FIRST CHAPTER
Expelled. Expelled like an undesirable from my own home. Finally, the house that had become mine, by dint of living there daily for nearly 13 years already. I am sure houses hold souls. They are independent individuals, who have forged their own personalities through the accumulation of time and memories. I often spoke to this house. And it always seemed to welcome me there. From the very beginning, in fact, when I first came to visit it… It seemed familiar to me, with its tiled kitchen, old-fashioned stove, and mosaic flooring. From the outside, it might not have looked special. A two-story house, with a small garden. But inside, it had that certain warmth, a kind of quiet beauty… Perhaps it was due to its huge living room, but also to its wooden floor and large windows overlooking a quiet street.
Yes, from the very beginning I had felt safe there. Me, the homeless guy who had been kicked out of his parents' house. Oh, of course, he hadn't expressed their intentions openly, but my father made sure I felt unwelcome. That I was a nuisance. So he started despising me by pretending I didn't exist… Just like in my teenage years, when I was already too much over there.
Then one fine day, I packed my things and headed back to Verona. Oh, I hadn't taken all my belongings, far from it, but never mind ! They could keep them. Those who, behind a libertarian and vaguely anarchist appearance, were still stingy, even with their children.
Me, the homeless person who had bargained with the owner to sublet a room, found myself once again… homeless, just because he decided to sell the house which, given the real estate boom in Verona going on, had become quite valuable ! Overnight, I therefore found myself back at square one, except that I now had a well-paying job as well as a network that made others envious. It must be said that during all these years, I had not been idle ! I had already climbed many rungs by the strength of my work, and one must also admit, by my communication skills. Having started in a waste disposal site, I had the opportunity to work for the metropolitan budget administration in record time ! I am not ashamed to say that I used a few tricks to get there… But whatever it takes is necessary if you want to succeed.
In any case, I still wanted to continue living in a house. I wanted to continue living in a community, sharing meals, celebrations, and confidences in the evening around the fire and a cup of tea, even the hardships... And God knows there had been plenty of them in that house. But this was nothing compared to what awaited me in the next one...
It was on a gloomy day that I landed in this real estate agency. I didn’t just want a house. I wanted MY house. Even better, I wanted to be at the root of this new flatshare, you know, not just a cog in the machine.
5500 euros monthly rent, 7000 euros… I couldn’t come up with such an amount. Also, nobody would agree to pay 900 euros in rent, even with a large living space. After an hour of discussion, I was ready to reconsider when the agent took a bold approach : “And why not this one, at 3500 euros a month, all charges included ? Well, it’s a bit out of the way and the condition isn’t fantastic, but it’s fitting your budget, right ? ”
I wasn’t convinced at all, but nevertheless curious. What did I have to lose after all, except maybe an hour at most, the time to make a round trip ? Also, something was pushing me to go see, I who had always relied on instinct and intuition…
Once parked right in front of the gate (it was impossible to park anywhere else anyway), I stepped back to inspect the reason for this visit : the house. A large pale yellow Mediterranean-style house. Thorns as far as the eye could see. Plants were climbing along the cracked paint of the house, ivy sneaking through the cracks of the fence, clever as it was, running along the stone edges of what looked like a pool… Palm trees lined the property, managing to push their long leaves out of the undergrowth and other bushes of all kinds that now covered nearly three-quarters of the land. The land was large, that's for sure, but nothing could be seen because it was so overgrown. Potential without really being any !
And there I was, trying to get a better understanding of the extent of the disaster, when I stumbled, narrowly avoiding falling headfirst into the empty pool at the same time. A shrub had grown right in the basin through a large crack, making it hard to see it. The real estate agent caught me just in time by the right sleeve.
- C’mon, don't fall ! I see this house has an effect on you, but still... He joked.
I didn’t answer, too focused on the house. It was still huge… Good 800 m². Then my gaze was drawn to the huge bay window overlooking Verona. The villa was built on a kind of small hill and overlooked a pond. Two wrought-iron balconies adorned it like crowns, their edges forming waves that were dancing around the house. Needless to say, this beautiful stone creature seemed simply to be calling out for help, crying out in abandonment !
- How much per month did you say ?
- 3,500 euros all-inclusive…
- But that’s not serious, look at its exterior condition, overgrown with brambles ! And I’m sure there’s just as much work inside, if not more ! Not to mention the roof, I can see it from here, it’s…
- Listen, I’ll stop you right there, it’s going to be hard to negotiate, Mr. Benchetrit is tough in business, you know. By the way, he’s a businessman, he lives in Bangkok. Whether you take the house or not, it won’t change anything for him, you know !
- Yes, well, we’ll see about that. I’m submitting an application.
- Very well, all the documents should be sent to this email address, on the card. Replied the young agent, without blinking. Despite his young age, it seemed as if he was already disillusioned. He handed me a light blue card, sprinkled with silver letters.
- You’re not even going to show me the house ?
- You were so sure of yourself that I thought the deal was closed ! And besides, I still have quite a few appointments...
- Excuse me, but I still want to know what I’m getting into…
The agent gave a sly smile and promptly headed toward the house, hastily pulling a large bunch of rusty keys from his leather bag. Anyway, it was true that I didn’t even need to visit this house. I knew, deep down, that I was going to take it. Thorns or not. Businessman or not. And indeed, seeing it from the inside confirmed it for me: This house, too, had a soul. Something warm and benevolent that seemed to invite me to get to know it. To know its past and the reason for its existence. It also felt incredibly familiar to me. The rooms were all generously sized, and the huge bay window was like its showcase, giving it the air of a palace. The living-dining room in particular was immense, with its brick and stone fireplace standing in the center, seemingly waiting for guests. The bedrooms were nothing extraordinary, but the bathrooms, with their sculpted bathtubs and wooden vanities, were charming. They would delight the future women who would move in here, because of course, this shared apartment would be mixed and full of diversity.
- I’m sure I’m the only applicant for this. The land is too overgrown and the house hasn’t been renovated for at least 15 years !
- 13, to be exact. But you have a good eye… However, as I was telling you, Mr. Benchetrit doesn’t bother with peanuts… He has plenty of properties, you know. And he’d rather not rent at all than rent for low prices.
- That’s what we’ll see. I’m telling you I’m submitting an application ! Me and 4 other people…
- You mean you want to set up a co-tenancy application? That just complicates things even more !
- It seems like you don’t want to rent me this house ! What’s your problem, in the end ?
- But I have no problem with you, sir, I’m just trying to be realistic about the situation, that’s all. He adjusted his jacket, as if to give himself more credibility. Especially since we’ll need to convince Mr. Benchetrit that you won’t damage the property.
- So you are implying that living in a shared apartment is synonymous with chaos, if I understand properly ?
- No. Only that we already have to manage shared apartments here at the agency and that it has never proven to be positive…
Certainly, things were looking bad. But even if everything suggested that I would never set foot in that house again, something, against all odds, seemed to push me to take these steps.
And it didn’t fail because less than a month later, I moved in. With a rent only 150 euros lower than announced and no guarantee that any work would be done or that my roommates would stay, but I moved in.
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CHAPTER TWO
The first few weeks weren't easy. I already had a buddy ready to join me on this adventure, but he was the only one and it probably wouldn't be enough to rent that big house !
The agency had been clear about this: Given my monthly salary, comfortable as it was, at least five of us needed to commit to paying the monthly rent, with, of course, proof that we would be model tenants. They almost asked for our fingerprints. A file as long as your arm had to be provided, with employment contracts, tax notices, references from previous landlords, and so on. Needless to say that the agency wasn’t at all sure they would rent out this property, but that didn’t stop them from being strict about the requirements to even have a chance. It wasn’t even about the landlord, since I didn’t even have the privilege of corresponding with Mr. Benchetrit, who couldn’t have cared less about our profiles as long as the rent was paid. The agency, for its part, had to make sure, because they would lose the client if the contract wasn’t honored. So, as usual for me, or rather according to my past adventurer habits, I was prospecting and trying to find tricks to find the lucky ones who would walk part of the way with me.
Classified ads. Yes, that was it ! Classified ads had always worked and would always work, in this rough world… But in this modern world, it was true that it was hard to find the perfect catch without going through paid platforms. The “perfect catch”... I really wasn’t that picky, after all. No, having lived on the streets and endured what I had endured, I wasn’t, and my current higher social status hadn’t changed much. So I kept that kind of street-cat ease, that ability to adapt to anything that comes from having nothing to lose because you have actually nothing, not even a shoulder to cry on. Yeah, I was, so to speak, a kind of orphan of life.
I first ran into Monica, in her thirties, who had found a fixed-term contract in the area as a medical secretary and didn’t really know where to settle down, because renting now required a lot of guarantees and for the moment, precariousness outweighed everything else. The phone rang in the middle of the morning, as if to pull me out of my usual lethargy, while I was fine-tuning the accounting for a project call. In short, nothing very exciting under the sun…
- Hello, I took the liberty of calling you directly following your ad, because I have to admit that I'm a bit in a rush, and I’m not gonna lie to you, a bit in trouble…
- Oh really, and why is that ? I asked, more out of courtesy than anything else. I have to admit that I wasn’t really 'enthusiastic' about the profile at first, but hey, at least this person had the merit of calling me…
- Well, I applied in quite a few places, even outside the region, and believe it or not, after lots of attempts, it worked! I found a job here… So I’m relieved, but when it comes to housing, it’s really complicated… Landlords require that I be on site, and especially that I have a fixed-term contract… So, you see the hassle?
- And where are you from? I deliberately answered with another question, and moreover a question that had nothing to do with theirs, to throw them off. And even more, to break their frantic speaking pace so we could actually hear each other talk…
- Uh, near Milan…
- I see… And did you like it there?
- Yes, quite a bit, but well, it doesn’t pay the bills, you know… So, when exactly would the room be available ?
- And there we were, back to the very practical stuff… Needless to say that in 5 minutes, this woman had shattered all my dreams of community, shared passions, and solidarity. But, well. I really did need people to fill that boat !
- Well, uh, right away…
- Oh, perfect ! That actually works out for me, because you see, I would like not to arrive the day before my first day of work ! To tell you the truth, I would even like to arrive a week early, that is to say, in six days…
- Six days? But there’s the paperwork to handle first, plus the viewing... To be honest, I didn’t care about the viewing. I was just trying to buy time. Yes, precious time!
- Well, maybe seven or height, if you like... But it’s a shared rental, so things should move quickly, right ?
- That’s true… I actually didn’t want to lose that opportunity.
- You know, I don’t even need to see the house in person ; a few extra photos to make sure it’s not in too bad a state will be enough ! I just need a roof over my head.
This actually suited me quite well, given that the house couldn't be toured — it was completely overrun with brambles ! Not to mention the massive cleanup job it needed... So, I had to snap a few deceptive photos, making sure not to reveal the full extent of the disaster. All that remained was to pray my future roommate wouldn't turn tail and run the moment she arrived. There was only one small detail left to take care of... Still, a pretty big detail…
- By the way, you know that this isn’t a furnished room, it was clearly stated in the ad
- Oh, really ? I think I didn’t pay attention. You know, with all of the hustle and bustle in my life, it’s complicated to pay attention to detail… Also, I…
I cut her off abruptly. I didn't want her to tell me about her life, I just wanted to seal the deal with her :
- Listen, it's take it or leave it. You can easily find a bed, you know, not like a landlord who agrees to make a deal without even having seen you ! I still wanted to put a little pressure on her... Not very nice, but oh wellI..
- You’re right. Well, I’ll take it, then… I don’t wanna end up in the streets.
- All right, very well. Then send me the list of documents I’m about to text you. And you’ll need to contact the real estate agency using the phone number and the code I’ll provide for the security deposit.
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CHAPTER THREE Some start to a shared living arrangement ! It didn’t look promising. Monica talked too much and seemed far too superficial for us to really hit it off. I could tell right away from her pushy manner and lack of curiosity. But I didn’t have a choice, here. Which also meant —incidentally— that I had just a few days to make the place presentable... And a week at most to find the other housemates and sign the lease. Because the lease hadn’t even been signed yet... What a mess I’d gotten myself into ! And how was I supposed to get into the house to tidy up the bedrooms if I didn’t even have the keys ? It was a puzzle I’d have to solve — and fast !
Monica didn’t take long to send me all the required paperwork. I’d even say she did it within fifteen minutes, putting pressure on me in her email by saying she would be there in exactly seven days, that she wanted about ten photos proving the validity of the offer, and the precise address of the place in question. I quickly replied to that email, making sure not to make any spelling mistakes. In doing so, I had just committed in black and white to hosting a lady I didn’t know in a place I didn’t really know any better !
Well… I thought about a way to provide photos of the room she was supposed to rent… It was obvious that I couldn’t provide fake photos, for the simple and good reason that she would see for herself on site, and right in front of me no less, that I had lied to her…
After turning the question over and over in my head for nearly two hours without finding a miracle solution, I finally decided to go there, armed with a crowbar. Maybe inspiration would come once I was on site… Also, during the visit, true to my old tramp habits, I spotted a hole in the fence that overlooked the wall leading to the parking lot. All I had to do was grab a little ladder, slip inside, and that would be it !
I just had to make sure to go during the day because taking photos of the rooms and the house without electricity made no sense. I had also noticed that the house had no neighbors, cheeky that I was ! Only a stream running along the road in front of the house's garden counted as a neighbor !
However, when I arrived at the said house, things didn't go exactly as planned. In fact, I was greeted by the growls of a Doberman, for the simple reason that the property of the house was adjacent to… another property, at least on its right side. A man stormed out and immediately pointed a shotgun in my direction.
- What are you doing here, and who are you ?
- It's my right to be here, sir, I'm not on your property… I stammered, trying to keep my composure and make sure not to lower my eyes.
He must have been around sixty, judging by the deep lines carved into his sun-tanned skin. He looked like a farmer and had a look in his eyes that spelled trouble !
- No one’s set foot here in 10 years, except for some squatter cockroaches, so what brings you here ?
- Well, nothing at all, I was just taking a little look… Obviously, there was no room for negotiation, which is why I turned on my heel without asking for anything in return. Not really keen on dying so young because this brute had a trigger finger that was a bit too easy.
I went back to my car, pretended to leave, to park a little further away. There really was no neighbor on the left, I was sure of that because this time I had taken the time to observe it properly while pretending to leave.
So I went back to the left side of the house. It turned out there was a pretty big hole in the fence that led to the small parking area, so I didn’t even need a ladder. As for the house itself, it had clearly already been squatted, because after taking a closer look, I was able to slip in through one of the back windows that had been broken. The real estate agent had made sure not to tell me that…