You Own Me (Owned 1)

The drive to our (hopefully) new apartment was heart-pounding. Vera blasted the radio to some bubbly, beat-filled tune that I loved the minute it came on. She sang every lyric with precise timing and melody. Her voice was spectacular.

“I don’t kno-o-o-o-w!” Vera sang, taking her eyes off the road to serenade me. Driving with Vera was hilarious, if not a little terrifying. She kept ignoring the road to sing to me. I couldn’t help but laugh, even if inside I felt like we were going to crash any minute.

Even though I’d never been to Santa Barbara, I was barely paying attention to our surroundings. Vera was a tourist attraction in herself. The way she slapped the steering wheel to the beat—occasionally honking on accident—and howled with the song, was impossible to ignore. She kept trying to get me to sing with her, but that was not going to happen. I didn’t even sing in the shower.

Vera stopped singing and turned off the radio. It was so sudden it was like being doused in water. I looked around for a towel to dry off with.

“We’re almost here,” Vera supplied, completely normal as if she hadn’t just been rocking harder than anyone I’d ever seen before. And in just a car.

“Oh,” I responded. Oh? I wish I could have said something better. Being with Vera was another reminder of how little experience I had with people.

For the first time since I hopped in the car, I looked at our surroundings. Most of the houses had orangish red roofs and white facades. Bright purple, blue, and red plants decorated their porches and the lawns were sprawling green. It was unlike anything I’d seen before. I was mesmerized; it was like stepping in to a magazine page.

“This is nice,” Vera said, slowing to a stop.

“Why are you stopping?”

“We’re here.”

Here? My mouth fell open. This couldn’t be where we were going to live. It looked like paradise. Through cracks in the houses I could see blue, ocean blue. It was impossible that we were going to live here.

“I know,” Vera said, “It must be a mistake. This place is too beautiful. But let’s check it out at least.” Vera popped open her car door and stepped out. I followed suit, still overloaded by the beauty.

As we walked up to the big, white buildings, I couldn’t have felt like more of an outsider. People in swimsuits and sundresses strolled along the sidewalk, oblivious to our uncertainty. Vera pulled out her phone, checking the address one more time, before we ascended the steps of the biggest building on the block.

“This one?” I asked.

“Looks like an apartment or something,” Vera said, peering at the tall, white building with suspicion. “He said he was on the first floor and to just ring when we got here. So, here goes nothing.” Vera pressed the ringer with determination.

It was only a few beats before the door opened, revealing a tall, scraggly looking young man who couldn’t have been much older than me or Vera. He had shaggy brown hair and blue eyes and looked to have just woken up.

“You Vera?” He asked.

Vera nodded. “Are you Chad?” He nodded, opening the door wide for us to walk in. Vera and I glanced at each other once before stepping across the doorway. With just that one look, we crossed the threshold, not looking back.

Chad walked us through the one-story apartment. He kept saying things like “sorry, it’s not much” or “I know, it’s not that big” but I didn’t know what he was going on about. The place was huge. It had a kitchen, a living room, a bathroom, and three bedrooms. Plus, the patio opened right on to the beach.

The beach was the first thing I saw and it took me a good minute to take my eyes off it. I remember when I noticed it Chad had been sayin’ something about how the microwave didn’t work right, but I couldn’t hear it. I was too busy starin’ at the big, blue expanse in front of me.

The waves crashed in a continuous cycle and people were playing in it! I don’t know how they did that. Weren’t they afraid? Weren’t they worried that once they stepped in the deep blue they’d never come out? I kept wondering these things, watching little kids and big adults jump around as white foam crashed over their heads. I only stopped cuz Vera dragged me away by the elbow

“I’ve got two extra rooms,” Chad said, gesturing at two open doors. “They’re pretty much the same except one overlooks the beach and the other overlooks the street.”

Vera grabbed my arm, so hard I swear she drew skin. I pulled it back with a squeak, giving her a look. “What’s that for?”

“Can I have the beach room?” Her brown eyes grew round and wide. “Please, I’ve never seen the beach but in pictures. Please!”

I massaged my arm. “Yeah, okay.”

Chad squinted at us then shrugged. “I guess that’s it. You’ve seen everything. I’ve got to head to school in an hour, so, uh,” he placed his hands in his pockets and then teetered on his heels, “Just have the cash ready by the first of the month.” Without another word Chad disappeared in to the room across the living room, shutting the door.

Vera and I exchanged looks. “He’s a bit off his rocker, right?” Vera asked.

“Maybe that’s how people act out here,” I off

ered, not wanting to believe the man we were going to be living with was even remotely odd.

Vera nodded, “Maybe…” She shook her head, replacing her frown with a smile. “Let’s move in!”