Chapter 22

It felt like I had been traveling non-stop since school was out. I had three weeks but wanted to get back to school and get everything ready. Cathy drove up with me on a Tuesday morning, because she had an appointment with a counselor to go over her schedule. I dropped her off and she went to the admin building to find her counselor. I knocked on the door of my apartment but no one answered. I had a key so it was no big deal. I walked in and the place was in decent shape. I walked back to the bedrooms to figure out about sleeping arrangements for Reggie, Cathy and me. I walked into one bedroom and there was a naked black girl in the bed with a vibrator in her cunt and a Walkman headset on her ears. She had her eyes closed so I just backed out of the room and pulled the door shut.

I looked around and the size and layout of the apartment were nice, but I would have liked it to be a little more upscale. The carpet was a couple years old and I think the manufacturers designed it, specifically to hide stains. The kitchen had linoleum on the floor and white Formica counters with avocado green and gold flowers. I am sure that they were all the rage, but it made me sick to look at. I had three weeks to register and get my books and set up my apartment. Summer school was over at the end of the week. There was a two-week break between summer school and the fall semester. I went outside and stepped off the size of the apartment. It was 30 by 40 with three bedrooms and two baths. One bedroom was the master with its own bathroom, while the other bath was between the other two bedrooms. I went back in and slammed the door to see if it would get the attention of Goldilocks lying in the second bedroom.

I went to the kitchen, looked for a phone book, and started a search for an interior decorator. I'm good at picking out furniture and flooring, but I didn't have the time or desire to manage the job. In addition, I had no contacts with any installation crews. I wanted to redo the place before school started in three weeks. I called a decorator and in general explained what I wanted and did a quick interview over the phone. She seemed to be on top of it, so I asked if she could meet me at the space in a couple hours. She said she could. I then called my landlady and asked if she could come over thirty minutes before the decorator.

I was hanging up the phone when the black girl came out wearing some tight shorts and a crop top "Property of UF" t-shirt. She said, "Hello? Who are you?"

I replied, "Hi, I am Britt. To whom do I have the pleasure of meeting?"

"Oh, hi, I am Reggie's sister Dani. I start here in a couple weeks and I came to visit my brother. I also wanted to get the lay of the land. You know, meet with a counselor to figure out my classes and get my books before the line is around the building."

I said, "It is nice to meet you Dani. Where is your brother?"

"He had a class, but then was going over to a friend's place, to study for his final tomorrow. I am not sure when he will be back."

"No problem. I am waiting to meet the landlord, and then my sister is going to meet me here after she finishes with her counselor. Where are you living in the fall?"

"I got a scholarship to run for the Gators. I will be in the athletic dorm. It's just a couple blocks away next to the stadium."

"I know some people that live there. They seemed to think it was all right last year. The girl I knew also had an athletic counselor to help with the classes."

"We all do. With the meets, games and practices, the athletes need to get both the right classes as well as time slots to make it all work."

"That sounds nice. Ask your counselor if they can squeeze me in."

We talked about other things until the landlady came by. Dani went back to her room to clean up a little. Mrs. Ferguson, the landlady, asked if everything was OK. I told her that everything was fine, but I wanted to talk to her about my apartment. Mrs. Ferguson is a very nice lady. She is a widow around forty years old, so she is still young and good-looking. Her husband was a professor at the school before he had a heart attack. They had bought the property and built the apartment building about ten years ago, and he passed away about five years ago. He had good insurance so she was doing fine and the rent just gave her some spending money. The apartments rented for $750 a month or $250 per student. When we compared this to the other place, it was a higher price, but the units were bigger and it had a pool and plenty of parking.

I had already paid for a year in advance so she was curious as to why I called. I told her, "Mrs. Ferguson, I really like the size and layout of the unit. I have already paid for the first year and would like to make you a proposition."

"OK, I am listening."

"I am not trying to be mean but the inside is pretty ugly. The first thing I want to do, is lock in for two more years so I will have a total of three years here. Next, I would like to tear out the carpet and replace it with hard wood floors. I would like to tear out the counter tops in the kitchen and baths and replace them with either a plain white Formica or maybe granite. Lastly, I would like to get rid of the furniture you have provided, because it's a little worn and dated. Either we can put it in storage for three years or I would suggest that with all of the students moving in soon, that you could sell it to them for their own places. When I move out, I will leave the furniture. I may take some art or nick knacks with me, but I will leave the tables, chairs, couches and beds. What do you think?"

"Do you know how much that will cost, and how much do you expect me to pay?"

"I have an idea about different parts of my plan, but I am not sure what the total cost will be, to have all of the work done. I have someone coming over to give me a price in a little while but I wanted to talk to you before I spoke to her. I was planning on paying for it myself, but if you want to knock some off the rent I won't stop you."

She had such a pretty smile. She said, "I told my husband that the carpet and counters were ugly when we bought them. They were cheap and he said that the kids could care less. Would it be OK for me to stay and talk to your friend?"

"She should be here anytime. She is not my friend she is an interior decorator. She will have the crews to get the work done between now and the next couple weeks."

Penny Fraise, the decorator, pulled up ten minutes later. She came in and we all introduced ourselves. Dani came out and said she was going for a walk. I appreciated her giving us some privacy. I explained that I wanted some wood flooring, nicer baseboards, new counter tops and furniture. Maybe it should be something in a Mission style. It has to be comfortable and durable. I don't want Louie the XV stuff. She looked around and asked some questions. When I called previously, I had told her the time frames and it just so happens that her crews were just finishing another job. Her next customer was pushing back on starting so she could squeeze us in. She gave us a price and I thought it was reasonable but Mrs. Ferguson thought it was high. Mrs. Ferguson said, "I just found out about this and I am OK with making the changes, but don't want to get ripped off. Britt had called you before he approached me. I have a friend, Pam Butterfield who teaches interior design at the school. Maybe we should give her a call to get another price."

I said, "OK it is your building. Most designers get a 15 - 20% discount on everything they purchase but charge us full price, so this $5,000 remodel is worth around a grand. If you want to use your friend that is fine with me."

Penny said, "I know Pam and she could do a good job designing the place. However, she doesn't have the crews to do the work and get it done in time. I really would like to keep my guys busy. They have families. Why don't I knock off 10% and we can start on Friday or Monday?"

Mrs. Ferguson asked me, "I think that is fair. Was that the size budget you had in your head when you decided to do this?"

"It is in the range. When do we need to pick out the wood and the paint colors? I don't want to come home to a pink room every night because it is your favorite color Penny."

"Why don't you come down to my office and we can do some paperwork. I have tons of samples and we can pick everything out at that time."

I said, "Mrs. Ferguson is there anything else you need done while her crews are here?"

"Well maybe we can talk about some new carpet and solid white counters for the other units. That should be much less right?"

Penny said, "It they are identical to this unit, I would think $1,000 each would cover it."

Mrs. Ferguson said, "Maybe I should come with you to pick out the carpet."

I put a note on the door for Cathy and Dani and I rode with Mrs. Ferguson down to Penny's office. I told Mrs. Ferguson that I wanted her to pay for my apartment remodel so she could get the write off on her taxes. It was not something that I could write off on my taxes. The women completed all of the paperwork except for the final prices. She gave me allowances for each item and provided a sample that would fit those prices. The first item was oak flooring at $ .75 per foot. At 1,000 square feet including everything except the bathrooms, that is $750 for materials. If I picked maple at $ .85 per foot then I would have to pay an extra $100. If I picked teak then that would add an extra $1,000. Counter tops were also on the square foot. She wanted to price the Formica but I asked her to show us some granite and it turned out not to be that much more, for what they had in stock. She even had some left over from a larger commercial job that would more than cover my place. When Mrs. Ferguson heard the price, she asked if there was any money left over, because she may want to do her own kitchen and the other units.

'Project creep' is where a project keeps growing in size and cost, as decisions are made along the way. Like paint and baseboards. I thought about crown molding but decided against the cost. I picked the maple stained a little darker, with white baseboards and a medium brown, oatmeal color, on the walls. I picked the light brown granite with white and black flecks. The white appliances were all right. I am glad that her husband didn't go with the avocado green models. I went with mahogany colored leather club chairs and matching 7-foot sofa, and Mission style furniture in the dining room and coffee table. I had an office set up in one of the bedrooms for studying. I had a pull out couch in there as well. The master bedroom and other bedroom were just nice furniture. She started with rugs and artwork and I told her to pick out something that would look good for at least three years. I passed on the artwork and told her not to budget for any. The drapery was functional so I told her just to put it back up after they finished painting.

When Mrs. Ferguson drove me back to the house, I asked her to come in. She was excited about the planned work. She sat at the dining room table. I wrote her a check for the cost of the remodel. I took out another check and told her I wanted to pay her for the following two years as well.

She said, "As nice as you will have this place, you can rent those other two rooms for enough to cover your rent."

"Maybe but that is not in the plans right now."

"Why don't I give you a discount for the amount I am paying for the other units to be updated, and since this was all your idea, I will give you the $1,000 discount each year. Is that fair?"

"Sounds good to me." I wrote the check and got a hug. She held the hug a few seconds too long so I reached around and gave her ass a little squeeze. She jumped back in surprise. I gave her a wink and walked her to the door. Cathy and Dani were out by the pool. I had seen the car when I came back but they weren't inside. Therefore, I walked around and found them.

The ladies had quickly become friends as they were in the same place in their lives. I took them out to dinner at Leonardo's to get a couple of slices. I got an order of garlic knots to share. We walked, since it wasn't too far. It was nice to get to know Dani. She was of course from Miami like her brother. She ran track and specialized in the middle distances like the 220 and the 440. She was third in the state last year. She was taller than her brother was. She was around 5' 8" she had the hard body of a serious athlete. With the minimum amount of body fat, her breasts followed suit and she had small titties but they had a nice roundness at the bottom of her breast. The nipples were just regular but as black as coal. The six-pack on her stomach was not something you see on many girls but it looked good to me.

We made it back to the apartment, after a brief walk over to the library on campus. Reggie was at the kitchen table studying for his final. When he saw me, he got up and gave me a man hug-handshake combo. When he saw his sister and my sister follow me in, he just rolled his eyes. "You don't waste any time do you Britt?"

"Reggie you know that my heart is a magnet to beautiful women. I just walk down the street and I find them just drawn to me. I met you sister earlier but the other one just came up to us in the restaurant wanting to have my babies so we brought her home. Dani, what was her name again?"

Dani said, "Her name is Cathy, she is a freshman this year just like me. Reggie she is kind of cute can we keep her?"

"She will have to stay in Britt's room. I have to study for my test tomorrow."

I said, "We will go see a movie or something and get out of your hair. Your test is tomorrow. When do you plan to move your stuff and head home? They are taking out the carpet and repainting between semesters so I need to get my stuff out as well. Can we move everything to your room in North Hall?"

"Tomorrow is Wednesday. My test is at 10 am. I finished my last class today. Why don't we take a load over tomorrow after class and then we can take off on Thursday after we take over one last load?"

"Sounds good, I was going to stay here for a couple weeks and put stuff in order and start to work ahead in my classes. Do you think I can crash in my old room or should I call a friend?"

"It's OK with me. I am not sure what the rules are for you staying there, but we can check with Brett tomorrow."

We went out and watched a movie. We came back and went to bed. Cathy did sleep with me but that is all we did. I asked when she was going back to Orlando. She said, "I think I will head back tomorrow after we move the stuff to the dorm. If we get done by 3 pm I will be back home in time for dinner."

That is what we did. Brett was fine with me staying, but said that it did break a few rules. We took him out to dinner and got him drunk so he wouldn't think about the rules. I mentioned that if we wanted to pack up the sheets from my bedroom, I would volunteer to sleep in with Dani.

Dani said, "Reggie told me to be careful around you. I think you are cute but he says that I have too much competition."

"Don't listen to Reg. There are only the three of us tonight and Reggie is not my type so you have no competition."

Reggie said, "Let's just leave the sheets until the morning and we can each use our own beds tonight."

I would have enjoyed a night with Dani but didn't want to push it too hard. I did whisper to her, "If you run out of batteries come see me."

The next morning we moved out. I rode my bike and Reggie took his car. Since I live off campus, I will be using my bike and skateboard more this year, even if it is just a couple blocks. I parked the bike outside of North Hall and put the lock on it. Reggie did stick around for a while to unpack and get the boxes off the floor. It is nice to have it a little more useable space for the next few weeks. Reggie said he would be back in time for freshman orientation for his sister so after two weeks I would need to either use the couch or find another bed. I thanked him and after another handshake man hug he said goodbye. Dani gave me a real hug. She whispered in my ear as she did. "I didn't run out of batteries but I thought about you anyways."

I said, "You know where I live if you ever want to get away or need anything."

I wandered around to see if I recognized anyone. There were a few here and there. I went upstairs and knocked on Karen's door. I didn't know if she was still living here or another room or if she moved in with my old photography teacher Michelle Widener. I figured it was worth a shot so I knocked. The door swung open and a nice looking brown haired girl about twenty two stood there. I said, "Hi my name is Britt."

"Hi, I am Amy, can I help you?"

"I am looking for my old girlfriend. She used to live here. I was just checking to see if she was still here or moved."

"Um, ah, who was your girlfriend?"

"Karen James, she is a medical student."

"She still lives here but she is in a relationship if you were trying to get back with her."

"Naw, I wanted to say hi. Do you know when she will be back?"

"She finished her exams today so it may not be tonight. Do you want to leave her a message?"

"Sure, do you want me to write it down or do you want to give it to her verbally?"

"I will tell her."

"OK, but you can't change the words or she won't understand. She isn't very smart. Tell her, Britt came by and wanted to play doctor. He is back in his cell for two weeks until he is released."

"What does that mean beside the playing doctor part?"

"Playing doctor is the best part. You can play with us if she will let you. It means that I moved into my old room for a couple weeks. I am moving into an apartment but they are repainting it."

"I will tell her the next time I see her."

"It is nice meeting you Amy. Are you in medical school as well?"

"No I am working on an MBA."

"That is nice I am working on a business degree as well, but just as an undergrad."

"Nice meeting you too Britt. Bye."

I wandered back down and when I passed the lounge, I saw Shannon cooking her dinner. I went in to say hi.

"Hey Shannon, you are eating early. Where is Benji?"

"He went home for a couple weeks. I have to stay and work. In fact, I am going to work in an hour. That is why I am fixing dinner now. I thought you were moving out?"

"I am. I am having the new place repainted so I am crashing in my old room for a couple weeks."

"Maybe I will stop by later after work. Do you need anything?"

"Yes, a case of beer and a couple boxes of condoms."

"You are too much. Do you have any cash?" I gave her $40.

Shannon did stop by around midnight with my provisions. She said, "I was questioned about the condoms because the cashier that I used to checkout, knew that Benji had gone home. I told her they were for a friend but she was acting weird. I called Benji to let him know what was going on just in case she said something to him. I think she had a crush on him for a while. I told Benji what had happened. He said that my best friend from high school had run into him at a party last night and she seduced him. Therefore, I should do whatever I wanted. It is not as if it would be the first time. So I guess the next three weeks we can have an adventure if we want to."

"Is the beer cold?"

"Right out of the cooler."

"Then get me a beer and get naked. When do you work next, my three week slave?"

"Well master I need to work the next two nights from 5 to 11pm. I have two days off after that, followed by five days of 5 to 11."

"I thought you worked Sundays. You have Sunday and Monday off now?"

"Just while school is out. I can get more hours that way."

"Let's go see if that pussy tastes as sweet as I remember."

We didn't have to be anywhere until five tomorrow night. I did want to meet with Penny when she started her crew the next morning, so I set the alarm for 7:30.

When the alarm went off, I did my morning routine and then put on my running shoes. I didn't want to be all sweaty when I went to see Penny, so I just jogged over to the apartment. When I arrived, she was standing in the driveway talking to the foreman. He was guiding a truck to where he wanted the dumpster. I walked over while they talked and she said good morning and introduced me to Steve, the man in charge. The first thing they were going to do is tear everything out that we don't plan on keeping. The furniture was in the breezeway.

The apartment complex consisted of two buildings with a walkway and staircase in between them. One roof covered both buildings and the breezeway. Each building was thirty feet wide and the breezeway was twenty feet wide. The six-foot staircase was right in the middle. It went up to a landing that was actually a bridge between the two top floor doors in each building. The buildings were forty feet deep. There was a bike rack under the stairs and a gate in the back end of the breezeway, which led to the pool out back. Both grass and a six-foot wooden fence surrounded the pool. The lower floor apartments had a sliding glass door that led to the grass surrounding the pool deck. The upstairs apartments had the same doors but led to a 10' x 10' deck.