I've spent a lot of the past few months dealing with students and folks who recently finished college or high school looking for apartments, because while the more senior people at the agency say I'm closer in age and experience to these potential renters than anyone else, I'm pretty sure that it's also a matter of them looking for places with low rents and deposits, so the commissions are smaller for the amount of time put in. I get it - I've probably got years before I'm handling the multimillion dollar penthouses in the luxury high-rises - but I feel like I'm ready for something a little bigger. Dad says to be patient because sometimes paying your dues can take years, and maybe outright skipping most of high school and college has me more impatient than I should be.
I was talking about that while hanging out on the apartment with Katey a few weeks ago and had to pause the game because I got a call from someone who decided, yes, they wanted that place in the Bowery and I had to immediately send a follow-up email in the hopes I was able to lay a claim before the other dozen agencies that the landlord was listing with. I told her afterward that it was a pretty basic place so I wouldn't get that much from it, so before unpausing the game, she went to get a beer from the fridge and asked me if it only went one way. Did I just have to limit myself to the studios I was assigned, or could I start with a client and find them a condo?
Because she and Omar were looking to find a place.
That stopped me dead in my tracks. "Have you talked to Dad about that yet?"
"Why, do you think she's got a line on a place in Manhattan with parking and enough space that Omar and I can both work from home without driving each other nuts?"
"I just mean--"
"Relax, I'm not asking you to keep this a secret or anything; I'll tell her soon. I just figure it's better to present it to Emilia as something that's already in the works, you know? Maybe bring her along when you show us someplace nice, because you know she's going to be weird about it."
"I guess, although, it does seem kind of like a big step."
"Is it, though? Omar and I have been dating a year and I spend one or two nights a week at his place anyway, plus vacations. And before you say I'm really just 18, that means I'd have been moving away for college soon enough anyway. Hell, original-Katey had a bunch of friends who got married straight out of high school!"
"I suppose. Uh, I guess I can see what we've got in our system if you send me where you want to be and your price range."
"Great!" She chugged the rest of her beer, burped, and then headed back to the couch so we could start playing again.
I got a text from her the next morning when I happened to be at my desk, so I did a quick search and looked through what I found. There were a few places, but one thing I've learned is that everyone overestimates what they can afford in Manhattan at first. I emailed her some listings, she sent back "ouch!" and then nothing and I thought that might be the end of it, at least until a week later, when Dad and Jonah were sitting in the living room as I returned from a run, and asked why I hadn't told them about Katey looking for an apartment.
"She said she would" didn't go over well as a response, but it was kind of all I had. "You said you were going to treat us like grown-ups over a year ago, and I see grown-ups looking for new places all the time! And don't you like Omar a lot more than his roommate who is always staring at your boobs?"
"Yes, but... You girls have been so successful, but you're still so young and inexperienced! I can really use your help convincing Katey to wait a bit."
"Hey, I want Katey to stay too, but--"
Jonah have me a stare. "But you need the commission?"
"No, I want the commission!" Dad and Jonah didn't laugh. "But I can't say no, or half-ass this, can I? Like, it's starting to feel weird to call her either my brother or my sister, but saying she's my friend or roommate doesn't feel right, and if I won't come through for her, she might, I don't know, start feeling like I'm less than even that, and move out without us being involved."
Dad didn't like the sound of that and told me she was sure Katey wouldn't hold that against me, just that it was tough to think of being in this together when that might mean splitting up. By the end of the evening, she had more or less decided that what really bothered her was keeping secrets, and I guess that I felt the same way. I think Katey was actually kind of relieved that Dad found out as well, because Dad did have a lot more experience in finding a place than she or Omar did.
It also took a lot of pressure off when I did start showing Katey apartments. I was lucky the first time was just her, because she got to giggle at me in my blazer, pencil skirt, and heels, carrying around a case full of stapled printouts and sounding really rehearsed as I unconsciously forgot who I was talking to and slipped into my salesgirl voice. It is kind of funny - I actually do want to be a lot more honest and forthcoming than typical with her than anyone else, but you fall into habits.
Of course, the third time she did it, I pulled out my phone and opened her employer's YouTube channel so that I could play back how she sounds when she's pitching the fourth amazing discovery of the summer, and we called a truce.
Omar came with her after that, and while the vibe was different - he wanted to help his girlfriend do a friend a solid but also wanted to make sure I knew that he was doing that and he wasn't going to accept anything less because of that, which is fine. Omar can be intense but like I told Dad, he's cooler than a lot of other guys he hangs around with. I think he was also a lot more realistic about what this was going to cost than Katey, considering that they basically were looking for a three bedroom because I'd they were both going to work remotely, they needed to do it without bothering each other, especially if Katey was going to be streaming that day. He's also been living in a fancier part of town than we have.
I've got to admit, I don't know if either Dad or me is ready for Katey to move out, but seeing her and Omar look at places and talk about what they'd do with them, I think she actually may be, and i hope I'm helping her find a good spot.
- Rusty/Monica
