Hank knocked on the door of Apartment 119.
"Coming!" A woman shouted from inside.
He glanced down the carpeted hall, took in the beige walls, the other bland closed doors, the popcorn ceiling. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't good. He anticipated someone living in a higher class of living to afford him, but some people prefer to spend their money on simple pleasures and not objects. As long as the money was good, he didn't care too much.
The door swung open. She wore black leggings and a navy blue long sleeve. Her blonde hair was pulled in a messy bun. "You must be Hank," she said, smiling. Her teeth seemed too white.
Hank put out his hand. "And you must be Susan."
She took it, and stood aside to let him in. "I heard so many things about you."
"I hope they were good things." He laughed, stopping momentarily as he took in the apartment. Nearly everything was labeled, but not by a label, or written on with marker, but the design for all of it had its name painted in thin, white letters. Not onto it, but a part of the design itself. The pillows said: PILLOW; the blanket said: BLANKET; the mugs on the coffee table, the kitchen utensil holders on the counter. He had never seen anything like it.
"You like?" Susan asked, coming around him.
"Yeah," he said, keeping composure. "Did one artist do all of this, or...?"
"Just one--Renadun. They're amazing. It took a while to get everything I wanted, but last year I finally did." She went into the kitchenette and opened the fridge. "Would you like any water before we get started?"
"Sure," he said. Hank had been to many places, been with many people, but never in his life had he ever felt this unsettled. Sweat gathered under his arms, and his smile seemed fixed to his face permanently. He hoped Susan wouldn't notice, because even walking in this place was enough for his fee.
Susan handed him a bottle of water with WATER around it. At least the water was just water. Clear. Labelless. Cold. He drank as he walked into the living space. It had a plastic-y taste like most bottled water did, but whatever. "Where do you want to get started?"
"Bedroom's fine." She shuffled by, pointing at the hall. He followed behind. Frames held photographs of smiling families doing activities: at the beach, having a picnic, swimming in a pool. None of them had Susan in them. Into her room, blankets were labeled, so were the pillow cases and the vase holding fake roses. A huge clock on the wall spelled out the numbers instead of having numerals: ONE, TWO, THREE... He drank more water. Suddenly it felt warmer, or was he just nervous? He padded his forehead.
"Oh, shoot, gimme a sec. Forgot to lock the door."