Although getting to know the Mushroom House might have been nice, you really didn't feel like eating out right now. It's a little surprising just how much that bus ride wore you out. Better to just relax tonight, you tell Greg, who hops down the stairs and drives away in his car.
Stepping into the apartment, your eyes adjust to the living room. It's a pretty big room for a college apartment, shaped like a long rectangle with eggshell-painted walls. You glance around in every direction, exploring with your eyes.
The floor is carpeted with a thick, gray layer, the kind you might expect more from an office than a home. The ceiling, too, is made of those movable tiles typical of most workplaces. Perhaps it's because college students aren't well know for being neat, and these things are easier to replace, you think...
The left (West) wall holds a TV and entertainment center, along with a few posters, and a brown leather couch sits opposite the TV in about the center of the room. A long table with three chairs sits against the back of the couch, which appears to be a makeshift dinner table.
The back (North) wall is mostly open, with an archway on either side leading to small staircases 5 steps. Between the arches is the kitchen, which is mostly open to the living room through a big door in the middle and two "windows" through the wall on either side.
The right (East) wall a built-in bookshelf, filled mostly with old textbooks, CDs, and DVDs. In the southeast corner is a small enclave, and a small stairwell leads down behind the bookshelf.
Walking into the living room, you turn to see that the front (South) wall is covered with a stone motif, with large windows out onto the porch surrounding the front door. You walk around the room, peeking around the enclave behind the bookcase. The stairway goes down about 10 steps before a short platform and a doorway.
"The laundry room is in the middle there, between the two floors. The owner put it there so the two apartments could share it," Karen explains before you can ask. "It locks from both sides, though, so you don't have to worry about anyone sneaking in, and the walls are thick enough that we don't really hear the machines running."
Peering into the kitchen, you see that it's really just a big oval of countertops. One end has a stove and oven, with a refridgerator at the north wall, while the other end has the dishwasher, sink, and microwave. Most of the counter space is on the south wall, and you can see into the living room through the windows over the countertops.
As you step back into the living room, Karen pulls your bags past the couch and hands one over to you. "Let's put these in your room, and I'l show you the back hallway," she offers.
Going up the five steps to the left of the kitchen, You can see that the raised hallway curves around the back of the kitchen. On the left, Karen wheels the suitcase into the first room, and you do the same.
"This is your room, but lemme show you the rest of the rooms before you start unpacking, okay?" Karen asks.
Your room lies behind the west wall of the living room, with a small closet and doorway on to the north wall that leads to the bathroom. The square room holds only a twin-sized bed, a built in desk, and a ceiling fan hanging from the same office-tile ceiling as the living room. It would do just fine, you suppose.
From the hall, there is an open door to the same bathroom, which you can see has holds a combination tub/shower, a toilet, and a sink. It also has three doors, leading to the hall, your room, and the next room over.
In the back of the house is Greg's room. Karen opens the door and lets your peer inside. Unlike yours, Greg's room is a much longer rectangle. On the west side is a large computer desk with two large monitors and a desktop tower glowing with blue neon lights. More impressive is the large, spaceship-captain style chair sitting in front of it, with a high, wide back. The desk is surrounded by shelves that house textbooks and action figures, some of which are robots and soldiers, but some of which are schoolgirls and alluring women. On the opposite side of the room is a twin bed and several chests of drawers, also cover in similar action figures. Greg was obviously a bit of a geek, but at least he didn't let it spill into the living room.
At the opposite end of the hall are two doors, one leading to a bathroom which is similar to yours, the other leading to Karen's room. Karen's room is also a rectangle, stretching the east side of the house. It has a door leading to the bathroom and and a ceiling fan like your room, but Karen's room is decorated fully. The walls have been painted red, and the red comforter is laid neatly over the twin bed at the center. Large chest of drawers frame the bed, and the bookshelves on the opposite wall hold most photographs and novels.
"Well, why don't you unpack?" Karen asks, adding, "I think I'm going to take a nap. Sorry your room's a bit smaller, but that's why you're paying less rent. If you use the bathroom, remember to unlock all the doors when you're done so Greg can use it, too. Also, if Greg is ever in there and you need to use mine, I usually leave the hallway door unlocked. I'll be in my room reading, just knock if you need anything."
"Thanks, Karen," you reply, "I will."
...
Unpacking in your room takes a lot longer than you thought it would. Greg came back around 7 with dinner, and you shared dinner with Karen on the table in the living room before everyone returned to their own rooms.
By 9 or so, you've unpacked everything into your drawers and hung up all your pictures, and you're pretty proud of yourself. Surprisingly, you're not as tired as you thought you'd be, but you're still fairly worn out from the long day. You could do with a warm bath and bed, or you could see what else is going on. |