The realtor’s heels sounded against the boards.
Ade inhaled the woman’s impatience as if it were a strong scent. “Do we need to do something right now?” The options exploded like fireworks in Ade’s mind. She didn’t want to offend the realtor or embarrass Steph.
“You don’t have to rush.” Steph touched her sleeve, as if she knew that the situation was sending her sideways. “We can always look around again tomorrow.”
Dragging ourselves around for another day? No, thanks.Endless real estate windows, half-translated, broken conversations, and a maddening midday heat had made for a miserable first day in her new city. “Can we just take the apartment?” Ade asked.
“Of course,” the realtor said, clapping her hands with a finality. “You’ll need to follow me down to the office to sort out some paperwork.”
The next hour proved to be the most tedious of the whole day. Ade found herself on the ground floor of a tall office block trying to focus on something that wouldn’t hurt her head.
She stared ahead, avoiding the overflowing filing cabinets. She shut her eyes, only for the brown stain of a coffee ring to appear on the back of her eyelids. The whirling blades of a fan did nothing more than send papers flying and disperse the stench of stale sweat around the room.
The realtor peered above a pair of scarlet spectacles. “Who will sign the lease for you, Mademoiselle…Poole?”
Ade wondered if she had eyewear to match all her footwear.
“Adelaide will sign it,” Steph said. “We can pay the deposit today.”
Ade nodded beside her sister, grateful to avoid taking the lead.
“You will need a French guarantor,” the realtor said.
“A what now?” Steph asked.
“Someone who lives in France to co-sign the lease with you. It is the way these things are done here.”
Steph shuffled in her seat. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand. My sister and I are both adults. We can pay rent up front if that’s what the issue is.”
There was much gesticulating from the back office as the realtor sought a second opinion.
“Some air,” Ade said. “I need some air.”
“Sure thing. I’ll sort this out and come get you.” Steph twisted the cap of her water bottle.
Ade paced the sidewalk, staying close enough to the shop window to keep Steph in her eyeline. She stepped over the dog mess and gum and studiously avoided the cracks in the pavements. The screech of tires and roar of engines filled her ears while exhaust fumes invaded her nostrils. She counted to ten, just like Pops had taught her. Would she ever settle and adjust to the new smells and sounds? A rattle of foreign words distracted her across the road. She looked back at Steph, and she was still there.
This morning on the way back from the club, the rising sun had bathed the city’s rooftops in an amber glow as the street cleaners washed down the sins of the night. She’d liked the cleaners. They’d been loud but effective.
Stephanie poked her head through the office door. “Okay, we’re all done here.”
“Do you need me? I don’t feel that well.”
“You need to sign some papers.” Steph held the door open. “It’s your studio, not mine.”
Ade’s shoulders stiffened as she stepped inside. Why couldn’t her sister stay with her a little longer? Soon enough, she’d be all alone in this strange city, starting a new job with a bunch of new people she’d no doubt annoy in her first week.
All their first days had been done as a duo: kindergarten, middle school, high school. They’d been hand in hand through every milestone: major to minor. Would Ade fall apart without the glue that held her together?
Ade didn’t want Steph to leave, but that had been the deal. She’d come with her to France and go on traveling through Europe, which had been her sister’s dream since they’d been in high school. A little part of Ade wished that Stephanie would becharmed by this little French city and stay for longer. Maybe even the whole year.
But the chance of that, based on the last twenty-four hours, was pretty slim. Ade had proven herself to be the perennial family burden, someone to be coaxed along, second-guessed, and occasionally rescued from the jaws of disaster.
Stephanie had done more than discharge her sisterly duty; it was time for her own adventures, leaving Ade to her own devices. What would life look like then? Ade cleared her throat. It did her no good to run off too far into the future. The echo of her pop’s advice rang in her ears:“Stay here in the moment, kiddo, and deal with what’s in front of you.”She drew her pen across the page, signing her name. If only she had the certainty of that scrawl of black ink.
CHAPTER THREE
“Out of the way,please. This isn’t a common room; it’s a corridor.” Sylvie held her head high past the freshers’ orientation, hoping to set the tone for the coming academic year. She turned into the relative peace of her classroom and set down her tower of books. She’d need to get used to the weight of her various tomes after a summer carrying nothing but sunscreen and a beach towel.
