Maggie sighed. It was almost midnight when she began to approach the building where she'd now been living for almost three months. At 25, this wasn't exactly how she's imagined herself to be, but given the circumstances, the small apartment in this worn-out building would have to do. As Maggie put the keys into the building's front door and turned the lock, the usually feisty and upbeat redhead wondered how she'd managed to lose her job, her boyfriend and her house --- after the bastard threw her out three months ago.
She let herself in and quietly snuck by her landlord's flat on the ground floor. Her rent was way overdue and she'd been avoiding him ever since. She crept up the stairs to the third floor, careful not to tread on the steps that creaked loudly. As she reached her landing and let out a sigh of relief, she turned the corner and almost fell over her landlord! It appears that he had brought up a little stool and waited for her at her door!
Maggie's landlord was a fat, middle-aged hairy man of Middle-Eastern descent and spoke with an accent. Usually, he just sat in his flat, watching TV with his door slightly ajar. The few times Maggie talked to him, he had been wearing what appeared to be the same white wife-beater, shorts and smelled a lot like a bucket of sweat. This time was no different.
"Uh…hi, Mr…sir." Maggie said weakly, forcing a smile on her face. "What brings you to my door?"
Her landlord hmphed at her disapprovingly with a stern glare. "You know very well what I'm doing here, Miss Jones. You think I don't notice you sneaking past my door, and pretending you're not at home when I ring your doorbell? Well! I will jave none of this anymore! Your rent for this month is over two weeks late. Again! You must give me the money!"
Maggie turned on her pleading, puppy-dog eyes. "Oh please sir. If you could just give me a few more days –"
"No more excuses! You give me my rent right away. I know what will happen if I give you a few more days. The days will turn into weeks and then into months!" Her landlord exclaimed, waving his arms around dramatically.
"But I haven't got any money on me." Maggie said helplessly.
"Then open this door and get some from inside your house. I will have my rent tonight!"
"But --- "
The podgy man silenced her with a glare. Maggie resignatedly unlocked her door and her landlord barged in past her. She flicked on the lights, put her purse down and closed the door. The landlord stood in the middle of the studio flat with his hands on his hips and turned his head from left to right, as if expecting a large pile of cash was waiting there for him to collect.
"Well? Where is my rent?"
Maggie sighed. "I told you. I don't have any money."
The podgy man glared at her for a second. "I cannot accept this. You will move out tomorrow!"
Maggie's eyes widened in alarm. "Tomorrow?!? But...but… I have nowhere to go!"
Her landlord sniffed and held his nose in the air. "No rent, no apartment."
Maggie went to her landlord and put her hand on his fat, hairy arm in an attempt to soften him up. "Oh please sir, please don't kick me out! I'm sure there is SOMETHING that we could work out."
It seemed to do the trick. He looked at her curiously. "Like what?"
Maggie wracked her head. " Umm…I could do some cleaning for you! Or…some paint jobs? I could run errands for you! And…"