My Wealthy Grandmother Left Me a Single Brass Key and No Inheritance
“Well, look who it is,” Mr. Landis said, squinting at me through his thick, grease-smeared glasses. “I thought you were living up in Oakhaven for good, Emily. Your grandmother’s place, right?”
“She passed away last week,” I said, holding my suitcase tightly. “I need to rent my old studio apartment back, Mr. Landis. You told me in August that the third-floor unit was still empty.”
“It is empty,” he said, wiping his brow with a soiled rag. “But things have changed since you lived here. The owner put in new laminate flooring and upgraded the water heater last winter.”
“How much is the rent now?” I asked.
“Nine hundred and fifty a month,” Mr. Landis said. “And I need the first month’s rent plus a full security deposit of nine hundred and fifty before I can hand over the keys. That is nineteen hundred dollars total.”
“Nineteen hundred?” I asked, clearing my throat. “It was six hundred when I lived here. I cannot pay that all at once.”
