Having no luck at all finding an apartment or house (that I like or could afford) real close to my job I decided I would have to start looking further out. While at lunch one day perusing the classifieds yet again, I notice a new listing. It seems a little far out for me but sounds very nice. It says that it's an apartment that has just been converted from when it was servant's quarters, 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, kitchen, living room, pool access, 2 entrances - one from the property the house sits on and one in the back where there is a driveway and covered parking.
This place sounds nice but it surely must be out of my price range and probably already taken. I decide to call the number listed and give it a try anyway. On the third ring, a lady answered and I tell her I've called about the apartment for rent. She sounds excited that someone has called about it and tells me that I was the first one so far. I ask her to tell me a little more about the place so she does. The kitchen is state of the art with all new appliances, big double sink for cooking, lots of counter space, and new tile. The living room has an entertainment center built into one of the walls and the hardwood flooring has been refinished. The bathrooms have new fixtures and one of them has both a shower and a whirlpool tub. One of the bedrooms has a built-in work studio while the other bedroom has a set of French doors that open into a small patio. I tell her it sounds great and I ask her the price she is renting it for. It's a little over my budget but the place sounds fantastic so I ask her if I could come by and see it after work. She says yes so we exchange names and she gives me the directions and I tell her I'll see her at 5:30.
The rest of the afternoon I couldn't wait for my workday to be over so when 5:00 hits I'm out of there. The drive out is nice and uncomplicated and I arrive at the main entranceway to the house shortly before 5:30. The house is huge and the yard is landscaped beautifully. I park my car and walk up the steps to the front door and ring the doorbell. A lady who appears to be in her fifties or so opens the door and I introduce myself to her and tell her that I am there to see the apartment for rent. She introduces herself as Debbie, the lady I spoke to on the phone earlier. She leads me into her house and then into her huge kitchen where she says she needs to turn the stove down before she takes me to show me the apartment.
After turning down the heat, we make small chit chat as she guides me through her house and out some side doors that lead to a small pathway into the backyard. The backyard is huge. The pool is directly in the middle of the yard with a hot tub off to the side. There is a gigantic deck all around it with a few lawn chairs scattered around. She tells me that this is the pool and points out that I would be able to make use of it and the hot tub whenever I liked.
Further down the pathway I see the apartment, or rather, a mini version of the main house. It is set aside as its own place and is beautifully landscaped as well with huge oaks and mimosa trees scattered around. She unlocks the door and leads me into a short hallway which opens into the living room. It is nice and the entertainment center she told me about is lovely as is the floor. She takes me into the kitchen and it too is exactly as she had described. There are lots of windows and looking out the window over the sink I see my front yard and the pool area. Next to the kitchen is the laundry room and from the kitchen is a short hallway that leads to the front door that opens into the driveway. There are at least 5 covered parking spots so this place definitely has enough parking for a little get-together with friends on occasion. She takes me back through the kitchen and through the living room and down a hall towards the right. Off to one side is the bathroom which has just the shower and adjacent to it is the bedroom that has the built-in office. I could see myself spending many late nights in here on my computer either working or playing.
Taking me out of the bedroom and further down the hall a little is the second bedroom. It is bigger than the first bedroom and I enter the bathroom that it is connected to. The bathroom looks very pretty and the whirlpool tub looks luxurious. I walk back into the bedroom, go over to the French doors and open them. The patio is magnificent! There is a bench swing off to the right and towards the left is a nice little table and chairs. There are several more towering oaks and graceful mimosas on this side of the house as well. The greenery around the patio is abundant and Debbie explains that her son has sort of a green thumb and over the years he has spent hours upon hours just sitting back here and working with the plants.
I decide right then and there that I want this place. Debbie sounds thrilled as I tell her this. She explains that she was very worried that she would be unable to find a renter because of its location a little further out from the city. I told her that I was very happy that I was the first one to see it because surely it would have been gone the next day and she just laughed. We go back to the main house so that we can sign the paperwork and I can pay her.
She leads me into the study and we sit down and begin the signing. While going over the paperwork a knock at the door startles both of us. Looking over, a handsome man with brown hair and blue eyes begins to laugh at us. He apologized for startling us and told Debbie that he was getting ready to leave and was there anything else she needed. Debbie asked him if he could straighten the lawn chairs around the pool a little and to check the chemicals in the hot tub for her so she could get in later. He said that wouldn't be a problem and Debbie said that before he went though he should introduce himself to their new renter. He walks over to me and extends his hand and introduces himself as Kevin. He looks at me and says that I have a nice handshake. I laugh a little and told him the same. He then says goodbye to us and tells Debbie jokingly that after he's done with his chores he'll be back in a few days to check on her.