The Apartment Story

Flash Fiction

The Apartment Story

“Don’t go in there.”

Janice jumped! Fascinated by the window, she’d been lost in thought. There were two puppies, a crate of kittens, and at the end, a large turtle, watching, as if he was in charge there.

She whirled around, a man looking at her. One about her own age. One who shouldn’t be scaring women who are looking at puppies in a pet store!

“What?” she said for lack of anything else to say.

“I said don’t go in there.”

“It’s opened…”

“Sorry, you just look like someone who loves animals, like I do. I’m Ted. I’ve found that when I just go in quickly, just to check them out, I end up late for my appointment, or late for something! Because as soon as I get in there, I forget all about where I’m supposed to be.”

Stranger that he was, Janice couldn’t hold in the laugh. “Do you have pets?” she asked.

“Unfortunately, they’re banned in my apartment unit.

“I’m so sorry!”

“Me too, I’ve been looking for another place, I work from home! But that doesn’t count with my landlord…

“Gosh, that’s mean! I want to get a puppy but, though we can have pets, I’m at work all day and it would be all alone…”

‘Where’s your apartment? Do they have any openings?”

“Actually, I think we do!”

Two weeks later Ted moved into Janice’s complex. Janice helped, they had started dating after that Friday when they met.

The first thing they did, right after moving Ted in, was go peruse the Pet Shop. Their puppy, Goldie, spent the days with Ted and the nights and weekends with Janice.

Well until Janice and Ted got married eight months later…

They kept Janices’ apartment, Goldie liked it better (and frankly, so did Janice…)