been perched a few feet away in the living room and collapsed at Lyla’s feet.
Birgitte reached a bare foot over to rub Rupert’s speckled belly while draining the noodles in the sink.
“On the first floor, below James and Harriet, there’s two girls, they’ve been here forever, Sasha and Erica. I think they’re trying to be doctors or lawyers or something that takes forever. From time to time they have a big party and make a lot of noise. But that’s only once every semester or so. Next to them are Freddy and Max, they’re a couple…”
The front door opened, and in walked Josie, and immediately it became quite apparent that she’d had a bad day.
“Unbelievable!” She shouted and dropped her grocery bags on the ground, startling Rupert to his feet and a near heart attack.
___
So do you think this is worth finishing? If you happen to read this, please let me know.
Pieces of Elise's 