Thirteen Storeys by Jonathan Sims

Author:Jonathan Sims [Sims, Jonathan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Orion Publishing Group
Published: 2020-12-11T23:00:00+00:00

8th

Viewing Essential

Laura Lockwood

Formerly of 52 Henley Street

Laura couldn’t stand the old man’s flat. Even before he’d died it had been a never-ending headache for her. But now that it was unoccupied it felt like some tasteless joke being played on her from beyond the grave whenever she tried to rent it out.

‘And in here we can see the bathroom. Fully fitted with a well-sized claw foot tub and an attractive tile finish.’

A bathtub still bearing the scars of the old man’s assisted bathing chair and tiles still pock-marked with holes from the handrails he’d had installed. Laura had often suggested the landlords remodel, to exorcise these last lingering remnants of the previous tenant’s existence, but they had always refused, leaving it to Laura and her agency to try and let the place in its current state.

‘How’s the water pressure?’

The potential tenants were a young professional couple, dressed in outfits that would almost seem shabby if you didn’t know the designers who made them. When they’d first showed up Laura had made a silent guess that the man had a parent who owned the media company he worked for and the woman was climbing the ranks of a successful PR firm.

‘It’s just about perfect.’ She smiled, picking up the shower head and turning the tap to send out a powerful cascade of water. ‘Exactly what you need after a hard day at the office …’

Whatever they did for a living (if they did anything), they weren’t saying. Luckily, they also weren’t saying anything about the various damage the old man’s mobility aids had done to the flat. Objectively, it wasn’t a lot. A hole here, a line of removed plaster there, the odd scrape mark on the bamboo wooden floors. The trouble was that this was 21 Banyan Court, and the sort of people who looked at a flat like this wanted perfection.

‘Can we see the bedroom?’ the young man asked, giving his partner a wink he clearly thought Laura wouldn’t notice.

Laura did, of course, but she also had high hopes for these two. Not only hadn’t they made a peep about any of the little imperfections that had scuppered her previous viewings, they hadn’t had what she was starting to think of as the ‘Number 21 freakout’. She might finally be able to shift this real estate albatross.

The bedroom at least was tastefully appointed, with wide floor-to-ceiling windows looking out towards the centre of London. She carefully avoided drawing attention to the view as she was well aware that on a day like this the grey miasma of fumes formed a clearly visible aura around the skyscrapers of the Square Mile. While she was perfectly used to the sight, she knew from experience it could easily turn the stomach of potential tenants imagining a view of London would be a little less guilt-inducing.

She need not have worried though, her prospective clients made a beeline straight for the queen-sized bed and lay down, testing the mattress.

‘Yeah, I can see us in this.

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